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

Here's a cultural experience I thought I should share. A Midwestern farmer built a new grain bin, and decided the acoustics must be pretty good in there. So he invited the local college choir over to sing in it. The result was frankly awesome:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rjix44QzFQ

The song is 'Down to the River to Pray', which you may know from 'O Brother, Where Art Thou?'

What a venue. What a cool video.

Brilliant!

Hi Dmitri! Thanks for that. Over here we call them grain elevators. Never thought about singing in an empty one! I was worried that the echoes would make 'old' harmonics interfere with 'new' ones, but here it works, perhaps due to the right choice of song.

I've heard them called 'grain elevators', too, Willem - also 'grain silos'.

That's a good thought about the harmonics. I suspect you're right about the choice of song. That one worked perfectly, I thought.

I want a silo like that, to play my guitar in... that's quite some reverb/echo

Yeah, it beats amplifiers, dunnit?

absolutely! - the reverb on my Marshal is shockingly terrible! - I did ages ago almost buy an old Methodist church, that was up for sale (really cheap) - with an idea to convert a bit* of it, to living accom (bathroom/kitchen/bedroom) - but leave the main bulk of the building intact, as is; as basically one large music/guitar room/front room - still half wish I'd bought that.... (helped it was pretty close to a couple of really rather decent pubs too... ) - mind, it won't have had a touch on that echo in the silo ; I'm assuming that is a pretty massive object

Yeah, it looks really big. But I think your idea of buying a decommissioned church........super! One with a pipe organ would be even better....

There was a pizzeria back in the 70s in St Louis, Missouri, that had stained glass windows and statuary from churches that had been torn down. Lovely ambiance.

UNBELIEVABLE! The acoustics are far far above the acoustics of an amphitheater etc or studio, even anything "tried" electronically.

I loved the film itself but! THAT Dmitri, is truly inspirational 100%+

Recording studio's could capitalise on that set up

Several of those people said they'd sung in a grain silo before, so I'm guessing it's a 'thing' in the Midwest, where they have a lot of them.

It *is* a cool idea.

I daren't even sing in the shower I might know the words of a song, but the sound ain't the same as the original

Around here, the cats are likely to do the singing. I can't get TJ out of the shower sometimes.

cats "hate" water eck! he ain't that a weird a cat is he ?

reminds me of the house Zappa designed and had built.... - had lots of odd shaped corridors etc, in it; to be used for recording... - he's have the amp at the far end of a long cooridoor, for example, and the mic at the other end, to try get the sound effect/echo he wanted

Nice!
If it's echo you want a grain silo is what you need apparently. I agree that the song is fitting for this particular silo. Other songs might not w*rk so well.

Creating concert halls with perfect acoustics is a science not many people master. Best I ever encountered was the Berliner Philharmonie in the German capitol. It's breathtaking!

True about acoustics. Once, the uni singers performed a madrigal in the University of Pittsburgh's main building. Since it's a neo-gothic building with a three-storey mezzanine that's like being in a massive cathedral....it worked.

Some cathedrals and other churches have great acoustics. In particular for Gregorian chant. Here's a recent example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7csvgL-G3E

That's an intriguing video. But I couldn't tell if they were actually singing their part in a church. That might have been studio cleverness.

I used to know a monk who made the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela every year. He also had the largest collection of laser-disk recordings (pre-DVD technology ) that I ever saw.

Gregorian is a German band that performs Gregorian chant-inspired versions of modern pop and rock songs.

There is a number of other rather popular choirs singing Gregorian chants. I seem to remember a band of monks from Switzerland. I can't seem to find them right now but here's another:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBwh1OXw6uI

Bit late to this one, sorry.

Did 2legs really miss the opportunity to found the Church of the Latterday Hoover?