I’m always surprised how many nerds play musical instruments. There’s a lot of math in music. The western scale is based on natural acoustic harmonics from the physics of vibrating strings and resonant acoustics from sound columns. The ratio of the frequency of two adjacent notes on the piano or guitar is the twelfth root of 2. The spacing of the bridge to adjacent frets on a guitar has the same ratio.
Changing frequencies forms melodies. There’s also rhythm. I’ve heard it said that our fondness of rhythm comes from listening to Mommy’s beating heart as a baby. (I read this on the internet, so it must be true.) The most common rhythm is 4/4, also called common time. Then there’s the waltz in 3/4. Other common rhythms are 2/4 and 6/8. But rarely is music written in 5/4. Keeping time in 5/4 takes some time to get used to. Try repeatedly saying 1-2-3-4-5 and snapping your fingers to the rhythm. It’s not natural.
Dave Brubeck broke with convention by recording “Take 5” in the unusual 5/4 time signature—a rarity that inspired the piece’s title.
This week’s Micro Softy is more of a trivia question than it is a puzzle.
What popular movie franchise theme is written in 5/4?
Hint: Last week’s Micro Softy concerned TV’s Gunsmoke where Marshal Matt Dillon was played by James Arness. The theme from the 5/4 movie franchise was first used for a television series by the same name that starred James Arness’ brother.
Speaking of Gunsmoke, here’s the solution to last week’s Micro Softy.
Solution to Micro Softy 60: Gunsmoke
Last week’s Micro Softy was about a story based on the television episode Gunsmoke.
Gunslinger Hack Prine rode into Dodge at noon on Friday. After Hack Prine killed a man the night after he arrived, Marshal Matt Dillon told him to “Get out of Dodge” by noon the next day. So Hack Prine rode out of town three days after he arrived, also at noon on Friday.
Q: How can this be?
A: I confess the answer is cheesy, but here it is: The name of Hack Prine’s horse was Friday.
The Monday Micro Softy is a weekly feature of GeekPlanet News. Here are the links to all the puzzles and answers to date:
Monday Microsofty 60: Here’s a puzzle from Gunsmoke Told to “get out of Dodge”after a shooting, a gunslinger does so at a nearly inexplicable time. Can you solve the puzzle?
To solve Microsofty 59, recall that direction of air flow is due to pressure — not size. Which tire is under more pressure? You can find puzzles 56 through 59 here as well.
Monday Micro Softy 55: “It happens every spring.” Baseball, that is. Here’s a puzzle that takes in baseball’s summer. To solve last week’s puzzle, you don’t need to know the distance. Check the problem again for the number you do need to know. You can find puzzles 51 through 54 here as well.
Monday Micro Softy 50: Cutting through the cornbread. How did Yuri Senior cut the cornbread into eight identical portions using only three straight cuts? You can guess the answer to Microsofty 49 if you try the test question yourself at home, using a small mirror. Links to Microsofties 46 through 49 are here as well.
Monday Micro Softy 45: Can Tony beat the fast-food curfew? An early curfew on fast food service motivated a boy to exercise more vigorously. But how fast was he pedaling? To solve Micro Softy 44, recall that Tony doesn’t need to take the individual pills each day, only the prescribed amount of each. You will find links here to Micros Softies 41 through 44 as well.
Monday Micro Softy 40: The fate of a false prophet. He wasn’t actually fired for being a false prophet but for something that his prophecy unintentionally revealed. The solution to Micro Softy 39 lies in considering an alternative possible meaning of a word commonly used in sports. You will also find links to Micro Softies 30 through 39 and their answers here as well.
Monday Micro Softy 29: A funeral lament in four lines. The funeral director was puzzled by Dan’s description of his relationship to the deceased but there was no question that his grief was sincere Here, you will also find links to Microsofties 22 through 29.
Monday Micro Softy 21: Finding More of the Deadly Fentanyl Pills. Here, you will also find links to Microsofties 11 through 20 as well.
Monday Micro Softy 11: What Happened to That Other Dollar? Here you will find links to the first ten Micro Softies. Have fun!
