Close your eyes and click here. You’ll know it immediately.
Um… that’s what happens when you get a newborn in the house in addition to the current almost-2-year-old toddler – your brain just short circuits and you make stupid errors like substituting “tom” for “hi-hat.” D’oh!
In terms of the fewest number of notes - certainly. It takes four notes for Beethoven to be recognized. The opening chord of “A Hard Days Night” is less than that. therefore…
Well, it’s actually more notes–they’re just all played at the same time (or nearly same time, as it’s a strum.)
While the OP doesn’t specifically say that the song has to be a hit or a single by a band (Beethoven obviously doesn’t fit that meaning) I’ll nominate this version of this show’s theme song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVSRm80WzZk
You hear those first four notes and you know exactly what it is.
Now you have me wondering if I could distinguish the opening glissando of “Dancing Queen” from that of “I Want You Back” in total isolation.
Minimum number of notes? Piano, short C#, sustained C#.
How about Guns N’ Roses - Civil war.
You don’t even need a note to identify it - just Strother Martin’s little stutter.
I realize we’ve got mostly a Classic Rock group here, but for those who keep up with newer stuff, you might recognize this from the first two or three notes.
[quote=“rowrrbazzle, post:87, topic:749732”]
Minimum number of notes? Piano, short C#, sustained C#.
[/QUOTE]Without context, I think most people have to go the full first four notes (well, the last two “notes” being chords) to be able to name it. I know I wouldn’t be able to (and that’s one of my favorite classical pieces.) I was thinking about this earlier today, and I bet a good portion of people would be able to recognize Chopin’s “Funeral March” played on a single key, but it would require four instances of that key to get it. I’m struggling to think of another song that could be identified with the repetition of a single note in under four notes.
I don’t know about you people with your distinctive single chords, but these songs start with the hook, and are pretty recognizable from go:
The Police, “Walking on the Moon.”
Midnight Oil’s “The Dead Heart,” natch.
The Church’s “Reptile.”
And then there’s Queen’s “Under Pressure,” which builds up in steps before the lyrics, all of which are immediately recognizable. Nothing like it.
Jethro Tull’s Aqualung starts off with a very distinct 6 note riff.
LMFAO - condescend much? (you’ll wanna keep the douchery down a bit - thanks)
If you seriously think there is no (slightly opened) hi-hat, along with snare, kicking off the song, then PLEASE let’s have a Paypal bet (whatever amount you wish) for this evident newborn to take you to the cleaners.
ok - you’re kidding, me, right, that you’re unable to hear any hi-hat kicking off the song?
wow-ness.
funny - for the first few seconds I guessed the Zombie’s “Time of the Season”.
yeah yeah I went and checked TOTS and the beginning’s definitely different, but certainly not different enough to keep me from being thrown off by the SBM beginning.
There’s also Toccata & Fuge in D minor by J.S. Bach.
Don’t accuse others of douchery outside of the BBQ Pit.
[quote=“rowrrbazzle, post:87, topic:749732”]
Minimum number of notes? Piano, short C#, sustained C#.
[/QUOTE]Oooh! very good one!
Psst. He was *agreeing *with you.
Another classical 4-noter, although I think some might get it on the first note: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qs9lRO9WT8g
The start of the opus 18 waltz is how my embryonic perfect pitch can find a b-flat
“Jesus Christ Superstar”.