They are called Melody roadsor musical roadsand we can find them a bit in all the continents of the planet. We are talking about road stretches a few hundred meters long which, if you travele in the car, originate one series of vibrations perceptible through the wheels and bodywork of our vehicle: to right speedthese vibrations give life to an hourly melody. Some of the most famous are found in Hungary And they reproduce songs of local singers or bands and bands. The first Hungarian Melody Road was inaugurated in 2019 and is located on the “67”, one of the main arteries of the country.
Which and how many Melody Roads there are: where they are found
A car trip to Hungary can be an extremely pleasant experience, not only for the splendid landscapes that offer us the bassopian Pannonian and the medium course of the Danubebut also because we could come across well 3 different Melody Roads.
The first, made in 2019 in memory of the founder of the Hungarian rock band Republic, László Bódiallows you to listen about 30 seconds of the song 67-for út (road 67) of the aforementioned band, when you walk the journey keeping on the right side of the roadway, near the city of Mernnyein the south-west of the country. A second Melody Road was made in 2022, along the Road 37near Szerencs, in the north-eastern Hungary. The musical trait is long 513 meters and reproduces a well -known Hungarian popular song, entitled Érik in Szőlő (The grapes are maturing). The third, completed in September 2024 and also about long 550 metersis located along themotorway 21 and reproduces the song Nor nor Of Ismerős Arcok.
The Melody Roads are not only present in Hungary but you can travel these roads “canterines” also in Japan, South Korea, and in California and New Mexico in the United States.
How a Melody Road works
By traveling these roads at the correct speed it will be possible to hear real melodies. But how? Melody Roads work thanks to a series of grooves made on the asphalt a well defined and precise distances. Passing over the grooves, the vibrations produced on the vehicle generate one sequence of sounds that, to the right speed (usually around 80 km/h), they turn into a melody well recognizable.
The concept is actually very similar to that, much better known, of sound gangs or rumble stripesthat is, asphalted surfaces with relief irregularities that, when it traveled by the wheels of a vehicle they produce a noise or vibration that warns the driver. The warnings sound They are used to report dangers or traits in which to pay particular attention, such as the presence of works along the roadway, change of speed limits or road deviations.
In the case of the Melody Roads, the arrangement of the grooves must follow a slightly more complex logic, as it must not produce a regular sound, but one Sequence of precise notes. These notes are reproduced by setting correct spacing between them: Each musical note has a frequencydefined by intervals. The closer the distance between the grooves is close, the higher the note produced, the more far, the more the note will be serious. For example, a frequency of 329 Hz is needed for a “mi”, that is, strips 6.75 cm distant from each other. THE emptythat is, the large spaces between the grooves that form the notes, produce the breaks and the rhythm.
An approximate example, of the frequencies necessary to reproduce every single note, taking into account a speed of approx 80 km/h It is the following.
The Melody Roads are not only thought to offer a nice curtain to bored motorists, but they are above all An original strategy for Encourage compliance with speed limits And a more prudent guide. The melody, in fact, is perceived correctly only if a constant speed is maintained and within a well -defined limit, wanted by the builders. More or less excessive speeds will produce a distortion of the hearing sound.
