Can a turtle play the piano?

[ahmedito]

Ive started 3 threads today... please, I hope this doesnt bother anyone...

Some months ago I succesfully taught a squid to play the piano.... check previous posts.

Now, I have a pet turtle, she measures about 3 inches from head to tail. She wants to play. It is her dream to play the 9th Mozart Concerto.... dont ask why....

So far, Im getting started on chopsticks. What do you recommend?

[ayahav]

Please tell me that this is a joke....?

[ayahav]

Please tell me that this is a joke....?

[JK]

Well chopsticks is certainly a good start but I might reccomend something a little more emotionally challenging! Do you reckon that she might be the first turtle to attempt rach3 or even win the Chopin competition?!

[liszmaninopin]

I know this may sound ridiculous, but do you think it would be really possible for, say, a Chimpanzee to be trained to play a simple piano piece?

[JK]

Why not, that's what I say, if turtles can do it! (lets face it even some of the "rude boyz" at my school can play the piano!) But seriously I reckon you could teach a chimp, they're incredibly intelligent, there was something that some guy taught them to do somewhere which was really amazing but I can't remember what it was....

[goalevan]

with operant conditioning you can teach simple passages to animals, ex. rewarding a pigeon with food every time it pecks the right note, then another for the right note and the next right note etc.

[squinchy]

I think Mr/Ms. Turtley needs to do some turtle-ups and piano sprints to build fin strength, as well as black key hurdles and white key presses....

Somehow, I picture Franklin the turtle (it's a picture book and TV cartoon series) playing the piano. There was actually an episode where Franklin started taking piano lessons, and he didn't practice so he didn't get any better, and then he started practicing because his friend began lessons and practices and got better than him and then got better too..

A better worded summary: https://www.bcdb.com/bcdb/detailed.cgi?film=40349&p=s

*rambles*

[schnabels_grandson]

Dude, Squinchy, Franklin is such a cool show.  I used to watch it when I took care of my nephew.  Anyway, on topic:  I think that a turtles physiology would prevent it from playing anything advanced.  It would probably be better to teach it violin.

[donjuan]

Please tell me that this is a joke....?

I dont know, I was reading an Archie comic, and Jughead tells everyone he is going to teach his dog to play piano.  3 weeks later, the dog gives a recital for the friends.  The piano is revealed in the end to be a player piano.

well, if it happens in comic books, it COULD happen in real life...

sarcastically grinning,
donjuan

[Tash]

i'm thinking that a turtle would be quite good at playing slow pieces, maybe Part's 'Fur Alina'?

[ahmedito]

Her dream is to play Mozart... please dont wreck it for her!

Keep in mind she logs into the pianoforum from time to time.... I think her screen name is Bernhard.... or something like that...

[squinchy]

Dude, Squinchy, Franklin is such a cool show.  I used to watch it when I took care of my nephew.  Anyway, on topic:  I think that a turtles physiology would prevent it from playing anything advanced.  It would probably be better to teach it violin.

But..but..then her poor little fins would get so callousy, particularly the back one, which would have to pluck every note, unless someone else bows. Actually, that's pretty realistic! A turtle might not be able to shift fast enough or hold down the string in like..9th position, though.

Her dream is to play Mozart... please dont wreck it for her!

Keep in mind she logs into the pianoforum from time to time.... I think her screen name is Bernhard.... or something like that...

Maybe she could try the RH part of Rondo Alla Turca and play it like a human who can't control his grace notes or something. )

[newsgroupeuan]

you could alway get a 1/16th size built ,  if it's possible :p

[ahmedito]

Update!.... Im looking for turtles (2 to 3 inches in size) that would also like to play the piano!.... I need about 60 or 70 of them..... and a coreographer.

[faulty_damper]

Try your local pond.  I can get some from a couple of ponds in the park.  I even saved one from the crushing tires of cars so that turtle owes me one.

[Shagdac]

I'm sitting here at my job, it's 0507 (my time) and reading this post, wondering if I am dreaming or hallucinating or what??



s

[faulty_damper]

It's a funny thread.  Bordering rediculous?  Can genius ever be rediculous?  

I'm not sure what the answer is.  You're going to have to ask Ahmedito's turtle for the answer.  It has a doctorate degree in philosophy so it really knows how to answer the question without answering it.

[ahmedito]

We are going on tour. 88 Trained turtles performing the Eb Mozart concerto.

[newsgroupeuan]

We are going on tour. 88 Trained turtles performing the Eb Mozart concerto.

And perhaps Rach 2 next year?

[squinchy]

We are going on tour. 88 Trained turtles performing the Eb Mozart concerto.

Did you hold auditions/competitions to see who would get the most commonly used keys and who would get the keys at the extremes (or whichever ones are rarely used)?

[Tash]

We are going on tour. 88 Trained turtles performing the Eb Mozart concerto.

oh are you coming to sydney? i will so pay to see that hahaha

[rubleski]

Interesting hobbie of yours.

[ahmedito]

We definately had a weigh in.... just to make sure they could push down the keys.... afterwards we had some rythim and dancing auditions. I got them all to dance swan lake for me.... out of 1400 aplicants, we have 88 left. As for the Rach 2, Im sorry but we only play Mozart.
By the way, we are auditioning pedal turtles...