# Close encounters hand symbols/gestures

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/close-encounters-hand-symbols-gestures/600783>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [October 25, 2011, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/close-encounters-hand-symbols-gestures/600783 "2011-10-25T22:29:10Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\
**Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/close-encounters-hand-symbols-gestures/600783/1 "2011-10-25T22:29:10Z")

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At the end of Close Encounters of the 3rd kind, the French guy does a hand symbol that the alien repeats. The symbol is a fist, a flat hand and then a flat hand vertical. Is there any reason they picked those 3? I ask because I just had a Dr. ask me to do those 3 symbols/gestures to test me.

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**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\
**Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/close-encounters-hand-symbols-gestures/600783/2 "2011-10-25T23:27:17Z")

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Those are the [Curwen solfege hand signs](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Curwen_Hand_Signs_MT.jpg). Each sign corresponds to a note on the musical scale. The _Close Encounters_ notes are: Re, Mi, Do, Do, Sol (the second Do is an octave lower than the first). So you do:

Raised open hand  
Flat open hand  
Fist  
Lower Fist  
Perpendicular open hand

You, too, can communicate with aliens!