March 18, 2012: Dave Soldier: Animal Music - Music With Zebra Finches

DAVE SOLDIER: ANIMAL MUSIC – MUSIC WITH ZEBRA FINCHES

Similar to the Thai Elephant Orchestra, I found that songbirds will also play instruments if they are provided with something ergonomic to trigger and if they like the sound - they like brass instruments and hate distorted rock guitar. They will play hundreds of times a day without training or other reward than hearing the music. (Dave Soldier)

Dave Soldier leads a double life as a musician and a neuroscientist. As a composer, he developed a repertoire for groups including the Thai Elephant Orchestra, 14 elephants for whom he built giant instruments and who released 3 CDs, and projects with children, including rural Guatemala (Yol Ku: Mayan Mountain Music) and New York's East Harlem (Da HipHop Raskalz). His Soldier String Quartet helped usher the use of hiphop, R&B, and punk rock into classical music in the 1980s, and his long-running Memphis/New York Delta punk band, the Kropotkins, is a cult favorite. His composed The People's Choice Music: the most wanted and unwanted songs, following poll results of likes and dislikes of the American population, with artists Komar & Melamid; song cycle/oratorios in collaborations with Kurt Vonnegut, and many chamber and classical works. As a performer and arranger, he worked with John Cale, Bo Diddley, Van Dyke Parks, David Byrne, and many jazz and avant garde acts, appearing on over 100 albums and films on violin, guitar, or arranger.  http://davesoldier.com/animal.html

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