The Machine that Plays the Bass

Mister Rogers shows how music is written and demonstrates how it sounds on the piano. Mr. McFeely delivers a baby bed. Mister Rogers talks about how he used the bed first and then his sister used it when he grew too big for it. After singing Please Don’t Think It’s Funny, he goes to the kitchen where he uses a puzzle to lead into Make-Believe. In the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, King Friday has had one music lesson but is still struggling to play the bass fiddle. Mr. McFeely is sent off to find a machine that will play the fiddle. The King and company pluck the strings of the fiddle before Mr. McFeely returns with “The Machine that Plays the Bass.” With the machine installed, everyone finds that the music sounds perfect, but it is not nearly as fun as when they were playing the instrument themselves. Back at the house, Mister Rogers puts the pieces back in the Neighborhood of Make-Believe puzzle and imagines a similar puzzle that puts itself together. After writing out the sheet music for Tree Tree Tree, he plays and sings the song. Mister Rogers shares a new song he has written — The Weekend Song.