[Dixielandjazz] The mystery of B Flat

[Bill Gunter]

Hi listmates,

I have the same experience in my enclosed and tiled bathroom shower space. 
When I hum a gliss either up or down very quietly I hear this resonance at 
one particular point in the gliss. I can keep it going by adding a bit of 
hum which seems to work in sort of a sympathetic vibration with the 
resonance of the shower.

I never made any attempt to find out which note it was . . . could have been 
Bb but without the ability of perfect pitch I'd have to get to an instrument 
pretty quickly to verify the note.

I have no idea what would make Bb a particularly unusual note - seems to me 
that a cavity could easily contain the specific volumes, surfaces, and 
shapes to amplify virtually any note.

I also know this . . .

If you go to a piano and open it up so that you can sing directly at the 
array of strings and then depress the sustain pedal you can hear it. Simply 
sing a single note loudly and clearly toward the strings and thing be quiet 
and listen - you'll hear that note resonating.  Nothing spooky about it, 
it's simply what they call a Sympathetic Vibration. Once you start it the 
note will continue to resonate and slowly die away all by itself.

Respectfully submitted,

Bill "mmmmmmmmmmmm" Gunter
jazzboard at hotmail.com