Has anyone ever tried to train chimps to play music? I think it would be cool to have a rock band with monkeys. Ive seen chimps paint so I think they could learn to play
You need a hobby.
Madame Pepperwinkle has a soft spot for an old Saturday Morning Kids’ Show called Lancelot Link. It was from the late 1960’s/early 1970’s. The whole premise of the show was that a chimpanzee was a master spy, and other chimps were the other players. During one section of each show, they showed Lancelot and other chimps in “Groovy Garb” playing rock music, with dubbed actual music. It was funny for maybe 2 minutes. But, no, chimps don’t have the discipline to actually learn how an instrument works.
I remember that. It looked like they fed them chewing gum to make it look like they were talking/singing.
When I was a kid, I once saw a monkey cranking an organ while his handler was the one on a chain collecting tips in his hat.
They kick ass at cymbals.
I’m starting to wonder if monkeys can post on message boards.
Why would they bother? They don’t require anonymity to throw their shit in public.
Percussion, maybe. I wouldn’t expect a monkey to become a world-class bassoonist.
And let us never forget:
I thought that most animals are incapable of keeping a beat, with the exception of some birds and Ronan the sea lion.
I see black velvet paintings in your future.
That proves one thing to me – monkeys will never be great conductors.
There once was a brainy baboon
Who always breathed down a bassoon;
For he said "It appears
"That in billions of years
“I must certainly hit on a tune.”
Somehow, cowbell comes to mind.
OK. I’ll be the first…
[QUOTE=Mike Nesmith]
We did so!!!
[/QUOTE]
Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp! I remember that. God, I’m old.
One time at an animal show at an amusement park, I saw a baby chimp curiously take a harmonica from his trainer and attempt to play it by putting it to his mouth. It was clearly a spontaneous, untrained imitation (it occurred after the show was over and the audience was filing out). Maybe with some training, he could have been taught to blow air through the harmonica? Of course, even then you could argue that’s not really “playing” the harmonica.
I can’t be buggered to find the clip, but there was a British chimpanzee rock band in the film “That Thing You Do”. They appeared on that Hollywood Palace program before The Wonders did.
If you put a million chimps in a room with a million musical instruments for all eternity, eventually you’ll get the work of Mozart, right? Or at least John Williams!