Street Music
-Fred Stock

You are driving along the highway enjoying the view and suddenly you come upon a section of the roadway that has been grooved for rain control or whatever.

The tires of your car suddenly are signing loudly at a sustained musical pitch. If it was over at the right extreme of the highway it was a lower pitch and caused your car to vibrate rudely. This we are told is to wake up sleepy operators who have drifted too far toward the shoulder. Golly-sox!   That  really  works!  You’re awake  RIGHT  NOW!  

So, reach under the seat for a new change of Pampers. At least you didn’t have an accident - with the car I mean!

          Now has it occurred to you that somebody is missing a real bet here? No? Maybe you’re not as weird as I am! It seems to me that a car traveling at a certain known speed and striking those little grooves in the pavement, produces a “tone” of

 

a certain frequency. Now, with a little study and some experimentation, a specific groove pattern could be established for a specific tone. Then it’s not a great leap to set

up a series of these grooves to cause your tires to play musical melodies as you drive along! Different grooves, different tunes! Think of the possibilities!

          Traveling south as you cross the Mason Dixon line, your chassis could be vibrating, “ Dixie , I’m back in Dixie …” and northbound it could play “Yankee Doodle!”

As you leave Chattanooga for Atlanta , it could whine “Georgia On My Mind!”. How about the local College Fight Song as you approach the university? I can see the smiles on the faces of your passengers as you hit Needles on Highway I40 and the

car starts shaking to “California Here I Come!” or going east it could play “Route 66” as you get your kicks, I suppose. Use your imagination to assign one for entering Death Valley, Washington, D.C. or Dallas, Texas. Brownsville would never be the same! And there’s “ New York New York ”, “Left My Heart in San Francisco ” and “ Chicago Is”… it’s endless!

          Now having some basic understanding of the origin of sound and just a bit of musical

acumen, it occurs to me you could actually have two sets of grooves so your left wheels played a different tone than the

right side. Now you can do two part harmony! My gowhd, what fun Nashville could have with their roadways. Imagine running down I65 grinning as your car plays the Grand Old Opre theme and then a Little Jimmy Dickens piece?  You’re  entering Bakersfield and your car starts singing,  “I’ve got a tiger by the tail it’s plain to see…” Now that’s classy!

          Alright, go ahead – introduce a bill, but remember it was my idea and you have to send me a check from the pork barrel. Monthly payments would be fine. Thanks! fhs

           

 

 

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