It is surprisingly easy to tap into that extra richness, even without a laser vibrometer. In 1949, three decades before such instruments were invented, a pioneering Swedish entomologist named Frej Ossiannilsson heard the vibrations of leafhoppers by putting them on grass blades, sticking the blades in test tubes, and holding the tubes to his ear. As a trained violinist, he transcribed what he heard in musical notation.
