Deborah Lewis

Maybe it's just too early for me but I thought this was funny.

It's from www.drscience.com

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Dear Doctor Science,
In the "New Harvard Dictionary of Music" a statement is made that
the Clarinet plays (or acts) as a stopped-pipe resonator. It actually
sounds an octave lower than one would expect. It is similar in length to
a flute or soprano sax but sounds an octave lower. Can you explain why
the clarinet sounds as a stopped-pipe as opposed to the flute or sax
which sound as open pipes?

-- Glynn Furr from Cary, NC

As anyone who's ever heard Prokoviev's "Peter and the Wolf" knows, the
clarinet is actually a fossilized cat. Flutes are fossilized birds.
Some birds are as big as cats, but they're still birds and therefore
make a comparatively high pitched or, scientifically speaking, "Tweaty"
noise compared to a clarinet, or cat. The term "stopped pipe" refers to
a bird caught in the cat's throat. Probably the cat was nabbed by
instrument makers before he could finish chewing his meal. They make
most musical instruments in other countries, where there are no animal
protection laws.

Dana & Matt

Oh, Deb, that made me snort my coffee out my nose! ;)
Dana

> As anyone who's ever heard Prokoviev's "Peter and the Wolf" knows, the
> clarinet is actually a fossilized cat