Vergib mir, Vater, denn ich habe gesündigt.
When I was a wee lad I was given a natty little electronic gizmo called Merlin. A fine toy it was, and it kept me occupied for hours on end. One of the entertainments it offered was charmingly called Music Machine. This assigned ten musical notes to the buttons on the keypad, with the 0 being a pause, and the carefree owner could "record" a top-ten hit and play it back in all its wonderful pre-Nokia monophonic glory.

The accompanying instruction manual included a selection of musical pieces, complete with their numeric instructions, one of which was Ode to Joy. I'd not been aware of that particular piece of classical bombast until then, but I fell head over heels in love with it. I played that beepy tune over and over and over until everyone around me was heartily sick of it. I'm surprised none of them threatened to buy me an LP (showing my age) of the recording just to stop me murdering Beethoven's memory.

Anyway, the consequence of my obsession with a monophonic beepy rendition of Ode to Joy is that even now, thirty years later, I can't, for the life of me, stop thinking of that infernal numerical sequence whenever I hear that part of the 4th Movement.

All together now...

4 4 5 6 6 5 4 3 2 2 3 4 4 3 3 0 4 4 5 6 6 5 4 3 2 2 3 4 3 2 2 0 3 3 4 2 3 5 4 2 3 5 4 3 2 3 1

If you're reading this, Meister Beethoven, entschuldigung Sie, bitte. I am so, so, sorry. Please forgive me.
( flake has nothing against your right leg, Sat 28 Aug 2010, 23:16, 26 replies)

the worst part is
i look at those numbers and i can hear the notes :(
( Smash Monkey lowering the tone of the whole internet, Sat 28 Aug 2010, 23:22, closed)

Did you also have a Merlin when a wee lass?

( flake has nothing against your right leg, Sun 29 Aug 2010, 10:26, closed)

my cousin did
but she was more interested in playing with my girl's world doll-head, so i got to play with her merlin
( Smash Monkey lowering the tone of the whole internet, Sun 29 Aug 2010, 23:54, closed)

Same :(
and it's "entschuldigen Sie"
( Ungersven would support SpankyHanky's patreon, Sun 29 Aug 2010, 10:55, closed)

Can be either. I was taught -gung, but -gen is equally valid.
( flake has nothing against your right leg, Sun 29 Aug 2010, 15:03, closed)

No
It's either "Entschuldigung" or "entschuldigen Sie".

[/German translator]
( .Yeti., Sun 29 Aug 2010, 21:27, closed)

Ich bin Ungar
Guten Einkauf.
( Ungersven would support SpankyHanky's patreon, Tue 31 Aug 2010, 17:36, closed)

I too
am terribly sad and can hear the numbers.
(dchurch bah, Sun 29 Aug 2010, 12:28, closed)

*Sigh*
Same.
( MatJ LOOK, Sun 29 Aug 2010, 13:39, closed)

He wouldn't have been able
to hear it anyway.
(apeloverage committed the vile act of onanism on, Sun 29 Aug 2010, 3:54, closed)

Possibly
The most desperate post i've ever read on here.
(Cancer Joy was short lived, Sun 29 Aug 2010, 4:55, closed)

I sang the numbers as I read them.
Now it's stuck in my head...
(CactusZack Shaved his coin purse on, Sun 29 Aug 2010, 5:00, closed)

My work here is done.

( flake has nothing against your right leg, Sun 29 Aug 2010, 10:27, closed)

I need more.
I took your numbers and applied them to my Yamahatastic keyboard.

Where 4=b, and I immediately have that tune stucked to the core of my brain.

Could I have the remaining piece of this numerical masterpiece?
( Piper Alpha is being a grumpy northerm bastard on:, Sun 29 Aug 2010, 11:15, closed)

Well, 0 4 4 5 6 6 5 4 3 2 2 3 4 3 2 2 would finish the phrase, but Merlin had a limit of 48 notes, as I recall, so couldn't cope with the piece in its entirety.

Happy candle day, by the way.
( flake has nothing against your right leg, Sun 29 Aug 2010, 15:06, closed)

I remember this
It was my first encounter with Beethoven's Ninth and I've loved it ever since. I was in the Albert Hall last night watching my boyfriend sing in the fourth movement.
(BearWithLittleBrain, Sun 29 Aug 2010, 12:05, closed)

The RAH?
I bet that was superb. If I'd known there was a performance I'd have booked a ticket.
( flake has nothing against your right leg, Sun 29 Aug 2010, 15:09, closed)

You bastard
*hums*
(Tchocky is no longer contagious, Sun 29 Aug 2010, 20:35, closed)

Keyboard self-tuition FTW!
When I was considerably younger, I elected to teach myself the piano. We didn't have a piano; my mother bought me a keyboard and a teac-yourself book that instructed young learners to think of Middle C as key 1 and gave the tunes accordingly. Similarly, I now can't hear this piece of music without hearing it as 3-3-4-5-5-4-3-2-1-1-2-3-3-4-4...
(Trauma, Sun 29 Aug 2010, 21:34, closed)

YAY!
I do the ame thing with Jingle Bells (obviously I have less sophiticated tastes than you but still, it amuses me)

3-3-3, 3-3-3, 3-5-1-2-3, 4-4-4-4-4...I forgot the rest but when ever I hear it I always either sing softly or at least think "Three, three three etc." You have made me happy.
( Funkenschlag still likes dogs more than cats, Mon 30 Aug 2010, 10:25, closed)

Well well well...
I was clearing out some boxes the other day and found my old Merlin. Want it?
( difficultchild, Tue 31 Aug 2010, 8:32, closed)

You tempt me.

( flake has nothing against your right leg, Wed 1 Sep 2010, 11:51, closed)

It still works, I tested it.
And found I still remembered how to beat every gave despite not having touched the thing in decades.
( difficultchild, Thu 2 Sep 2010, 4:59, closed)

By the way I'm not trying to sell it to you
Pick it up or pay for the postage and its yours...
( difficultchild, Thu 2 Sep 2010, 4:59, closed)

after that
I now want to hear it on a stylophone!
(nimrodihnio making gravy for one., Tue 31 Aug 2010, 13:07, closed)

I couldn't find a stylophone version.
But I did find a version by Beaker, of Muppets fame: www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpcUxwpOQ_A
( flake has nothing against your right leg, Wed 1 Sep 2010, 11:50, closed)