Member-only story
Why We’re So Good At Heardle
It’s because of “timbre” — the secret ingredient in pop music
Last night I killed it at Heardle.
My wife was playing the game, which — for those who aren’t familiar with it — begins by playing a mere second of a pop song. You try to guess which song it is. If you can’t, it’ll give you increasingly longer chunks until you (hopefully) finally figure it out.
Anyway, last night when wife played the one-second clip, it was only two notes on a piano — DUM-dum …
… but I instantly knew what it was.
“Don’t Stop Believin’ — by Journey!” I blurted.
Nailed it.
Now, I’m not here to brag about my mad skillz at Heardle. I’m actually only a middling player; my wife and sons are much better than I.
But what I’m interested in is the question of why anyone can play Heardle so well. What is it about pop music that lets us so readily identify an artist, and a song, after hearing only the tiniest snippet of the recording?
One word, folks:
Timbre.
