Twenty Thousand Hertz

Shock Horror A: The origin of the dramatic “Dun, dun, duuun!”


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There’s a certain musical phrase that you’ve probably heard hundreds of times. It’s used to emphasize dramatic moments in movies, cartoons, commercials and musicals, most often as a gag. But while this little melody is everywhere today, the question is: Where did it come from? In this episode, we investigate the mysterious origins of a famous 3-note sting. Featuring Sound Historian Patrick Feaster and Composer Dick Walter.


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Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/shockhorrora

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Twenty Thousand HertzBy Dallas Taylor

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