Birds which improvise and birds which sing repertoire

[ted]

A thrush is nesting near our place and sings for a couple of hours every night. I realised that it appears to continuously improvise, inventing new material, unlike other birds such as starlings, blackbirds, mynahs and others, which seem to have a fixed and rather limited repertoire. The native New Zealand tui definitely improvises but they are harder to find and record in Auckland suburbs.

I recorded this thrush tonight. While some phrases are roughly similar, it seems to repeat a new motif two or three times before inventing another one. Do any other forum members live near improvising feral birds ?

https://www.box.net/shared/5782o43jzq

[littletune]

That's cool  I don't think I know any birds that sing so differently all the time...

[oxy60]

That is a superb recording! The ambient noise around my house is too loud to get any bird recordings.

[dapianokid]

 Beautiful. We have reached a new age in music where birds are the virtuosos. I must learn.   

[m1469]

Hi, Ted!  Thanks for sharing this.  I just listened and enjoyed, and funnily enough, my doggy was intensely listening, too.  Sometimes he tilted his head to one side and, with one ear straight up, looked intensely at the speakers as though he felt the sound were talking to him.  Where I live, there are of course smaller birds, but mostly bigger birds of prey.  They have their own majestic presence, of course, but they only tend to speak exactly if they simply have to, and otherwise seem to generally enjoy not saying much.  Well, except for the certain owls in the woods.  They are quite talkative!

Sadly I don't get out too much at all anymore to enjoy birds, and right now I don't open the windows too much, either.  I think tropcial birds for the most part have a much different approach to life ... I mean, where they live there is lots to be constantly singing about, I think!  The birds here are always very busy for their lives and don't spend much time singing.  I will listen more closely in the coming months though.

Strangely, though I enjoy what is considered pure nature, I am --perhaps slightly dementedly-- enthralled by the juxtaposition of human sounds (cars, busses, etc.) with something like bird song, too, as I can hear it on your recording, for example.  It's, to me, a very interesting experience and has incredible depth to it!

[dapianokid]

m1469 always is the one to make the longest post about it... Master of the long post. I listened and found it breathtaking.

[ted]

Messaien, of course, made a very intense study of birdsong, and directly used birdsong in many musical works. I am less concerned with the actual notes than with the general form, which in the case of this thrush at least, seems to be a purely improvisational string, with each idea repeated at least once. Aside from that, there has been an explosion of the bird population generally in Auckland suburbs this year. Honey-bees are back in larger numbers too, which is heartening after the recent depravations of the verroa mite. Bumble bees must be very tough as nothing seems to bother them.

We tend to think nothing is going on around us except human concerns, but all the time there is this titanic life and death struggle in progress involving hundreds of birds and many millions of insects, even within the bounds of just one house and garden. It might be because I am retired but I am beginning to notice all this now and sometimes try to understand what it means. The visible presence of spiders and ants on the walls and floor is a sure sign of rain within a couple of days, even more so the observation of seagulls flying about inland. I have found this much more reliable with regard to actual wetness than the forecast in the paper.

 

[m1469]

Yes!  The human mind is so entirely human-centered!  Even most religions who preach about God humanize God and spirituality, it seems, and even the Bible texts tend to humanize the earth if only read as straight text.  And it seems that many people who don't believe in God (which is understandable the way most religions preach it), oftentimes the world still revolves in some degree around the human.  If we don't understand it, it doesn't make sense.  If we don't see it, hear it, smell it, can't touch it, it must not exist.  If we didn't think it, it must not be thought!  It seems beyond strictly human thinking to believe that there is an intelligence to life that is causing us to exist in every moment.  Okay, no more rant about that.

But, yes, there are certainly so many things that creatures tell us, and it's not just about us.  A deep question I have had for quite sometime is wondering why man tries to imitate nature with music?  Supposedly individual instruments were formed as a means to mimic birds, for example, and I wonder why we must live as a mimic?  Okay, I know music has evolved and that not all music is necessarily mickery ... but, did it really start that way?  That's what I wonder.

[ted]

The simplest explanation would be that humans and birds possess the same  innate drive to make music for its own sake, perhaps hardwired in the brain, and that the difference is one of degree rather than type.

[oxy60]

It might be because I am retired but I am beginning to notice all this now and sometimes try to understand what it means. The visible presence of spiders and ants on the walls and floor is a sure sign of rain within a couple of days, ..

Another sure sign is that if you see spiders and ants on the walls and NOT on the floor, methane gas is present so don't light a match.

Yes retirement gives us a chance to clear the brain and enjoy the natural world. Two guys in Vegas would always close their animal show with the admonition to "look for the magic in everyday events."

[m1469]

The simplest explanation would be that humans and birds possess the same  innate drive to make music for its own sake, perhaps hardwired in the brain, and that the difference is one of degree rather than type.

Okay, good consideration for me! 

[ted]

Methane !? No, our spiders and insects appear on both floor and walls. Thank goodness for that then !

[thalbergmad]

This is remarkably beautiful and it reminds me of summer morngings when I wake up to the call of birdsong.

We get many birds in my garden as they know where to come for decent food. Only this morning I chucked some Stilton on top of the garage and the birds seemed to be impressed.

Thal

[m1469]

If I were a bird, I would be especially impressed with your Stilton chucking if you also thew some pear to go with it.  Thank you very much, I would say, in bird song.  Ah well.

[thalbergmad]

If I were a bird,

If you were in England you would be, as us English sometimes refer to girls as birds.

Thal

[m1469]

If you were in England you would be, as us English sometimes refer to girls as birds.

Thal

Thaly, I want you to know --without trying to put pressure-- that I read a little while back that you are wanting to be practicing more and may post a recording in the future, and that I'm really quite looking forward to hearing you play .  Actually, it's inspiring for me, even!  Maybe soon I will post a recording or video, too.

Happy practicing!

[thalbergmad]

Thaly, I want you to know --without trying to put pressure-- that I read a little while back that you are wanting to be practicing more and may post a recording in the future, and that I'm really quite looking forward to hearing you play .  Actually, it's inspiring for me, even!  Maybe soon I will post a recording or video, too.

I have a sonata by Woelfl, 2 nocturnes by Herz and fantasy by De Meyer in the can, but I cannot bring myself to post them.

I am not a sensitive man, apart from when it comes to my playing. Call me fat and I turn the other cheek, insult my haircut and I care not, but criticise my playing and i would have to hunt down and massacre your entire family to stop your bloodline.

For me, my playing is something that is too personal and I would not wish to reveal it to people whom I do not know. I would rather post a photo of myself completely naked.

Thal

[gep]

I would rather post a photo of myself completely naked.

Oookaaayyy, I hastily skimmed over that sentence, yet I think I can feel several brain cells commit suicide...

Could we go back to birds, please? (no mentioning of blue-tits and such...)

criticise my playing and i would have to hunt down and massacre your entire family to stop your bloodline.

A wee bit touchy, methinks? Just play Xenakis, and if you would hit the right side of the piano at the third go most people wouldn't know you made a mess! (err, you do not have my address, do you?)

gep

[thalbergmad]

err, you do not have my address, do you?)

No I do not, but I don't think I would need it to contact you though.

Remembering an old comedy sketch, if i wanted to contact the Director of the BBC I would simply write "Twat, London" on an envelope and post it, knowing the postman would know who it was intended for.

Now, I am just trying to think of something suitable for yours

Mine would be Hunk, Kent .

Thal

[perfect_pitch]

I remember finishing teaching at a Primary school... and as I was making my way to the parking lot, I heard a bird sing: Eb D D    Eb D D    Eb D D

Which are the first 9 notes of the Mozarts Symphony No. 40 theme. That was a little bizarre   

[dapianokid]

I bet so.

[littletune]

I remember finishing teaching at a Primary school... and as I was making my way to the parking lot, I heard a bird sing: Eb D D    Eb D D    Eb D D

Which are the first 9 notes of the Mozarts Symphony No. 40 theme. That was a little bizarre   

That's cool!  Sometimes bird singing reminds me of some melodies I know too! 

[dapianokid]

I believe... If I can remember right... I heard one sing rach op. 3 no. 2. haha. only a few bars.

[oxy60]

I have a sonata by Woelfl, 2 nocturnes by Herz and fantasy by De Meyer in the can, but I cannot bring myself to post them.

"In the can?" I love those throw back phrases. Maybe you should just put those recordings on a CD but be sure to cut off any "long slates."

I was caught using that throw back phrase just recently when I was editing some live performance recordings and removing the silence before the music starts.

All kidding aside, I have a suggestion and that would be to put some of your recordings on your PDA and when someone asks you about your playing you could plug in some earphones and let them listen. It has become such a common practice with my friends that I bring earphones with me all the time to listen to their recordings and they do the same.