Beltone

My brother Gian Carlo is always on the lookout for unusual musical devices to add to his recordings. Insert the Beltone, a recent aquistion.

Do you remember in grade school when you would have to have different physical exams? In my little country grade school we would go down to an office at the front of the school for an assortment of funny little exercises. One was the hearing test. You would sit in the quiet room with a woman seated at this funny looking machine with a pair of headphones attached. (insert Beltone). You would be told to raise your hand when you heard a sound come through the headphones. The next couple minutes would be followed by listening to different frequencies at different degrees of loudness, the silent and still room only disturbed by a small uniform-clad arm being raised every once and a while. Eventually the woman would tell you that it was over and you'd return to your classroom.

When Gian showed this to me on Thanksgiving at their place and reminded me what the machine was used for we shared these stories and a laugh. I guess it's no wonder we all got into odd experimental music as we got older. Too funny, all these odd memories from growing up that we remember.