If Rich's sense of humour was like Piers Anthony's is, I'd have stopped reading the comic within a few pages. If Anthony's was like Rich's is, I might possibly have read more of his books.
I take it to be like a trumpet — using musical scales, C c GGGGG; using do-re-me, DO-do-SOOOOOO. Or using musical intervals, the third note is up a fifth from the first two. TAN-ta-RAAAAA!