I was coming out of the house today when my next-door neighbour called to me.

"How's the singing going?" she asked.

"Not too bad" I replied.

"Our parrot really likes it. He sits straight up and starts to whistle as soon as he hears you, and then he sulks when you stop."

"Oh. Thankyou" I said, smiling politely.

Well, I guess it's better than the neighbours on the other side, whose dogs bark and go crackers if I sing over a top A!

Cheers

Katyjay

I'm sure my rabbit likes me playing the piano. He's an indoor rabbit and he always comes straight into the paino room whenever I play, then promptly flops out and lies there as long as I keep playing!

Nice to have a fan!

Maybe if you can get the delay right you could sing a cannon with him .

This thread reminds me of one time when I was with my then piano teacher and I started to play and she stopped me and said "hang on, I just have to close the window because of the neighbours"!

If I were a more sensitive person I may of taken offence!

Shelton

We have a bird, and when I play the clarinet he dances (or screams) or starts to compete and whistles "Sailors Hornpipe" over the top...

My dogs (past and present) have always kept me company when I practise. Yellow dog always used to lie underneath the piano! I think it must have felt like a kennel of sorts!

My cat nuzzles the top of my head purring if I start singing and will always try and stay in the music room if I'm teaching (even though he knows he is not allowed, its unprofessional)

My friends dog will do the same thing, but howls if anyone starts playing Hindemith.

Our little 6 month old kitten loves to come and curl up on my lap when I play piano, she also likes to try a few keys herself occasionally.

My cat nearly always sits next to me on the piano stool when I practise. If she's in a kittenish mood she tries to lick my fingers but usually she just sits straight up, staring at the music. I think she must know the scales better than I do by now!

Hmmm - who needs a digital microphone or Audacity software or any of that gagetry when there's a parrot next door?

Parrots may be more challenging to upload to the 'net of course!

It reminds me of a lesson where the piece wasn't going very well & my teacher was fed up with me. The window cleaner had just finished doing the windows and as she showed him out I heard him say what a nice change it was to listen to some lovely music whilst working.....boy, did I look smug when she came back

Actually I seem to remember a time in one of my own lessons with my first teacher that her dog, who was in the room with us, took some kind of reaction to a funeral march I was playing with great expression and pathos and started doing unspeakable things with a cushion!! Needless to say my funeral march collapsed somewhat!

My flute teacher's cat wasn't allowed in the studio. One day he gave everyone the slip and got in. He jumped via the keyboard onto the top of the grand piano, and tried to catch the hammers as they bounced up and down!

I catsat for my bro & his girlfriend once, and Charlie, their cat, wanted SO much attention... if I played the piano he would climb on my lap and dig his claws in! The best time was during my piano lesson, Charlie wanted attention, so my teacher had him on his lap, and so Charlie was happy and I could play

The students love it when the cat cuddles up to them while they're waiting for their lesson, as it gets closer to her dinner time she becomes more & more of a pain wandering about and distracting us all, so I try to keep her shut away, but she escapes sometimes during students' excursions to the kitchen & bathroom!!

I wonder if that's how pol(l)yphony was invented?

Very (polly)funny, Mark.

Got a short go on the organ at a church we went to in Washington DC last week..

was fun, the gentlemen of the choir joined in and complimented me on my playing..

Oh well done - what fun !
Not quite ten manuals ???

KatyJay, See if you can borrow the parrot for the next concert and then sing us something from The Pirates of Penzance with it on your shoulder?



Amber
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Hi
I've got two parrots, and one of them is a good mimic. The only problem is my teacher can tell which pieces I have been practising as the parrot joins in!!!! She knows which pieces I haven't practised too by the lack of response from the bird!
I can't get away with any-thing!
Capriwidow

It's a good job your parrot isn't round at my house when my practising is going wrong - I'm not sure I'd want my comments repeated!



Amber
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He's not that intelligent to coment on the music - he just whistles along with the tune. It's particularly bad on top D on the clarinet - the noise goes right through your head - clears ear wax wonderfully!
Capriwidow