
’Gong rock’, Tanzania: these large boulders in the Serengeti are evidence of thousands of years of “rock music.”
Photograph by DAVID PLUT, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC IMAGE COLLECTION
Altyn-Emel, Kazakhstan: the shifting sand dunes of Altyn-Emel National Park create a musical sound.
Photograph by Nikolay Sivenkov, Getty Images
Svalbard, Norway: Travellers can hear the call of male bearded seals using a hydrophone, an underwater microphone.
Photograph by Russell Millner, Alamy Stock Photo
Boston Symphony Hall, Massachusetts: Symphony Hall’s aural architecture was designed to enhance acoustics, including musical performances by the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Photograph by MICHAEL J. LUTCH
Zadar, Croatia: In Zadar, Croatia, 35 organ pipes sound when waves push air in and out of the pipes to create notes tuned to harmonies used in local folk music.
Photograph by Arzhel Henry
The Great Stalacpipe Organ in Luray, Virginia, entertains visitors with pipes made from cave formations.
Photograph by Kent KOBERSTEEN, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC IMAGE COLLECTION
Clapping at the base of the Mayan-built Kukulkan pyramid in Mexico’s Chichen Itza archaeological site creates an echo that bounces off the pyramid steps.
Photograph by Pedro PARDO, AFP/Getty Images
Australia: The superb lyrebird can mimic the calls of about 20 other species it hears in the rainforest of Australia, including whip birds and kookaburras.
Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic Photo Ark/National Geographic Image Collection