# Poll: Can you play a tune? (from Almost anybody can pick out a tune on some musical instrument.) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 18, 2011, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-can-you-play-a-tune-from-almost-anybody-can-pick-out-a-tune-on-some-musical-instrument/589491 "2011-07-18T20:33:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-can-you-play-a-tune-from-almost-anybody-can-pick-out-a-tune-on-some-musical-instrument/589491/21 "2011-07-19T01:02:40Z")
I took piano lessons for about five years (and hated it), and played the alto sax in the school band for three years (and loved it). I could still play “Twinkle Twinkle” with ease on either, but my signature tunes, such as they are, would be Scott Joplin’s “The Entertainer” on piano, and “Rock Around the Clock” on the sax. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-can-you-play-a-tune-from-almost-anybody-can-pick-out-a-tune-on-some-musical-instrument/589491/22 "2011-07-19T01:08:26Z")
And meant to say… I got the song on the Google guitar graphic, after a fashion. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-can-you-play-a-tune-from-almost-anybody-can-pick-out-a-tune-on-some-musical-instrument/589491/23 "2011-07-19T01:29:19Z")
Really easy on the keyboard. I did Twinkle Twinkle, followed by Stairway to Heaven, followed by The Entertainer. I’ve always been good at tapping out a tune. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-can-you-play-a-tune-from-almost-anybody-can-pick-out-a-tune-on-some-musical-instrument/589491/24 "2011-07-19T01:40:02Z")
You can record and get the URL. Here’s me plucking [Stairway to Heaven](http://goo.gl/doodle/TzQf0); is it recognizable? ETA: Sorry, I see I’m not the first to notice the recording capabilities. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-can-you-play-a-tune-from-almost-anybody-can-pick-out-a-tune-on-some-musical-instrument/589491/25 "2011-07-19T01:41:48Z")
My training consists of playing trumpet from grades 6-10, and I think I could play Twinkle Twinkle without too much trouble. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-can-you-play-a-tune-from-almost-anybody-can-pick-out-a-tune-on-some-musical-instrument/589491/26 "2011-07-19T01:42:52Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > You can record and get the URL. Here’s me plucking [Stairway to Heaven](http://goo.gl/doodle/TzQf0); is it recognizable? > > ETA: Sorry, I see I’m not the first to notice the recording capabilities. Yep. Sounds good to me. ---
**Author:** ![Arrendajo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Arrendajo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrendajo)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-can-you-play-a-tune-from-almost-anybody-can-pick-out-a-tune-on-some-musical-instrument/589491/27 "2011-07-19T01:43:36Z")
Nothing to it. But then I practice an hour or two a day… ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-can-you-play-a-tune-from-almost-anybody-can-pick-out-a-tune-on-some-musical-instrument/589491/28 "2011-07-19T03:22:36Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Really easy on the keyboard. I did Twinkle Twinkle, followed by Stairway to Heaven, followed by The Entertainer. I’ve always been good at tapping out a tune. Those latter two are proving quite difficult for me, but [_Do Re Mi_](http://goo.gl/doodle/6CH4x) was easy enough that I almost got it in one pass (though it cut me off at the end, and there are some timing mistakes). ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-can-you-play-a-tune-from-almost-anybody-can-pick-out-a-tune-on-some-musical-instrument/589491/29 "2011-07-19T08:36:01Z")
I had some musical training back when I was 6, but, honestly, I don’t think any of it is useful in doing this sort of thing. I learned to play by ear on my own. And then I had more musical training after that, but it was mostly vocal, and learning how to play scaled on piano. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-can-you-play-a-tune-from-almost-anybody-can-pick-out-a-tune-on-some-musical-instrument/589491/30 "2011-07-19T12:20:58Z")
> [@redtail23](#): > > I couldn’t for the life of me do it trying to play on the strings with my mouse. Those strings make no sense to me. > > Once I figured out what you meant by playing using the keyboard, it was easy. This. Although I answered “I have some musical training, and could do it easily,” I’m pretty sure I could have done it easily back when I was a kid, before I had any musical training. ---
**Author:** ![Student\_Driver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3da27b/32.png) [@Student\_Driver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Student_Driver)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-can-you-play-a-tune-from-almost-anybody-can-pick-out-a-tune-on-some-musical-instrument/589491/31 "2011-07-19T12:25:03Z")
I answered “no training/with difficulty.” Tried to learn guitar and failed miserably, but with trial and error I can eventually figure out very simple tunes on keyboard instruments. I can also play a few tunes on touchtone telephone pads. One thing I did discover I could do with some facility was creating music on “music construction set” type computer programs that were popular in the 1980s; I used to make games on the Commodore 64 using game creation utilities that included music arrangement components, and did fairly accurate versions of various TV/movie theme songs to accompany them. ---
**Author:** ![Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/4bbf92/32.png) [@Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heart_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-can-you-play-a-tune-from-almost-anybody-can-pick-out-a-tune-on-some-musical-instrument/589491/32 "2011-07-19T12:45:42Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > > [@Heart\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > > > [spoiler]The orientation of the strings doesn’t seem to make any sense, but the keys do. > > > > From what I can see, assuming **Dr. Strangelove’s** transcription is correct, it appears that each row of keys on your keyboard is basically like the white keys on a piano: from low to high, left to right. > > > > The letters Q, A, and Z all seem to strike the same string, as do W, S, and X, and so on. > > > > So I’m curious as to why you ( **Dr. Strangelove** ) used T when you could have used G. Is there a difference I can’t hear - an octave, perhaps?[/spoiler] > > > [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > > > G and T are the same thing, apparently. I guess that proves the point that I have no musical training–although I had guessed that the keyboard might map to a real piano keyboard, I in no way thought of it that way when playing around. It just happened that when I was punching keys at random trying to find the right note, I stumbled upon T before G, and thus used that instead of the “real” key. > > [spoiler]As far as I can tell you have to throw a black key in there too. Each row of keys plays the same notes, and I think they are G - A - B - C - D - E - **F#** - G - A - B. > > I’m not sure what that scale is, as I said – self-taught, therefore winging it most of the time. [/SPOILER] [spoiler]Ah! Tried a different browser, and I can hear it now. Cute. Anyway, yes - T and G play the same note, so there’s no need to go off a single row on the keyboard. I have no idea what the (musical) key is, though. It “acts” like C on a piano, since you can go right up the scale on a single row, but it could just as easily be G, or F, or any other key, at least as far as I’m concerned. I have some modest musical skillz, but I’ve always been mystified by perfect pitch. [/spoiler] Also… I heart spoilers! ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-can-you-play-a-tune-from-almost-anybody-can-pick-out-a-tune-on-some-musical-instrument/589491/33 "2011-07-19T13:26:12Z")
How the notes are arranged and why. It’s all the notes in the G major scale, arranged so you can easily play a G (GBGB), C (GCE), and D (DF#AD) chords. On the keyboard, they’re in scale order and works in diagonally left columns, so that QAZ are all the same. (Semicolon is left out for some reason.) Also, you can play the song differently if you do it in D instead of G: TTOOPPO IIUUYYT OOIIUUY OOIIUUY TTOOPPO IIUUYYT ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-can-you-play-a-tune-from-almost-anybody-can-pick-out-a-tune-on-some-musical-instrument/589491/34 "2011-07-19T13:33:05Z")
How the notes are arranged and why. [spoiler]It’s all the notes in the G major scale, arranged so you can easily play a G (GBGB), C (GCE), and D (DF#AD) chords. On the keyboard, they’re in scale order and works in diagonally left columns, so that QAZ are all the same. (Semicolon is left out for some reason.) Also, you can play the song differently if you do it in D instead of G: TTOOPPO IIUUYYT OOIIUUY OOIIUUY TTOOPPO IIUUYYT [/spoiler] ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-can-you-play-a-tune-from-almost-anybody-can-pick-out-a-tune-on-some-musical-instrument/589491/35 "2011-07-19T14:03:52Z")
Limited musical training and it was easier than I thought. It took a while to find the right starting note and to understand how to use the keyboard on the logo (a couple minutes) but then I had it. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-can-you-play-a-tune-from-almost-anybody-can-pick-out-a-tune-on-some-musical-instrument/589491/36 "2011-07-19T14:31:04Z")
Stoopid confessions time: I couldn’t remember how “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” goes. I kept thinking of the theme from Haydn’s [Surprise Symphony](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mgNv6zEHdE) instead. ---
**Author:** ![Scubaqueen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@Scubaqueen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scubaqueen)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-can-you-play-a-tune-from-almost-anybody-can-pick-out-a-tune-on-some-musical-instrument/589491/37 "2011-07-19T14:35:27Z")
no musical talent at all. sister got that. i got the artistic talent she didn’t. i can kinda sorta manage chopsticks on the piano if you leave me alone for a while… ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-can-you-play-a-tune-from-almost-anybody-can-pick-out-a-tune-on-some-musical-instrument/589491/38 "2011-07-19T14:38:18Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > Stoopid confessions time: I couldn’t remember how “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” goes. I kept thinking of the theme from Haydn’s [Surprise Symphony](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mgNv6zEHdE) instead. Same as the ABC song. ---
**Author:** ![MegaBee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f0a364/32.png) [@MegaBee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MegaBee)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-can-you-play-a-tune-from-almost-anybody-can-pick-out-a-tune-on-some-musical-instrument/589491/39 "2011-07-19T15:38:17Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > Same as the ABC song. And Baa Baa Black Sheep. ---
**Author:** ![Pyper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Pyper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pyper)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-can-you-play-a-tune-from-almost-anybody-can-pick-out-a-tune-on-some-musical-instrument/589491/40 "2011-07-19T16:29:13Z")
I play piano, so using the keyboard would have been cheating. It took me a few minutes to figure it out by plucking the guitar strings. Then I amused myself by playing Do Re Mi on the keyboard, which I forgot you can play entirely within one octave in a major key. **Leaffan** , correct me if I’m wrong, but how could you possibly play The Entertainer on a keyboard with only one octave and no sharps or flats? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-can-you-play-a-tune-from-almost-anybody-can-pick-out-a-tune-on-some-musical-instrument/589491.md?page=1)