Blogging Challenge: Describe Sound

“Diamonds dipped in caramel.” That’s the lovely description of singer Ella Fitzgerald as described in a recent NPR’s All Things Considered program called “Vocal Impressions: Hearing Voices”.

Several years ago, I had that last, long, wonderful father-and-daughter time as we went to look at colleges in the Northeast and decide which one had the most expensive landscaping.

Along the way, I put in a mix tape. The first cut on it was Ella Fitzgerald. I didn’t know how familiar my daughter was with Ella Fitzgerald, but I asked, “How would you describe her voice?”

She listened some more and replied, “She sounds like … diamonds dipped in caramel.”

…And it reminded me that Mel Torme’s voice was described as “the velvet fog” and that actress Jean Arthur’s voice was described as sounding like, “a thousand tinkling bells.”

NPR’s All Things Considered is challenging listeners to respond with their description of four famous American voices. Your blogging challenge this week is to help us “hear” sounds, famous or not.

A friend of mine is deaf. My friend didn’t come to his deafness naturally but lost it in an accident as a very young child. He remembers the sound of laughter, but he admits that his memory may be clouded by years of silence and exaggerated imagination. He was excited about having his first child, but also sad and frustrated that he would never hear her laughter. I told him that those who could hear would be able to describe it, but he asked me how could I possibly come up with the words to describe the sound of laughter?

That’s a good question.

So how do you describe a friend or child’s laughter to someone who can’t hear? How do you describe a voice, a song, a sound to those who will not hear, whether or not they are deaf? Describe it to someone who reads your blog.

As usual, leave a comment or send a trackback here so we can follow your blogging challenge.

NOTE: We’re getting some excellent examples, but many are describing sounds with sounds. Careful! Work on your imagination to describe sounds with words that are not “sound” words.

Previous Blogging Challenges

These blogging challenges are published weekly and are an attempt to kick your blogging ass. They serve to challenge your thinking and efforts in blogging and blog writing. To participate, start challenging yourself now. Today. Go for it. Previous challenges have been:

• Blog About What You Know
• Tell Us a Story
• Top 10 Keywords for Your Blog
• Who Is Linking To You?
• Who is Writing Your Blog
• Blogging Challenge: Describe Your Blogging Audience
• Testing Your Blog Clicking Experience
• Write WordPress Tips
• Comment on 10 Blogs
• Blogging Challenge: Travel Blog – Adventure in Your Back Yard
• Blogging Challenge: Hobby Blogging and Blogging About Your Hobby
• How Do You Blog?
• Blogging Challenge: Blog the Opposite of You
• Blogging Challenge: WordPress Treasure Hunt
• The WordPress Treasure Hunt Continues
• Blog About Those Who Dare to Speak Out
• Blogging Challenge: Should All Business Professionals Blog?
• Blog Challenge: Changing the World in 30 Seconds

---

Site Search Tags: blogging challenge, challenge, writing, blog writing, blog challenge, npr, describe sound, deaf, deafness, hearing, hearing impaired, describe voices, famous people, stars, celebs, celebrities
Copyright Lorelle VanFossen, member of the 9Rules Network