Hello, hello!
Zip here to help you out!

Before we zip ahead of ourselves, make sure that you already put the jigsaw puzzle together. Oh, you did? That's great!

Your assembled jigsaw should look like this, with the music notes in the center. Does it?

Oh dear, that's embarrassing. This might mean you got a misprinted copy. Sorry about that! Please reach out to us and we'll make it right. In the meantime, if you want to continue solving, please print this image and use that to continue on.

So then I bet you either need hints, or you already decoded Riley's message and want to check your answer. I sure hope it's that last one!

Oh my, I am so excited to see what you came up with. To check your answer, type it into the box below and hit the button. If you are wrong, I will let you down gently without giving away the correct answer.

You seem to be having a little trouble decoding Riley's message. If you want me to patch Riley in to tell you the answer and explain the whole thing, just let me know.

Roger that! Whenever you need a nudge along, just click a hint below.

1. Oh my, I do hope Riley’s special tune helps. That fire is getting close. Everyone is familiarizing themselves with the notes she wrote on that banner in the middle. Maybe you should take a look once more, too... Oh my, I do hope Riley’s special tune helps. That fire is getting close. Everyone is familiarizing themselves with the notes she wrote on that banner in the middle. Maybe you should take a look once more, too...
2. Riley carefully crafted that tune to translate to a three-word phrase. If you lack the talent of Johann Sebastian Bach, our caterpillar and owl friends have you covered with their signs at top left and top right. And if that is not enough, our internet friend should have you covered too—look up whatever you need to online. Riley carefully crafted that tune to translate to a three-word phrase. If you lack the talent of Johann Sebastian Bach, our caterpillar and owl friends have you covered with their signs at top left and top right. And if that is not enough, our internet friend should have you covered too—look up whatever you need to online.
3. Oh, I told Riley this could get complicated. But your crash course in musical notation can be simple. Just take note of which notes represent which letters, how many beats each type of note gets, and what things like chords and rests are. Oh, I told Riley this could get complicated. But your crash course in musical notation can be simple. Just take note of which notes represent which letters, how many beats each type of note gets, and what things like chords and rests are.
4. I would not actually try to play Riley’s tune if I were you. You don’t want the rain gods sending a monsoon your way. Besides, it was written to appeal more to Mother Nature. What did the caterpillar’s sign say before in the reference image? I would not actually try to play Riley’s tune if I were you. You don’t want the rain gods sending a monsoon your way. Besides, it was written to appeal more to Mother Nature. What did the caterpillar’s sign say before in the reference image?
5. I believe it said, “Music is math and math is music.” Is that helpful? To be fair, everything is math to me. I believe it said, “Music is math and math is music.” Is that helpful? To be fair, everything is math to me.
6. Don’t forget! Riley loves to think of letters and numbers as one and the same. Don’t forget! Riley loves to think of letters and numbers as one and the same.
7. Chords are two or more notes played at the same time. I suppose you could say they get added together. Chords are two or more notes played at the same time. I suppose you could say they get added together.
8. The number of beats a note or chord gets determines how long it is played for. Perhaps you could say it multiplies the note’s duration. The number of beats a note or chord gets determines how long it is played for. Perhaps you could say it multiplies the note’s duration.
9. Rests are brief pauses in music. Like spaces between words. Rests are brief pauses in music. Like spaces between words.
10. Oh dear, there’s no more time to be coy. Let me be more direct: add the alphanumeric values of the notes in each chord together, then multiply by the number of beats that chord gets. Oh dear, there’s no more time to be coy. Let me be more direct: add the alphanumeric values of the notes in each chord together, then multiply by the number of beats that chord gets.
11. I sense that an example may help. That first note on the banner is an A. It is also a quarter note, so it gets 1 beat. The letter A is the first letter of the alphabet, so you can think of it as the number 1. So, A x 1 beat = 1 x 1 = 1 = A, the first letter in Riley’s message. I sense that an example may help. That first note on the banner is an A. It is also a quarter note, so it gets 1 beat. The letter A is the first letter of the alphabet, so you can think of it as the number 1. So, A x 1 beat = 1 x 1 = 1 = A, the first letter in Riley’s message.
12. That second note on the banner is a chord, composed of an F and a G. Both are quarter notes so they each get 1 beat. So, (F + G) x 1 beat = (6 + 7) x 1 = 13 = M. That second note on the banner is a chord, composed of an F and a G. Both are quarter notes so they each get 1 beat. So, (F + G) x 1 beat = (6 + 7) x 1 = 13 = M.
13. The third note is a dotted half note (3 beats) made up of an E and a B. So this time it results in (E + B) x 3 beats = (5 + 2) x 3 = 7 x 3 = 21 = U. Keep going! The third note is a dotted half note (3 beats) made up of an E and a B. So this time it results in (E + B) x 3 beats = (5 + 2) x 3 = 7 x 3 = 21 = U. Keep going!
14. Do you get it? Riley’s message is not too unlike that sacrificial bonfire the critters have going. Oh, she is a clever one. Do you get it? Riley’s message is not too unlike that sacrificial bonfire the critters have going. Oh, she is a clever one.