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Posted

So I'm driving into work today with Loren & Wally on the radio (love those "Men From Maine" skits) and they play The Doors' "Love Her Madly". Well, I singing along with it and when the harpsicord/Mellotron/organ(?) solo comes along, I cannot get the right pitch no matter what I do! Drives me nuts. Help me out here... is it because people can't whistle flat? Or sharp? What is it about this tune?

Posted

I thought this was about a Duke Ellington tune - haven't listened to that Doors version in a long time but as I remember it's pretty straightforward - did you have the window open? Maybe it was the wind and outdoor acoustics, which can wreak havok with pitch - -

Posted

My guess is, the part you describe is played with two different tones, of equal strength, a 3rd apart iirc; maybe your ear was unable to distinguish between them?

Posted

My guess is, the part you describe is played with two different tones, of equal strength, a 3rd apart iirc; maybe your ear was unable to distinguish between them?

Thank you... thank you... thank you!! I thought I was going crazy! I tried every note I could and couldn't help but think "How the hell would someone transcribe this?" :)

Next time I listen, I'll see if I can hear the two tones. Of course, with rumors rampant that almost all radio stations are using mp3 files for their playback medium, I may never hear it on the radio. :)

Kevin

Posted

Did anyone ever notice that the dial tone on a conventional phone is a combination of the pitches F and A? Since I don't have perfect pitch, I use that as a reference sometimes (when I'm not near a piano or my horn).

Posted (edited)

Did anyone ever notice that the dial tone on a conventional phone is a combination of the pitches F and A? Since I don't have perfect pitch, I use that as a reference sometimes (when I'm not near a piano or my horn).

It's not just a coincidence; those two pitches were chosen to honor Alexander Graham Bell and his lovely wife, Francine.

5-HK-Bell-1902.jpg

Edited by DukeCity
Posted (edited)

My guess is, the part you describe is played with two different tones, of equal strength, a 3rd apart iirc; maybe your ear was unable to distinguish between them?

I have that trouble, sometimes, with all the tight harmonies in vocal groups (and even in some unlikley suspects, like the choral vocals in some of Zappa's later groups).

Two or three notes played with equal strength, in close, tight harmony, with maybe the lower notes just a tiny bit louder - so as to fool the ear (which normally picks out the highest notes in chords), can really do a number on ya!! :P

Edited by Rooster_Ties
Posted

It's not just a coincidence; those two pitches were chosen to honor Alexander Graham Bell and his lovely wife,  Francine.

Can you imagine if his name had been Beauregard Graham Bell? We'd be listening to a tritone dial tone. :blink:

Posted

It's not just a coincidence; those two pitches were chosen to honor Alexander Graham Bell and his lovely wife,  Francine.

Can you imagine if his name had been Beauregard Graham Bell? We'd be listening to a tritone dial tone. :blink:

The Devil's dial tones. :rfr

Posted

It's not just a coincidence; those two pitches were chosen to honor Alexander Graham Bell and his lovely wife,  Francine.

Can you imagine if his name had been Beauregard Graham Bell? We'd be listening to a tritone dial tone. :blink:

Well, the real crisis was averted when officials from the Mormon church advised Bell to keep quiet about his 'extra' wives, Beulah and Daphne. Imagine that half-diminished chord (or as Monk would say, minor chord with 6 in the bass)!

How did I come upon this astounding information?

Don Ameche wouldn't lie...

6303957013.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

Posted

It's not just a coincidence; those two pitches were chosen to honor Alexander Graham Bell and his lovely wife,  Francine.

Can you imagine if his name had been Beauregard Graham Bell? We'd be listening to a tritone dial tone. :blink:

The Devil's dial tones. :rfr

Area code 666.

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