Need help w/crypto

[doingit]

LLap, Ernests: I have worked this forward and backwards, I can not figure out how/where the music notes fit in? If either of you cared to explain in detail (I don't know if it is allowed to supply a phone number) I would be more than happy to to listen and let it sink in to my (very dense) brain.

[LLapp]

I am of no use on this puzzle, sorry.

[ernests]

Okay Doingit, let's solve the first one.

The ciphertext is: 19.9.13.12.15.19.18.21.15.9.19

Swapping the numbers for letters (1=A, 2=B, etc.) gives: s.i.m.l.o.s.r.u.o.i.s

This is usually a good idea as a first thing to try when you see numbers in a cipher. It might work, it might not. In this case, a cryptographer might note that this is a perfectly reasonable set of letters with no weird X's or Z's, so it looks like that substitution may be right. However, it hasn't produced a recognisable word yet, so something else needs to be done.

Looking for something to connect with the musical notes, you might eventually notice that there is a 'mi' and a 'sol' in there, but only if you put it backwards.
(This is a step where you either see it or you don't. I would guess that it's this point where most solvers get stuck.)
Flipping our letters gets us this: s.i.o.u.r.s.o.l.m.i.s

The do-re-mi scale can connect with letters via notes. 'Do' equates to the note C, 're' is D, etc. so if we swap 'sol' for 'g' and 'mi' for 'e', we've now got: s.i.o.u.r.g.e.s

Still not quite there. Did I miss something?

I learned the scale as do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-ti-do (as it was sung in The Sound of Music), but apparently (thanks Wikipedia) 'si' is a valid alternative for 'ti' - i.e. the note B. So swapping the 's.i.' for 'b', we end up with b.o.u.r.g.e.s

Bourges is a place in France, and this is the answer.

The '=1' at the end is about how this answer relates to another puzzle.

[Eureka]

This is great, ernests! Thanks for walking us through it. Even though I did not attempt to solve it, it is nice to see how it works. Much appreciated!

[LLapp]

WOW! Ernests, that was beautifully explained, and so interesting. I have no experience with this kind of multi-layered cryptography, so I had no idea how to approach it. The process you walked us through seems beyond my ability -- too many different types of mental cogs working at the same time, on both sides of the brain -- but maybe it just takes practice. Intriguing, thank you!

[Amalaise]

This is so cool! But you lost me after 'imprimer' haha please make more