I know we've had a discussion or two in the past about pets and their impact on our music. Well, I was practicing the other day, and our pet rat Bruno -- who was out of his cage for a bit of exercise -- found one of my triangular plectrums and proceeded to gnaw two of the tips off. I think I'd better make sure my instrument cases are shut tight when he's gallivanting about; don't want to speculate what he might do if I left the guitar or zouk lying around.
(Am now anticipating someone replying: "Perhaps you could arrange to leave your bodhran out then?" Thanks.)
in my menage is a rabbit that uses a litter box and has the run of the joint. during long practice sessions he has a tendency to station himself nearby and stretch out flat with his back legs splated behind him, listening luxuriously with his eyes half-closed.
there is also a mongrel on the premises who has invented a game involving the concertina. when i first began playing it he was afraid of it, and i used to tease him by doing loud chords along one row on the "push." he quickly lost his fear and now sometimes when i'm playing he comes over and very pointedly looks from the concertina, back to me, back to the concertina, until i "get it" and start doing that loud chord thing so that he can leap into the air with each chord and run around the house. one "game" can go on for 15 or 20 minutes.
Sometimes when I'm playing the harp, my dog Bella the corgi-chow will stick her nose up under my elbow and knock my arm away from the strings. I don't think it's a statement on the music, she just wants me to pet her instead of the harp. My previous dog, Kai the husky, did the same thing, and being taller, was more successful.
My birds squawk when I play (especially fiddle and pipes. They don't seem to respond to the flute so much), and one of our cats comes and rubs against my ankles every time I play whistle.
I once saw someone's dog really going for a set of Northumbrian pipes his master was playing - the dog obviously thought his master was being attacked by a monster, and needed rescuing.
My cat ran from the room when I was a beginner on fiddle, but after a while she'd come & sit in my lap while I played.
Once I was busking on the hammer dulcimer and a little dog heard me from a distance, picked up his ears & grinned..... and ran over to me (one of those long elasto-leashes).......
his owner couldn't care less, however (no dollar )
whenever i would get done playing the harp my cat would come up to the harp and put his paws on the strings and start pounding on them to make some noise with them. i think he liked the harp a lot more than i did at the time. now i always play it and think of him coming up to it to try and play.
My dog loves to lie at my feet and sleep while I'm practicing (fiddle). She's possibly the only sentient being that can stand being within earshot. The cat, on the other hand, used to jump off the bed and attack the dog every time I started playing. I must be getting better though, now she just stomps out of the room.
When my band plays down in the basement, my parakeet up stairs starts squacking angrily like crazy. Usually. One time we played bird noises on the keyboard really loud and he seemed to like it.
My contribution comes from my cat, who adores the whistle. She will jump on my lap if I play and practically try to get the end up her nose. This is very useful if I want to get her inside - it is rare that it takes more than 8 bars of a nice jig to bring her bounding out of the bushes and up to the source of the celestial music. The D susato is probably her favourite.
I was playing my fiddle at home one day when my cat was 8 weeks old. He climbed up on my shoulder (bowing arm) and supervised my practice to make sure I was doing it right.
Wish I had got a photo of that. He's too big and heavy to do it now.
My dog hates the sounds of button accordion and concertina, rather unfortunate for him in a house where both are played.I have to let him out of the house if I'm playing the box, or he howls, indeed he heads for the door asking to be let out if I pick up the box, before I've played a note!(I don't think it's a reflection on my playing, as he's not very fond of recordings of free reed instruments either.) Weirdly he doesn't mind the fiddle at all.
My cats on the other hand, seem to like music,and will even try and sit on my lap when I'm playing, they also like sitting in the fiddle case, and I often have to move a sleeping cat out when I want to pack it up!
We've had several rats that have absolutely loved music, two of them would come out if you played/hummed/ whistled a particular tune, ( maybe the tale of the Pied Piper has a basis in reality)?
We currently have a little dog who loves coming along to sessions and morris outs, as soon as the music starts he sits down and starts "nodding", and he's normally fast asleep after a couple of songs. We've even taken him to a few band gigs, and we put him on his blanket on a chair and he sits there quietly at the back till we start playing. It's funny watching people when they suddenly realise there's an extra band member when he gets up to stretch and turn around mid gig!
I used to have a cat that absolutely LUR-VED reggae ... especially Third World.
The only trad thing I played on fiddle she liked was Margaret's Waltz. She would lie on the floor in front of me - RIGHT in front of me - with her legs tucked under her and a broad grin on her face.
>We've had several rats that have absolutely loved music, two of them would come out if you played/hummed/ whistled a particular tune, (
Nice to see someone else who has had rats in the house by choice.
Actually, I find that our Bruno can provide me a good means of testing concentration. If he's running around while I'm practicing, sometimes he'll climb up on my shoulder and give me kisses, blow in my ear, even make his way down on my arm as if to inspect my strumming and chording. I figure if I can keep going through all, I should be able to do just fine in a pub full of loud, boisterous drunks.
We have a half St. Bernard/half Irish setter. The dog seems to be the only one I know of who truly appreciates the aesthetic of the reed. It must be that its heritage is genetically inclined to accordion music. It sits next to me when I play my box.
It does seem to like whipped cream better than beer though which is a bit out of its ethnic provenances.
I was visiting the American southwest-Arizona/Nevada/New Mexico- and spent time observing and listenting to Native Americans (not politically correctly fka "Indians") playing the traditional Indian wood flute. Similar to a low whistle, wood flute or recorder but missing some of note holes and thumb hole. Its scale does not directly correlate to European tuned winds.
In a book I got about the instrument, one experienced player warned that he had to keep his flute away from his dog, because his dog loved to chew on the leather bindings that hold the air piece (similar to an Irish whistle's fipple, but looks like it was engineered by Rube Goldberg) together!
Apparently animal appreciation of traditional music is a world wide phenomenon.
My dog and birds love the whistles, guitar and mandolin. However, the dog leaves the room and paces and the birds sit in stunned silence when I break out the kitchen pipes.
Strange thing - when I play by a riverside or something while walking the dog, she will wait til the end of a tune before requesting that we move on. Very thoughtful.
My three dogs all love me playing the concertina or flute - probably because I'm brilliant! Seriously though I usually go away to the sitting room to practice and before long the three will be scratching to get into the room and then just fall asleep while I play away. But then dogs have great taste and recognise genius when they hear it! All of my friends will tell you thats true! not!
We had a cat named Spooky (black) - we heard crunching and she was chewing on the hair of one of his fiddle bows. Perhaps she was attracted by the rosin. This bunch of cats I have now have no reaction to the harp music at all.
Well, I am training my Dachshund while she is still a puppy - to curl up in my lap or at my feet while I play. If she isn't eating the sheets of music - she is actually very well behaved and has a nice nap. I am surprised that she doesn't howl with the high notes nor does she cover her ears. So far, she is hte only one who appreciates the music
Pets and music
Pets and music
I know we've had a discussion or two in the past about pets and their impact on our music. Well, I was practicing the other day, and our pet rat Bruno -- who was out of his cage for a bit of exercise -- found one of my triangular plectrums and proceeded to gnaw two of the tips off. I think I'd better make sure my instrument cases are shut tight when he's gallivanting about; don't want to speculate what he might do if I left the guitar or zouk lying around.
(Am now anticipating someone replying: "Perhaps you could arrange to leave your bodhran out then?" Thanks.)
# Posted on July 2nd 2007 by sts
Re: Pets and music
My dog spins in circles and jumps around when I play. Either she's dancing or her head is about to explode.
# Posted on July 2nd 2007 by storm_grey_sea
Re: Pets and music
in my menage is a rabbit that uses a litter box and has the run of the joint. during long practice sessions he has a tendency to station himself nearby and stretch out flat with his back legs splated behind him, listening luxuriously with his eyes half-closed.
there is also a mongrel on the premises who has invented a game involving the concertina. when i first began playing it he was afraid of it, and i used to tease him by doing loud chords along one row on the "push." he quickly lost his fear and now sometimes when i'm playing he comes over and very pointedly looks from the concertina, back to me, back to the concertina, until i "get it" and start doing that loud chord thing so that he can leap into the air with each chord and run around the house. one "game" can go on for 15 or 20 minutes.
# Posted on July 2nd 2007 by ceemonster
Re: Pets and music
my cat will try and attack my bow whenever i play the violin. then when i play the piano he will jump up on my lap and start to attack my fingers.
# Posted on July 2nd 2007 by blonde
Re: Pets and music
Sometimes when I'm playing the harp, my dog Bella the corgi-chow will stick her nose up under my elbow and knock my arm away from the strings. I don't think it's a statement on the music, she just wants me to pet her instead of the harp. My previous dog, Kai the husky, did the same thing, and being taller, was more successful.
# Posted on July 2nd 2007 by Tracie
Re: Pets and music
A friend's Cocker Spaniel named Bonita (RIP) loved to sing along when I played the tinwhistle at her house.
It was charming.
# Posted on July 2nd 2007 by Jumper
Re: Pets and music
My birds squawk when I play (especially fiddle and pipes. They don't seem to respond to the flute so much), and one of our cats comes and rubs against my ankles every time I play whistle.
# Posted on July 2nd 2007 by seisflutes
Re: Pets and music
my chick hates when i play trad music on my guitar. maybe i will have to let her go back into the wild.
# Posted on July 2nd 2007 by dizzyrascal
Re: Pets and music
I once saw someone's dog really going for a set of Northumbrian pipes his master was playing - the dog obviously thought his master was being attacked by a monster, and needed rescuing.
# Posted on July 2nd 2007 by nicholas
Re: Pets and music
My cat ran from the room when I was a beginner on fiddle, but after a while she'd come & sit in my lap while I played.
)
Once I was busking on the hammer dulcimer and a little dog heard me from a distance, picked up his ears & grinned..... and ran over to me (one of those long elasto-leashes).......
his owner couldn't care less, however (no dollar
# Posted on July 3rd 2007 by morning star
Re: Pets and music
........& my first cat loved Bach (lay in front of the speakers) and hated the Rolling Stones.
# Posted on July 3rd 2007 by morning star
Re: Pets and music
Here's the first link on my profile:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8425218@N07/509278133/
In case anyone asks, no, I can't remember what I was playing, except that it was something Irish
# Posted on July 3rd 2007 by Trevor Jennings
Re: Pets and music
whenever i would get done playing the harp my cat would come up to the harp and put his paws on the strings and start pounding on them to make some noise with them. i think he liked the harp a lot more than i did at the time. now i always play it and think of him coming up to it to try and play.
# Posted on July 3rd 2007 by blonde
Re: Pets and music
My dog loves to lie at my feet and sleep while I'm practicing (fiddle). She's possibly the only sentient being that can stand being within earshot. The cat, on the other hand, used to jump off the bed and attack the dog every time I started playing. I must be getting better though, now she just stomps out of the room.
# Posted on July 3rd 2007 by aikifiddler
Re: Pets and music
When my band plays down in the basement, my parakeet up stairs starts squacking angrily like crazy. Usually. One time we played bird noises on the keyboard really loud and he seemed to like it.
# Posted on July 3rd 2007 by Ben314
Re: Pets and music
Lazyhound, what brilliantly blue jeans you have!
My contribution comes from my cat, who adores the whistle. She will jump on my lap if I play and practically try to get the end up her nose. This is very useful if I want to get her inside - it is rare that it takes more than 8 bars of a nice jig to bring her bounding out of the bushes and up to the source of the celestial music. The D susato is probably her favourite.
# Posted on July 3rd 2007 by Alex Wilding
Re: Pets and music
I was playing my fiddle at home one day when my cat was 8 weeks old. He climbed up on my shoulder (bowing arm) and supervised my practice to make sure I was doing it right.
Wish I had got a photo of that. He's too big and heavy to do it now.
# Posted on July 3rd 2007 by tradshark
Re: Pets and music
My dog hates the sounds of button accordion and concertina, rather unfortunate for him in a house where both are played.I have to let him out of the house if I'm playing the box, or he howls, indeed he heads for the door asking to be let out if I pick up the box, before I've played a note!(I don't think it's a reflection on my playing, as he's not very fond of recordings of free reed instruments either.) Weirdly he doesn't mind the fiddle at all.
My cats on the other hand, seem to like music,and will even try and sit on my lap when I'm playing, they also like sitting in the fiddle case, and I often have to move a sleeping cat out when I want to pack it up!
# Posted on July 3rd 2007 by cathycook
Re: Pets and music
We've had several rats that have absolutely loved music, two of them would come out if you played/hummed/ whistled a particular tune, ( maybe the tale of the Pied Piper has a basis in reality)?
We currently have a little dog who loves coming along to sessions and morris outs, as soon as the music starts he sits down and starts "nodding", and he's normally fast asleep after a couple of songs. We've even taken him to a few band gigs, and we put him on his blanket on a chair and he sits there quietly at the back till we start playing. It's funny watching people when they suddenly realise there's an extra band member when he gets up to stretch and turn around mid gig!
# Posted on July 3rd 2007 by Freddy Frog
Re: Pets and music
I used to have a cat that absolutely LUR-VED reggae ... especially Third World.
The only trad thing I played on fiddle she liked was Margaret's Waltz. She would lie on the floor in front of me - RIGHT in front of me - with her legs tucked under her and a broad grin on her face.
# Posted on July 3rd 2007 by ethical blend
Re: Pets and music
>We've had several rats that have absolutely loved music, two of them would come out if you played/hummed/ whistled a particular tune, (
Nice to see someone else who has had rats in the house by choice.
Actually, I find that our Bruno can provide me a good means of testing concentration. If he's running around while I'm practicing, sometimes he'll climb up on my shoulder and give me kisses, blow in my ear, even make his way down on my arm as if to inspect my strumming and chording. I figure if I can keep going through all, I should be able to do just fine in a pub full of loud, boisterous drunks.
# Posted on July 3rd 2007 by sts
Re: Pets and music
We have a half St. Bernard/half Irish setter. The dog seems to be the only one I know of who truly appreciates the aesthetic of the reed. It must be that its heritage is genetically inclined to accordion music. It sits next to me when I play my box.
It does seem to like whipped cream better than beer though which is a bit out of its ethnic provenances.
I was visiting the American southwest-Arizona/Nevada/New Mexico- and spent time observing and listenting to Native Americans (not politically correctly fka "Indians") playing the traditional Indian wood flute. Similar to a low whistle, wood flute or recorder but missing some of note holes and thumb hole. Its scale does not directly correlate to European tuned winds.
In a book I got about the instrument, one experienced player warned that he had to keep his flute away from his dog, because his dog loved to chew on the leather bindings that hold the air piece (similar to an Irish whistle's fipple, but looks like it was engineered by Rube Goldberg) together!
Apparently animal appreciation of traditional music is a world wide phenomenon.
# Posted on July 3rd 2007 by zippydw
Re: Pets and music
I love this painting:
http://digilander.libero.it/webartgallery_h/H/Hunt,%20Charles/slides/A%20Cottage%20Concert.html
My dog and birds love the whistles, guitar and mandolin. However, the dog leaves the room and paces and the birds sit in stunned silence when I break out the kitchen pipes.
Strange thing - when I play by a riverside or something while walking the dog, she will wait til the end of a tune before requesting that we move on. Very thoughtful.
# Posted on July 3rd 2007 by feardearg
Re: Pets and music
My three dogs all love me playing the concertina or flute - probably because I'm brilliant! Seriously though I usually go away to the sitting room to practice and before long the three will be scratching to get into the room and then just fall asleep while I play away. But then dogs have great taste and recognise genius when they hear it! All of my friends will tell you thats true! not!
# Posted on July 3rd 2007 by MollyB
Re: Pets and music
We had a cat named Spooky (black) - we heard crunching and she was chewing on the hair of one of his fiddle bows. Perhaps she was attracted by the rosin. This bunch of cats I have now have no reaction to the harp music at all.
# Posted on July 9th 2007 by drinharp
Re: Pets and music
Well, I am training my Dachshund while she is still a puppy - to curl up in my lap or at my feet while I play. If she isn't eating the sheets of music - she is actually very well behaved and has a nice nap. I am surprised that she doesn't howl with the high notes nor does she cover her ears. So far, she is hte only one who appreciates the music
# Posted on October 20th 2007 by Greg M