Ongoing History of New Music

Ongoing History Daily: Music of the flies

It’s summertime, which means you’ve probably had flies buzzing around your head at some point. Here’s something that will change the way you listen to flies.

Entomologists tell us that the buzz of a fly is caused by the flapping of their wings. They also tell us that a fly beats its wings at 190 beats per minute. Regardless of the size of the fly, they all beat their wings at that same 190 times per minute. Smaller wings and smaller flies produce higher pitches. Bigger wings on bigger flies produce lower pitches. What they all have in common is that this pitch is in the key of F.

If you have a bunch of flies swarming around your head, they’re all in concert, playing an F at different pitches. Now you won’t hear the sound of a fly in the same way ever again. You’re welcome.

Friday’s Ongoing History Daily post was about a very weird U2-related lawsuit.

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

Alan Cross has 38011 posts and counting. See all posts by Alan Cross

Let us know what you think!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.