Drumming primates?

Can anyone tell me if there has ever been an attempt to teach primates how to drum? It seems to me that I have seen pics of monkeys holding military type drums, maybe in Japan?

 

I think such thing, learning primates on behavior that is not occurring naturally, is going contra their welfare in captivity, and is not, and should not be, practised.

 

First of all, welcome to ZooChat. Second of all, let me help get you started on the right foot. The New Member Introduction thread is used to introduce yourself, not to start a new topic or post a poll. If you want to pursue this topic (which seems odd to me, but if it really interests you that's fine) then I would suggest posting it in the Zoo Café forum. Use this thread to give us some brief info about yourself, such as how you found ZooChat or your favorite animals.

We are glad you are here so please do not take this advice as a personal attack. Just trying to help you navigate the site.

 

Thanks Nikola Chavkosk for your reply. For the sake of the primates, being captivated is in and of itself totally unnatural and contra to their welfare. Playing music (if possible) could at least be an interesting anthropological study and who knows it may be good for them.

 

My interest in this forum is only regarding the question I have asked as I have no background in zoology at all. What is so odd about the question of whether primates could have musical ability or not and possibly do it for the sake of music?

 

As far as I know, the only serious attempt was made around a decade ago.

 

I voted for 2 in the poll, because everyone knows 2 is better than 1. Well, most of the time anyway.

 

Hardy har har, almost even looks a bit like Phil Collins. This vid is almost as fake as the chocolate made in Mexico.

 

I imagine you could teach a primate to drum a rhythm but whether the animal understood it as a rhythm is a different thing. One person's music is another person's racket and we're all the same species, what an animal of a different species would perceive to be"music" or whatever they would have any perception of music is anybody's guess.

 

Who taught him?

 

I guess an animal can play the drums then.

 

Looks kinda like one of my teachers.

 

I was thinking that if they were exposed to a lot of videos of humans playing drums and then given drum sets that they could play (size wise) then just let the old "Monkey see monkey do" thing kick in, the results might be a learning experience for all.

 

Here is a little Monkey drum kit.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1338157226221286

 

Primates have 4 hands so they would not be limited like the 2 handed humans!

 

Playing percussion is a complicated skill that requires practice and discipline. It is not simple.

 

Yes chimps practice percussion in the "rain dance". Sound recordings reveal what sounds like percussion music to ethnomusicologists. Of course primates sing ergo possess musical abilities.

Grauer's Sounding The Depths does not seem available online anymore, but he coded in nonhuman apes as possessing both percussion and nonsense vocables (non-expressive vocalisation).

Of course chimps do not make drums but like ethnobotany, ethnomusicology extends now from the study of man to his closest relatives.

 

So if I pose the question in an "Ethnomusicology" forum I might find a more positive response than here? It sounds like you may like the idea a bit.