# What's going on in this song? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 2, 2007, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-in-this-song/428573 "2007-12-02T19:21:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-in-this-song/428573/1 "2007-12-02T19:21:57Z")
The song in question is [The Calendar Hung Itself](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQHw5g9ULzg) by Bright Eyes - can we identify **all** the instruments in this? There are at least two I can’t even begin to guess would account for the sounds in it (the echo-y wooden sound throughout and the high pitched sound beginning about 35 seconds in). How many types of drums are there? It sounds like hand drums at least, and maybe a traditional drum set too. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-in-this-song/428573/2 "2007-12-02T20:16:19Z")
I heard a steel drum in there. The wooden sound is probably a block. I cannot place the quavering high-pitched sound you mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Purl_McKnittington)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2007, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-in-this-song/428573/3 "2007-12-03T02:23:20Z")
The quavery sound to me sounds sort of like an electric organ or a synthesizer. It has a sort of trumpet-y sound to it. It doesn’t really sound like any sort of “real” instrument, but something simulated/manipulated. For the echoey wooden sound from the very beginning, I think it might be played on the rim of a drum or on the edge of something with drumsticks. It doesn’t sound quite right for a wood block. I didn’t watch the YouTube video, though, but listened to it from my music library, so the video might show something entirely different. God, I used to be listen to this song incessantly in high school. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Reclusive\_One](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecccb3/32.png) [@The\_Reclusive\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Reclusive_One)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2007, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-in-this-song/428573/4 "2007-12-03T03:59:27Z")
The percussion at the beginning seems to be a combination of several things: a muted acoustic being strummed rapidly, a kick drum, and a snare drum (with the snares off) played with brushes. There might also be a hi-hat being played with the foot pedal - it’s hard to tell with the aliasing YouTube introduces. To me the high quavery instrument at 0:35 sounds like a Moog lead that’s being heavily ring modulated. ---
**Author:** ![ZebraShaSha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/eada6e/32.png) [@ZebraShaSha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZebraShaSha)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2007, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-in-this-song/428573/5 "2007-12-03T04:13:13Z")
[QUOTE=Miss Purl McKnittington] … For the echoey wooden sound from the very beginning, I think it might be played on the rim of a drum or on the edge of something with drumsticks. It doesn’t sound quite right for a wood block. … [/QUOTE] That’s a [tongue drum](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-6658pUnGI).