I know it’s been said already, but whatever- the sound of my kids breathing while they sleep, heard through the baby monitors we keep in the kitchen. It’s so soothing.
The sound of the guy’s voice who does vo for the NFL films- it’s just the most perfect voice to go along with the football visual.
I used to lie in bed and hear my roomates upstairs smoking into the wee hours, lighting their smokes with a Zippo. I never smoked and really can’t stand to be in a room full of smokers, but I loved the <clink/flint>… <clank> sound of the Zippo as I drifted off to sleep.
Hello? Bacon? Are you there? Yoohoo! Anyone home? Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaacoooooooon!!! knocks on it Hola?
…is this the same as silence…or is the sound you like me actually talking to the bacon?
I also like (but not nearly as much):
Piano
Rain/thunder
Crackling campfire
Waves hitting the side of the boat
Purring and sometimes meowing (our cat Fuzzy’s ‘meep’ is priceless)
Loons
Snow plow
The opening notes of the theme songs from some of my favorite shows (Sopranos, Entourage, in particular)
The sound of the dial on old telephones
The thwfft sound of a golf swing (or maybe that’s actually the sound of the clump of grass being dislodged?)
The sound of pasta boiling
The crackle of an old record on a phonograph
Sounds (and smells) are important parts of my memory recall.
I like:
the sound of an old ceiling fan on low
the patter of a slow, heavy rain
the sound of liquid (water, soup, etc) boiling in the kitchen
the sound of wind blowing against my ears and through my hair, whipping it around
the babble of a creek
and
the pop/hiss/crackle of a fire
I hate:
1)The sound of a television that’s been just turned on for background noise
2) Radio static
3) lawn mowers
4) the sound of a computer booting up
5) the sound of a bathtub filling with water
and
6) the sound of walking through dry leaves or underbrush
Haven’t heard that one, but someone better versed in music than me might be able to name a particularily mellow note/tone/chord/whatever it is called in Shine On You Crazy Diamond (I-V), just before Dave begins to sing. (I think it’s Dave. I really hope it is. Allright, I haven’t listened in a while.)
Actually, I think it would be right to say it’s a particular note at the end of a chord, but I’m not exactly hip to the nomenclature here.
When a day is particularly bad, I’ll crawl in the bed when I get home. When it’s really, REALLY bad, DeHusband will crawl in with me. Then LucyCat will come bounding onto the bed, curl up between and under our chins and purr that special chirp-purr that very clearly says, “Yippee! It’s nap-time! Let’s pull the covers over our heads and snuggle.”
The shhpltzzz! of opening a can of your favorite beverage. Bonus points if it’s a hot summer’s day. Extra onamatopoeic bonus points if your beverage is Schlitz.
Another vote for the chirrup of a happy cat. [hrrrup!?]
The Lindt chocalatier in the local mall used to have a register machine that made a Star Trek Original Series sound when your purchase was scanned. It sounded just like it came from the instrumentation consoles in the bridge of the U.S.S. Enterprise, but I’ll be damned if I can hazard a spelling of it! That’s a heckuva pair of mental associations: the cheesy goodness of Trek with Shatner, et al., coupled with the chocalately goodness of Lindt truffles…
For the last couple of summers, I’ve had an owl frequenting the maple tree in my back yard. Very early in the morning, before sunrise, he starts in with his eerily beautiful song.
This link: Western Screech Owl doesn’t begin to do justice to this little critter’s singing ability. It is slightly melancholy, hauntingly melodic, and utterly enchanting.
I was going to put slide guitar at the top of this list, but that spot actually belongs to guitar as played by one person: Derek Trucks. There are other great guitar players, but nobody makes it sound like he does, slide or straight lead. And I’ve only heard a couple of other slide players who make the instrument sing it should. Other favorites:
Cicadas buzzing
Choirs of people, but only when they’re making open sounds. When they’re singing words it usually ruins it for me.
Very loud thunder
Organs, either of the pipe or Hammond B-3 variety
I could do a list of specific human voices, but maybe that should be another thread.
My wife’s laugh when I tickle her.
My boys’ footsteps as they run to hug and kiss me when I get home.
Our cat’s loud, contented purr.
The ocean at Nags Head, N.C.
The flap of an admirable flag in a good breeze.
Locusts and cicadas humming on a hot summer day.
Jinglebells on a cold, snowy one.
A handsaw cutting through a 2 by 4 with the accompanying smell of sawdust.
Little kids playing and laughing. Screaming is not allowed (or aloud)!
Rainstorms pattering on the roof.
A thunderstorm as it fades into the distance and you can still hear the rumble of the thunder.
The shushing of skis or a toboggan running down a hill.
Bacon frying.
My house at 5 AM with everyone asleep, breathing deeply. Even my wife’s snoring sounds good because I know everyone is safe and comfortable.
The sign of a contented woman in afterglow.
Crackling fireplace.
