How Many Notes?

[hellymedic]

David is playing his electric organ next door.
An assortment of random music is selected.

I am pondering as to how many notes are normally needed to name a tune with certainty.

I suppose it's mostly 4-6...

[lou boutin]

I name that tune in one. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OcZMIKSWA60

[mattc]

They could make a gameshow out of this!

[PaulF]

They have a feature on the 6Music early show (“the plink test”) where they play a brief snippet, at a guess I’d say one tenth of a second, of a tune and the audience is invited to guess it. A little different as it’s recognition of the performance rather than the tune though.

To recognise a tune I’d agree with Helly.

[Andrij]

David is playing his electric organ next door.
An assortment of random music is selected.

I am pondering as to how many notes are normally needed to name a tune with certainty.

I suppose it's mostly 4-6...

We don't need to hear any notes, because from earlier posts it can only be this. 

[Peter]

They have a feature on the 6Music early show (“the plink test”) where they play a brief snippet, at a guess I’d say one tenth of a second, of a tune and the audience is invited to guess it. A little different as it’s recognition of the performance rather than the tune though.

To recognise a tune I’d agree with Helly.

We have that in the pub quiz.  Torslanda or she of the heavy metal breastplate get it every time.  I usually blink and miss it.

[matthew]

David is playing his electric organ next door.
An assortment of random music is selected.

I am pondering as to how many notes are normally needed to name a tune with certainty.

I suppose it's mostly 4-6...

We don't need to hear any notes, because from earlier posts it can only be this. 

Careful Andrij, you'll be adding another quote to your signature. But I appreciated your sentiment.

[Torslanda]

They have a feature on the 6Music early show (“the plink test”) where they play a brief snippet, at a guess I’d say one tenth of a second, of a tune and the audience is invited to guess it. A little different as it’s recognition of the performance rather than the tune though.

To recognise a tune I’d agree with Helly.

We have that in the pub quiz.  Torslanda or she of the heavy metal breastplate get it every time.  I usually blink and miss it.

...and it's mostly her. Don't even think about the 'backwards tune', I have absolutely no idea!

[Mr Larrington]

There's one ditty on The Soft Boys' classic album "Live At The Portland Arms" in which Robyn Hitchcock proclaims "There's no notes in this one!"

[Peter]

Are they Oasis covers?

[Jakob W]

I believe that in cases of alleged plagiarism of tunes the legal test has been surprisingly short - IIRC a phrase of no more than 5 or 6 notes has been considered infringement, though I suppose note length as well as pitch is taken into account.

[Wowbagger]

I reckon you only need two or three notes to recognise this:

https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipP0xhCsySrVumQ7HCdikkTWdodNcXSFoJpOUQa4

https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipMvCioCL670zoK1ZG8RCx0MqxKcm2cWpfkH88QH

I started learning that piece (Bach's Gigue from Partita no 1 in B♭) just before Christmas. I have been told that it has been set for this year's Associated Board grade 7 exam. I have committed it to memory and now just need to practise it a lot to get rid of the stumbles and add a bit more speed.

Interestingly, at no point in the whole piece are two notes depressed simultaneously - Bach at his most minimalist.