Within Five Notes
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The five-note phrase in Close Encounters of the Third Kind feels simple because it can be remembered after a single hearing. It feels alien because it never settles into the familiar patterns that listeners usually expect from a song.
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Introduction
The five-note phrase in Close Encounters of the Third Kind feels simple because it can be remembered after a single hearing. It feels alien because it never settles into the familiar patterns that listeners usually expect from a song. John Williams and Steven Spielberg deliberately searched for a musical shape that sat between a signal and a melody: structured enough to suggest intelligence, but incomplete enough to remain mysterious. Williams later explained that once a sequence grew beyond five notes it started sounding like a tune rather than a communication signal. The final motif therefore occupies a rare middle ground, functioning as both message and enigma.[PBS]pbs.orgJohn Williams' Great Performances Theme Song and…Some five notes. And I remember writing all manner of seven note motifs. it would…
Within Spielberg’s UFO story, this balance is crucial. The phrase does not merely accompany the aliens; it becomes the mechanism through which humans and extraterrestrials recognise one another. Its emotional power comes from how carefully it stays suspended between familiarity and otherness.[LA Phil]laphil.comLA Phil Excerpts from Close Encounters of the Third Kind, JohnClose Encounters posits a more complex musical structure. Music is presented as the key to communication between humans and benign aliens…
Between Noise and Melody
Most sounds are easy to categorise. Random noise feels accidental. A complete melody feels intentional and recognisably human. The Close Encounters motif succeeds because it occupies the territory between those two extremes.
Williams recalled composing hundreds of possible five-note combinations after Spielberg insisted that the contact signal should contain exactly five notes. He eventually concluded that fewer notes would be too fragmentary, while six or seven notes would begin to sound like a conventional melody. The chosen phrase therefore behaves more like a coded transmission than a piece of music.[PBS]pbs.orgJohn Williams' Great Performances Theme Song and…Some five notes. And I remember writing all manner of seven note motifs. it would…[Classic FM]classicfm.comClassic FMJohn Williams: Close Encounters of the Third Kind21 Aug 2014 — Williams went from an iconic two-note motif in Jaws to an iconic…
That distinction matters psychologically. Human listeners instinctively search for patterns. When a sound contains enough structure to imply intention but not enough information to explain itself, the brain treats it as meaningful yet unresolved. The motif triggers recognition without providing complete understanding. In other words, it sounds as though somebody is trying to communicate, but not necessarily somebody human.
Spielberg himself reportedly described the motif as a kind of “doorbell” rather than a theme. A doorbell announces a presence without explaining who has arrived. The five notes perform exactly that function.[The Listeners' Club]thelistenersclub.comjohn williams close encounters of the third kind a cinematic tone poemThe Listeners' ClubJohn Williams' “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”3 Jan 2020 — Spielberg described the score's iconic five-note “Comm…
Pattern Recognition Without a Full Tune
The phrase is built from large, slightly unexpected interval jumps rather than the smooth movement common in many popular melodies. The familiar note sequence—often described as D, E, C, lower C, and G—creates a recognisable contour but not a comfortable sing-along line.[did you blank it?]didyoublankthat.wordpress.comPinkish-red) – D. Up a full tone. (Orange) – E. Down a major third. (Purple) – C. Down an octave.Read more…[SBIFF]sbiff.orgclose encounters of the third kindApr 16, 2020 — Especially, when music becomes the common conduit for humans and “aliens” to find common ground. I relished that the… Several aspects contribute to its strange quality:
- It is short enough to be processed instantly. The entire idea arrives before the listener has time to predict where it is heading.
- It contains repetition but not symmetry. The duplicated C note creates a hint of order, yet the octave drop disrupts expectations.
- It avoids obvious musical closure. The final note feels related to the others without sounding like a destination.
- It can be translated across media. The motif works as sound, coloured lights, hand signs and electronic tones, making it feel more like information than performance.[LA Phil]laphil.comLA Phil Excerpts from Close Encounters of the Third Kind, JohnClose Encounters posits a more complex musical structure. Music is presented as the key to communication between humans and benign aliens…
Because the phrase is neither random nor conventionally melodic, audiences experience it as a pattern waiting to be decoded. That sensation mirrors the film’s larger theme: encountering intelligence without sharing a language.
Why Unfinished Music Invites Response
One of the most important features of the motif is that it does not sound complete.
Williams noted that the phrase effectively hangs on its final note, as though awaiting an answer. Rather than resolving itself, it leaves an open space. Spielberg’s communication sequence then fills that space when the mothership responds with variations and replies.[The Listeners' Club]thelistenersclub.comjohn williams close encounters of the third kind a cinematic tone poemThe Listeners' ClubJohn Williams' “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”3 Jan 2020 — Spielberg described the score's iconic five-note “Comm…
This creates a subtle but powerful dramatic effect. Many film themes tell the audience what to feel. The five-note phrase instead asks a question.
A complete melody encourages passive listening because it arrives with its own beginning, middle and end. An unfinished phrase encourages participation. Even if viewers cannot consciously identify the mechanism, they sense that the pattern wants a continuation. The aliens do not simply broadcast information; they engage in turn-taking.
That is why the exchange feels less like a performance and more like a conversation. The audience hears a call and then waits, alongside the human characters, to discover whether anything will answer.
A Signal That Remains Mysterious
The lasting brilliance of the motif is that it never entirely stops feeling alien, even after decades of familiarity. Many famous film themes become comfortable through repetition. The Close Encounters phrase remains slightly unsettling because it never fully reveals its purpose.
The motif is memorable enough to recognise instantly, yet abstract enough to resist interpretation. It sounds intelligent without sounding human, mathematical without sounding mechanical, and emotional without becoming sentimental. Williams reportedly worked through more than 300 candidate patterns before settling on this balance, a process that suggests how difficult it is to create something simultaneously simple and strange.[PBS]pbs.orgJohn Williams' Great Performances Theme Song and…Some five notes. And I remember writing all manner of seven note motifs. it would…[Music Tales]musictales.clubfive tones spielbergs alien languageMusic TalesFive tones of Spielberg's alien language23 Aug 2018 — The composer initially sought the help of a mathematician to calculate t…
In Spielberg’s vision of UFO contact, that ambiguity is the point. The five notes do not eliminate mystery. They create just enough shared structure for communication to begin while preserving the sense that the intelligence on the other side remains fundamentally unknown.[LA Phil]laphil.comLA Phil Excerpts from Close Encounters of the Third Kind, JohnClose Encounters posits a more complex musical structure. Music is presented as the key to communication between humans and benign aliens…
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Endnotes
1.
Source: pbs.org
Link:https://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/john-williams-great-performances-theme-song-and-interview/4075/
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John Williams' Great Performances Theme Song and...Some five notes. And I remember writing all manner of seven note motifs. it would...
2.
Source: classicfm.com
Link:https://www.classicfm.com/composers/williams/music/close-encounters-third-kind/
Source snippet
Classic FMJohn Williams: Close Encounters of the Third Kind21 Aug 2014 — Williams went from an iconic two-note motif in Jaws to an iconic...
3.
Source: sbiff.org
Title: close encounters of the third kind
Link:https://sbiff.org/close-encounters-of-the-third-kind/
Source snippet
Apr 16, 2020 — Especially, when music becomes the common conduit for humans and “aliens” to find common ground. I relished that the...
4.
Source: youtube.com
Title: Close Encounters: The Five-Note Conversation
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcbNU7p63kU
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Close Encounters - "The Conversation" - Transcription...
5.
Source: youtube.com
Title: Close Encounters
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8_7r45wl2s
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of the Third Kind | 5-Note Sequence | GarageBand...
6.
Source: youtube.com
Title: Close Encounters of the Third Kind | 5-Note Sequence | Garage Band
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwU6VC1JxMQ
7.
Source: Wikipedia
Title: Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Close_Encounters_of_the_Third_Kind
8.
Source: laphil.com
Title: LA Phil Excerpts from Close Encounters of the Third Kind, John
Link:https://www.laphil.com/musicdb/pieces/1314/excerpts-from-close-encounters-of-the-third-kind
Source snippet
Close Encounters posits a more complex musical structure. Music is presented as the key to communication between humans and benign aliens...
9.
Source: thelistenersclub.com
Title: john williams close encounters of the third kind a cinematic tone poem
Link:https://thelistenersclub.com/2020/01/03/john-williams-close-encounters-of-the-third-kind-a-cinematic-tone-poem/
Source snippet
The Listeners' ClubJohn Williams' “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”3 Jan 2020 — Spielberg described the score's iconic five-note “Comm...
10.
Source: didyoublankthat.wordpress.com
Link:https://didyoublankthat.wordpress.com/2020/05/04/the-meaning-of-the-five-music-tones-close-encounters-of-the-third-kind/
Source snippet
(Pinkish-red) – D. Up a full tone. (Orange) – E. Down a major third. (Purple) – C. Down an octave.Read more...
11.
Source: musictales.club
Title: five tones spielbergs alien language
Link:https://musictales.club/article/five-tones-spielbergs-alien-language
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Music TalesFive tones of Spielberg's alien language23 Aug 2018 — The composer initially sought the help of a mathematician to calculate t...
12.
Source: dictionary.cambridge.org
Link:https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/close
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English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary7 days ago — to change from being open to not being open, or to cause something to do this: close...
13.
Source: youtube.com
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWKsiHEpiJM
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Close | Official Trailer [HD] | NetflixTrained to protect. Born to Survive. Watch Close on Netflix - January 18th, 2019. To protect an he...
14.
Source: groups.google.com
Title: Hbo Ukzg KA44
Link:https://groups.google.com/g/rec.arts.sf.movies/c/HboUkzgKA44
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Encounters? - Hand signalThe hand gestures a simply the corresponding hand signs for each note, says so in the movie, and they are real...
Additional References
15.
Source: merriam-webster.com
Link:https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/close
Source snippet
CLOSE Definition & Meaning1. a: to move so as to bar passage through something Close the gate. b: to block against entry or passage clo...
16.
Source: facebook.com
Link:https://www.facebook.com/groups/12117541695/posts/10156298172246696/
Source snippet
Close Encounters of the Third KindWilliams wrote over 300 examples of the iconic five-tone motif for "Close Encounters"—the five tones ar...
17.
Source: ars-nova.com
Link:https://www.ars-nova.com/Theory%20Q%26A/Q35.html
18.
Source: youtube.com
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkykqyMEarA
19.
Source: jwfan.com
Title: close encounters of the third kind 1977 album reviews expanded edition
Link:https://jwfan.com/close-encounters-of-the-third-kind-1977-album-reviews-expanded-edition/
Source snippet
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977)25 Jan 2003 — Williams uses high notes on strings, sharp piano hits and choral lifts. This is pr...
20.
Source: musictap.com
Title: revisit john williams close encounters of the third kind 1977
Link:https://musictap.com/2019/05/08/revisit-john-williams-close-encounters-of-the-third-kind-1977/
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RE:Visit: John Williams, “Close Encounters of the Third...8 May 2019 — Much as Williams created that two-note stalking motif for the sha...
Published: May 2019
21.
Source: facebook.com
Title: A five-note motif in some ways may not be a melody
Link:https://www.facebook.com/thelegacyofjohnwilliams/posts/a-five-note-motif-in-some-ways-may-not-be-a-melody-it-may-be-more-of-a-signal-th/223142899522146/
Source snippet
If you've ever seen Maestro Williams conduct a selection from “Close Encounters” in concert, he always mentions the 5-note motif was mean...
22.
Source: scifi.stackexchange.com
Title: Lacombe, the UFO expert, is shown in a conference
Link:https://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/20564/what-is-the-point-of-the-hand-signals-in-close-encounters
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is the point of the hand signals in "Close Encounters"?15 Jul 2012 — In "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", the aliens communicate with...
23.
Source: moviemusicuk.us
Title: close encounters of the third kind john williams
Link:https://moviemusicuk.us/2018/05/28/close-encounters-of-the-third-kind-john-williams/
Source snippet
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND28 May 2018 — I speak of the now iconic five-tone Communication Motif used to communicate musically, ma...
Published: May 2018
24.
Source: reddit.com
Link:https://www.reddit.com/r/aliens/comments/ozpabx/whats_the_meaning_of_the_five_tones_from_close/
Source snippet
melody of printed music on sight. Each solfege tone also...Read more...
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