This week in Lancaster, California, city officials decided to pave over a stretch of road after complaints from neighbors. The road was recently modified as part of a publicity stunt by Honda so it plays the Lone Ranger song (William Tell Overture) when driven over, leading to increased traffic on the road. I have a few questions risen from this:
-Looking at footage of the road on YouTube and some local TV station sites, the road certainly sounds like the William Tell Overture- however, it sounds like a horribly off-key version. Some news outlets are claiming it sounds “in perfect pitch” when driving a Honda Accord. Would the type of car being driven really affect the pitch?
-How is such a thing actually done- that is, how is the road paved so that it “sings?” Could any song theoretically be done, or would it just come out sounding off-key as this one does?