Claim: A Philadelphia doctor can identify the contents of phonograph records merely by examing the grooves.

Status: True.

Origins: Dr. Arthur Lintgen, a Philadelphia physician, can — within prescribed limits — determine which works of classical music are present on a phonograph record by “reading” the record’s grooves. His ability is not the result of any trickery — he performs the feat by combining a thorough knowledge of classical music with the technique of determining the structure and dynamics of a piece of music by examining the spacing and pattern of the grooves.

Snopes: I Cram 2 Understand Grooves

This entry was posted on Monday, February 5th, 2007 at 2:30 pm.