What has a black head, beady red eyes, and cries like a banshee? It’s the Common Loon! Drag over the noteheads to listen. The Common Loon sings an interval of an imperfect fourth, usually from E to A. This is a much wider interval than most birds, who commonly sing thirds. The mysterious wail of […]
Archive of posts tagged Birds
Another Chickadee Song
Two birds in my backyard whistle at each other. The first bird whistles a high B♭ to a G, an interval of a minor third. The second bird answers with the same interval, except a whole tone above the first bird, C to A. I guess one bird is a little hotter than the other. […]
Lydian Birdsong
In my backyard, two black-capped chickadees sing an unintentional Lydian song that sounds like “Better Man” by Pearl Jam. Click on the score below to listen and loop. The Eb-bird sings his phrase while the F-bird answers, and the Eb-bird answers that; then there is a measure of silence. Are any females listening to these […]
Chickadee (New Wave)
The Black-capped Chickadee sings these noteheads three—B, A, and E. When he says “fee bee”, he sings a B to an A, and the chorus of his namesake falls on an E. Drag over the notes below. We wanted to cover this guy’s song, but didn’t know where the royalties should go. Is the chickadee […]
uh Phone
there is a phone call that makes a kind of native guatemalan greeting everytim it calls you. you may have heard this thing. i can’t remember what phone it’s for. i’m not good with the brandnames. it seems the phone companies and other multinationals are following the old-time inspiration of classic TV and radio by […]
Car Arm Alarm Bug Nuts
The popular Car Arm Alarm is a duplet of flat B’s that bend upwards. Within this short mechanical musical phrase, one can hear the ten thousand voices of nature crying out for an audience. Like the quick stridulation of an insect or the glissando of a bird, the Car Arm Alarm is followed by long […]
Mockingjays
Spring has sung, and the birds are back. And not just the songbirds either, but naughty little fuckbirds1 too. Black-Capped-Fuckadees that go fuck-a-dee-dee-dee2. Songless Woodfuckers3 who can only drum out their love. Bluefucks and yellow-tailed whippoorfucks. Perhaps they are speaking the divine dirty ‘language of the birds’. Or just letting their harmonic throats do the […]
