Pitter-patter is the sound of dreams: the kind of noise one can tune in to — or out of. Who can barely remember exact rain drop sound patterns in the same way one might recall a dream from several nights ago? This noise is neutral, quick and repeated, making it easy to blend into the background as in the case of light rain. During a constant storm, pitter-patter has the power to lull us to sleep or transform other sounds by muting them and arranging a more fluid and easily digestible composition with the help of repetition/repetition/repetition. We exist within pitter-patter, not outside of it — unless there is resistance to the source, in which case the reaction could be quite different. Long form pitter-patter sounds operate similarly to the way Brian Eno writes about Ambient Music, casting “a place, a feeling, and a tint” to the sonic environment (Eno 96). The soft noise of rain can make a day more memorable, but it can also allow it to fade away into something less tangible, depending upon how the individual interacts with pitter-patter.
An Oxford English Dictionary definition from 1450: “Pitter patter: The rapid repetition of words; specifically the mechanical recitation of prayers.” This definition stayed about the same until 1642, when it was updated to represent “light beating sounds in rapid alternation, as of rain, footsteps, etc.” Both definitions bring us into the present moment with the supposed “tint” they produce — generally a tint of comfort. Prayer, an intentional expression of devotion combines the material human world with unseen worlds. The pitter-patter of words uttered in this context may not be so much about the meaning and more about the feeling behind them. The word “mechanical” sticks out because it is applying an unemotional quality to the action of giving thanks and expressing devotion. Does this suggest some force? Force is often seen as pressure which can be stressful, but doesn't rain fall from clouds with a gentle sort of force and persistence? Pressure doesn’t have to be stressful. Rapid alternation of rain and footsteps are more environmental and organic. The natural process of a walk or rain. Both processes alchemize, hit the pavement: a manmade thing. Pitter-patter is creation. In Jonathan Sterne’s Sonic Imaginations he proposes that “hearing is a sense that immerses us in the world” (9). Hearing could also be the sense that builds a bridge between multiple worlds as well as the one that takes us further into our own worlds.
The overall reaction to pitter-patter seems to be just let it be… Most find rain sounds calming. The repeated sounds outside can bring about a relaxed state. There are other forms that pitter-patter takes on that might not be so easy to accept. Sounds can be startling even when they are subtle. In an otherwise quiet room, the pitter-patter of even bug footsteps can un-focus attention and energy. There is a mysterious and unexpected quality to the experience of pitter-patter, no one knows exactly when it will begin or end. Predictions are never precise. In this way, pitter-patter sounds blur time and experience of time to be more ambiguous. Rain can be so fast that the sounds almost turn into one, designing a slowed down version of reality. Footsteps can be so fast that everything starts to move quickly and within a vacuum. The variability of pitter-patter can stir up different feelings — the sounds always end up passing at some point and it is up to each individual to remember and find meaning (or not), just as with dreams.