Dun dun duuun!

Dun dun duuun! is a short three-chord musical phrase, or "sting", widely used in movies and television to indicate a moment of suspense. In modern productions it is often used as a joke effect or to invoke a nostalgic feeling. There are three main variations of the sting.

A rendition of the musical sting, based on the "Shock Horror (A)" version recorded by Dick Walter in 1984

History

Its first documented use was in 1942 in CBS Radio's Suspense, where it was played at the end of the introduction of the first episode, The Burning Court.^{[citation needed]} It is used to set the mood when the narrator recounts the protagonist looking through a book of famous poisoners through history, only to come across an image of his own wife. This version uses three descending chords. It was already in widespread use by this time, and may predate radio.^[1]

Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring, features a similar three-note descending pattern. When it was used in the soundtrack of the 1940 movie Fantasia, Disney's version of the recording emphasised "two duns and a lingering duuun" at the end of a battle between dinosaurs.^[1]

An example is heard in the film Young Frankenstein,^[1] with the chord progression rising and then falling instead of all three chords falling.^{[citation needed]} The Young Frankenstein version was used in the 2007 YouTube video Dramatic Chipmunk.^[1]

The most widely used modern variation is the "Shock Horror (A)" effect recorded in 1984 by composer Dick Walter as part of a series of four vinyl albums of sound snippets known as The Editor's Companion.^[1] This version is inverted from the Young Frankenstein pattern, using the notes E♭ - C - F♯, with the F♯ being especially discordant. Among its uses are Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, The Ren & Stimpy Show, and The IT Crowd.^[1]