h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Assesses.

I'd say #4 is Pipe Organ, as it has lots of stops with funny names printed on them, including Vox Humana (X). It wouldn't surprise me if there were a Q and a Z in there somethere as wel.

I thought No 4 had been solved. (Squeezebox)

So it has!

2. Assesses is correct.

Well spotted, everyone.

Shame, as I can't use my clues. "4. It goes in and out and in and out and ..." or "Roger Daltrey's mother had one".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXoxH8HI7z8

Nice song! Never heard that one before.

They do a nice imitation of the two chords you get when you push in and pull out with all the buttons pressed on a button accordion or an Anglo concertina. It's the same chords you get by blowing and sucking on a harmonica: C-E-G on push/blow and B-D-F-A on pull/suck.

The chord B-D-F-A, plain boring to a mouth organ player, is a source of endless fascination to theorists. Here are some of its names:

G9 (G ninth, resolving to C; this is perhaps its primary usage, even though it has no G in it)
Bm7b5 (B minor seventh flat five; commonly resolving onto E7)
Dm6 (D minor plus major sixth, for a pathetic/dramatic/fancy resolution onto A)
The Tristan Chord http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tristan_chord

The Tristan chord occurs right at the beginning of the Prelude to Wagner's 'Tristan und Isolde', on the notes F-B-D#-G#, which would be the chord of 'suck' on a Gb harmonica. So mysterious!

I've felt tempted from time to time to write an Entry on 'the chord of suck' but that's all there is to say about it. Never mind, short Entries are good too.

I've heard the song before but I thought for some reason that it was Lonnie Donnegan.

Nice song!

When I was in my teens, my mother arranged for me to take accordian lessons. I was never especially good, but I could crank out "Lady of Spain"