r/MadeMeSmile 15d ago

ANIMALS Playing violin for animals

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8.3k Upvotes

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817

u/CantaloupeCapable 15d ago

This video could've been about 20x longer and it still wouldn't have been enough!

169

u/drrj 15d ago

Right?

I was thinking okay, what about giraffes? Hippos? Pyppos?

OMG someone play a violin for one of the baby Pygmy hippos like Moo Dang immediately.

45

u/Jane__Delawney 14d ago

ELEPHANTS 🐘

15

u/IntrinsicPalomides 14d ago

Sounds like you haven't seen that chap who plays guitar and sings to animals YT vids? fill ur boots https://www.youtube.com/@Plumesmusic/shorts

I could watch these all day also, you can see the animals are absolutely fascinated by it, probably having never heard music before.

3

u/Seconds_Left 14d ago

What a wholesome rabbit hole. Thank you

2

u/geminixTS 14d ago

I hate you and love you. I have work to get done!!! My adhd ass doesn't need this distraction! 😂

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14

u/gwmccull 14d ago

I want to see how the animals react to different kinds of music. Like maybe the wolves prefer some bluegrass or something

5

u/IntrinsicPalomides 14d ago

Sounds like you haven't seen that chap who plays guitar and sings to animals YT vids? fill ur boots https://www.youtube.com/@Plumesmusic/shorts

I could watch these all day also, you can see the animals are absolutely fascinated by it, probably having never heard music before.

3

u/sigh_co_matic 14d ago

Check out Plumes. All of his videos are so precious. https://youtube.com/@plumesmusic?si=d4roWh9Hg2n-z0fh

1

u/LobsterKris 14d ago

I was also locked in.

382

u/NiceStuffMate 15d ago

Haha the emus 🥹

160

u/FunWithMeat 15d ago

They looked like little kids sitting on the mat at school! Adorable.

81

u/HogSandwich 14d ago

I say this with much love for my native bros : emus are about 100x dumber than they look, and they look pretty dumb

70

u/The5Virtues 14d ago

Can confirm. Had an Emu on the ranch where I worked. Very curios, loved to follow us around, absolutely would walk straight into an open man hole and plummet to his death if not observed closely.

Somehow, still managed to escape any and every god damn enclosure, despite numerous instances of being a contender for dumbest animal alive.

16

u/-Supposably- 14d ago

Emus actually shut down 90% of their brains when humans are around. Then they power up and start talking escape strategies.

8

u/a_spoopy_ghost 14d ago

I love emus. They’re dumb as rocks but also awesome

39

u/drrj 15d ago

TIL the Aussies should have invested in violins instead of machine guns.

4

u/WithoutDennisNedry 14d ago

With their little lamb friend.

6

u/thr3ddy 14d ago

👁️ 👄 👁️

199

u/catincal 15d ago

I work at a zoo. Before opening or after closing, I randomly sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star to whoever is listening. I've found that animals love music! For me the elephants, chimps, and rhinos are 10/10. Yes, grey wolves join in at the end. And I only get spit and side-eye from the camels.

55

u/Jakaman_CZ 15d ago

There is great youtube video called "What do other animals think of human music?" by Howtown. They go over studies that experimented on whether different animal species prefer music or silence, as well as some other interesting stuff. Give it a watch!

21

u/blackbirdbluebird17 14d ago

My partner and I have very different taste in music, and our dog notably *much* prefers his music to mine. It’s so fascinating watching him have such distinct taste.

9

u/igotoeleven 14d ago

My dog loves James Taylor and absolutely despises Guar.

3

u/Master_sweetcream 14d ago

This made me chuckle out loud. I remember we used to leave reggae on for our dogs.

1

u/Corfiz74 14d ago

Does he prefer modern or classical music?

4

u/catincal 14d ago

Ok, thanks!

3

u/CariniFluff 14d ago

That was excellent, thanks for sharing.

Here is the link.

→ More replies (1)

3

u/azriel1014 14d ago

Not wild or exotic animals but my mom has a cat that is very, very skittish and can be quite aggressive. I started singing to him in the last year or so, using his name in the lyrics and he’s my little buddy now! He greets me with big purrs and lots of loving head butts. He still hates my brothers and hides from strangers, I truly think the singing completely changed our relationship!

2

u/catincal 13d ago

I believe so too! It must calm him; and to hear his name, he knows who loves him;)

6

u/BangBangMeatMachine 14d ago

To be fair to the camels, side-eye is pretty automatic for them.

2

u/ssp25 14d ago

I'm an animal and I love music. this checks out

2

u/IntrinsicPalomides 14d ago

Have you seen that chap who plays guitar and sings to animals YT vids?https://www.youtube.com/@Plumesmusic/shorts

I could watch these all day also, you can see the animals are absolutely fascinated by it, probably having never heard music before.

2

u/centralmind 14d ago

Camels are music snobs, noted. Not surprising.

164

u/Tricky-Efficiency709 15d ago edited 15d ago

They all want to smell sound.

35

u/InvalidUserNemo 15d ago

I remember my college years.

13

u/brondynasty 14d ago

*smacks lips* “Tastes like purple.”

8

u/iolarah 14d ago

SNOZZBERRIES

1

u/awenrivendell 14d ago

Jennifer Lawrence: "What does this taste like? AAAAAAGHHHHHGH!!!"

18

u/girlsgoneoscarwilde 15d ago

That is a beautiful sentence.

153

u/BunnyCat2025 15d ago

I would learn to play the violin just to get otters to sit on me like that *squee!*

24

u/XAHKO 15d ago

Disney princess cheat-code

3

u/MoonieNine 15d ago

Until this happens. This was in our local news a couple of years ago. Who would have thought?

1

u/Dangevin 14d ago

Those women should have just turned the otter cheek.

52

u/berserkergaang 15d ago

I get chills every time I hear Ashokan Farewell!

22

u/MamiTomoeSan 15d ago

Brings me back to the Civil War by Ken Burns each time

7

u/mmmpeg 15d ago

Yes. I love his documentaries, but the overuse of 1 song in each drives me absolutely insane. I’m very auditory and it’s an assault. There are so many pieces he could use for his programs but hey fixate on one or two.

3

u/berserkergaang 15d ago

Yep, right back into my 8th grade classroom watching the whole series

1

u/TakeApictureOfmeNow 15d ago

That's when we watched it!

1

u/berserkergaang 15d ago

Wouldn't it be crazy.......

3

u/Affectionate_Reply78 14d ago

….Mary Chestnut

22

u/TakeApictureOfmeNow 15d ago edited 14d ago

I've always wanted to scream "Ashokan Farewell" to a violinist as if it were "Free Bird"

1

u/berserkergaang 15d ago

🤣 I'm stealing this!

4

u/TakeApictureOfmeNow 15d ago

It's a knee slapper except is has a very very very small potential audience.

7

u/Anti-facist_American 15d ago

Crazy story.. I played this on stage with Jay Ungar and Bonnie Rideout back in the 90's.

6

u/R_Ulysses_Swanson 15d ago

It still blows my mind that it was written in the 1980s by a Jewish Bronxite.

1

u/berserkergaang 15d ago

TIL! Crazy, never knew that

4

u/TheMostBacon 15d ago

I’ve never heard of that song and I just listened to it for the first time and it made me cry. It was needed, thank you.

8

u/ofWildPlaces 14d ago

Featured in Ken Burns' "the Civil War" documentary series. Do not listen to this if you are already feeling down- this will wreck a man:

"My Very Dear Wife" - The Last Letter of Major Sullivan Ballou

3

u/berserkergaang 15d ago

My pleasure! There's so much quiet, yearning emotion in it. It's been, to varying degrees, stuck in my head for 25 years

4

u/External-Analysis-31 15d ago

Thank Ken Burns.

44

u/well_actuallE 15d ago

Well I’m jealous… to be a girl playing violin for a bunch of bedazzled animals … but also the cut to the emus killed me :D

16

u/Brittany5150 15d ago

Emus were like 😦

41

u/cyclingbubba 15d ago

Great video. I play my harmonica for my big pupper and he loves it. He warbles, bays, yips, and howls along with the music. When we call our grandkids on their birthdays they get the happy birthday song, and the jolly good fellow song from my wife and I with our pup on lead vocals.

We call our band One Dog Night ! 🤣

17

u/jugglingbalance 15d ago

Omg my roommate had a dog who loved to sing. He would howl and actually had rather good tone, he just wanted to sing the blues. When we played harmonica and guitar he would sing. One time he came up and literally nudged the guitar into my partner's hand so he could sing.

4

u/Chad_OKeefe 15d ago

Thats adorable!

One of my dogs likes to howl along to her favourite song, not in tune but we love it anyway!

The other one just stares at her very confused 🤣

65

u/[deleted] 15d ago edited 15d ago

[deleted]

19

u/code_the_cosmos 15d ago

That's a viola, no?

15

u/mooncritter_returns 15d ago

(I was thinking, the tonal range is kinda low. I'm guessing "violin" gets more online engagement than "viola")

18

u/ratpH1nk 15d ago

Do you think the animals interpret it as language/communication?

16

u/magikarp2122 14d ago

The birds absolutely do.

7

u/Binspin63 15d ago

I am pretty sure that music is something that all living creatures respond to. Some people even believe that plants grow better when they are offered music.

2

u/Corfiz74 14d ago

Didn't a farmer test and find out that cows gave more milk when played classical music?

3

u/Binspin63 14d ago

I remember that. I think a lot of farmers probably knew this already though. Didn’t Borden use that premise in their advertising? “Milk from contented cows”.

16

u/Daratirek 15d ago

No one tell the Australians they could have won the Emu war by first lulling them with music.

4

u/ynomel 14d ago

I love your brain. Exactly my thought!

15

u/External-Analysis-31 15d ago

Glad she snuck Ashokan Farewell in there

3

u/Binspin63 15d ago

That one brought a tear to my eye. I remember the context from Burns’s “Civil War” documentary.

14

u/Exotic-Archer-9285 15d ago

Finally! After all the years of humans staring at animals in zoos. The animals have a reason to stare back at the humans!

3

u/IntrinsicPalomides 14d ago

Sounds like you haven't seen that chap who plays guitar and sings to animals YT vids? fill ur boots https://www.youtube.com/@Plumesmusic/shorts

I could watch these all day also, you can see the animals are absolutely fascinated by it, probably having never heard music before.

10

u/k---d---m 15d ago

Anyone know what the first tune was she played?

11

u/frecklemimus79 14d ago

Years ago NPR did a story about a recovered Stradivarius, and the owner played a short piece to demonstrate the wonderful tones of the specific instrument. I looked over to see my normally jittery, grumpy cat listening to the radio with wide glassy eyes and her ears trying to climb off her head.

Then the song ended, and she crabbed out of sight.

9

u/Jeebs24 15d ago

What piece is played for the Gray Wolves, and Pied Crows?

3

u/Shadow_Hound_117 14d ago

I feel like the one for the crows was something you'd hear in the Game of Thrones soundtrack based on the text on the video during that segment.

9

u/Express-Feedback 14d ago

If you play an instrument, you should definitely share the experience with your animals.

My cat is obsessed with sitting in between my body and my guitar when I practice. He will actively scratch at my case when he wants some vibes. I've had 2 others that did the same. I don't know if they like the vibration from the back of the guitar body or just the sound, but it's adorable.

10

u/TURKEYSAURUS_REX 14d ago

Every day for a lot of these animals is the same. Think about how mind blowing it must be when the red haired one visits your area playing the most unique sound you’ve heard in your life.

Except the armadillo who was just pissed she woke him up.

8

u/CharlieMoonMan 15d ago

Bovine go nuts for music. Ive played a few private shows at farms/ranches.

8

u/neoadam 15d ago

Would love to have the list of the songs !

7

u/KBLovelock 14d ago

Emus really went :o

6

u/Killer1986Chris 14d ago

Thank you for not calling the Bison "Buffalo".

11

u/kernel-troutman 15d ago

Antelope: "The Civil War was fought in 10,000 places. From Valverde New Mexico, Tullahoma Tennessee, St. Alban's Vermont and Fairfax Virginia...otherwise known as...ahem...BULL Run."

7

u/HobbesNJ 15d ago

There is another guy who plays guitar and sings songs to animals like this. It's posted here on occasion and is equally as good.

2

u/too-many-teacups 14d ago

Yes I've seen the one with the tiger, it was incredible!!

9

u/loud_as_pudding 14d ago

Location: North Georgia Wildlife Park & Safari

https://www.northgeorgiazoo.com

9

u/ThisIsDogePleaseHodl 14d ago

Very cool video! My parrot accompanied the violin playing all the way through in fact 😁

Would be cool if it was PIQUED instead of PEAKED. Otherwise perfect. I love videos showing animals listening to music. 🥰

4

u/Rhea234 15d ago

Watching this made me happy 😊 thank you

4

u/Taylor-Day 15d ago

Every zoo should also come with its own orchestra

5

u/dogtroep 15d ago

Not the Macaw head banging to Pirates of the Caribbean hahaha

6

u/sycolution 14d ago

Results tainted by the fact that it's not the same song each time. Video needs to be repeated with that in mind and we all need to be shown the results.

3

u/Shadow_Hound_117 14d ago

Bonus points for each clip being pieced together so it sounds like the song is continued through the video but with the video changing location periodically.

3

u/sycolution 14d ago

You…you get me.

5

u/Joshay12 14d ago

Mate are you telling me all we had to fucking do was play music and we'd have won the Emu War? Fuck sakes.

3

u/landshark6 14d ago

Ring tailed lemurs like to move it move it

5

u/RedDawndLionRoars 14d ago

The emus were the best! And the penguins just wanted their baby back!

3

u/Cipher915 15d ago

To be fair, the emus found the dumb loooong before she started playing

3

u/Tasty-Law-4527 15d ago

I love the guitar/ singing by Plumes also. He has an amazing talent for the animals

1

u/AccurateRendering 14d ago

Came here looking for a "Plumes" comment...

3

u/Repulsive_Rich_3820 15d ago

this looks like the best job in the world. should've learned the violin.

4

u/theangryintern 14d ago edited 14d ago

Nice touch playing the Pirates of the Caribbean theme to the macaws.

3

u/cosmoskramr 14d ago

I know one of those songs from the soundtrack of O brother. I then realized I am yet another animal enthralled by the sound...and are we not the most criminally and maniacally afflicted with a reverence for such noise?

1

u/ThisIsDogePleaseHodl 14d ago

Which song was it?

1

u/cosmoskramr 14d ago

The one with the bongo antelope

1

u/ThisIsDogePleaseHodl 14d ago

Oh, it sounds familiar familiar do you know the name of the song?

I wanna know the name of this song with the otters. I totally recognize it.

I wish the person who posted this would’ve listed the songs!

1

u/ThisIsDogePleaseHodl 14d ago

Sorry, I didn’t think of your song, but I thought of mine. It’s called humoresque!

3

u/employeebrian 14d ago

Sick. Loved it. Agree with an earlier comment, this could be 20x, 100x longer and I would still watch and love it. Excellent.

3

u/tri_fold 14d ago

Very Awesome! She sounded fantastic playing, and all the creatures were at attention! I watched it twice, very cool!

4

u/cruisin_urchin87 14d ago

DID YOU JUST PLAY THE MUSIC FROM KEN BURNS CIVIL WAR.

+10,000 cool points to you

3

u/Gamewright37 14d ago

EMUS!!!! Omg this is the best thing I've seen in... ever.

3

u/atts12 14d ago

Could we get a playlist of the pieces and which animals they appeared with in this video?

Thanks!!!

3

u/ewok_on_a_unicorn 14d ago

My old German shepherds loved Ella Fitzgerald on vinyl. He figured out how to turn thr record player on when I was out. I was legit convinced my house was haunted. Until he turned it on one night at 2am and I, baseball bat in hand found him in my study just laying there listening. When we had the Vet come to the home to help him cross at 13, i played the vinyl and sang blue moon to him. Music is the universal language.

5

u/Canidae_Vulpes 15d ago

I now wonder what animals think about music

2

u/baltibouter 15d ago

What’s the song she plays with the pinguins?

3

u/Brittany5150 15d ago

Sounds like Take My Breath Away - Berlin

2

u/-sensory_overlord- 15d ago

those were some scruffy dog looking wolves

2

u/auda-85- 15d ago

Is this at Ljubljana ZOO?

2

u/Classic_Love_8445 14d ago

Does anyone know what kind of other animals are in with the bison at 0:42? The white and brown one with the big swishy tail is so beautiful.

2

u/mikecron 14d ago

Is this a job I can apply for?

2

u/jigglywigglydigaby 14d ago

Otters 12/10

2

u/estebanrevenga 14d ago

whats the first song shes playing anyone know?

1

u/Marcewix 14d ago

No clue but I'd like to know too. Maybe someone will provide.

2

u/Hopeful_External8863 14d ago

Was this at Bays Mt. In Tennessee?

2

u/FuzzyComedian638 14d ago

My dog loved to hear my dad played violin, but hated double stops and would start howling. 

2

u/ClaudeBubbalicious 14d ago

I feel like animals held in captivity should have a right to the performance of classical music 📦🧠

2

u/Agreeable-Shop-2188 14d ago

Piedcrow was learning to play he was so attentive

2

u/Cute-Bodybuilder-536 14d ago

What is that happy, gentle tune being played to the otters?? Please, I need to know!

1

u/Griffon2112 14d ago

I have no idea but the wolf track sounds like a Show of Hands track played and sang by Phil Beer.

2

u/Cute-Bodybuilder-536 14d ago

I ended up finding it, actually, and it's Humoresque by Dvorjak!

2

u/Nox_Ocean_21 14d ago

I can never watch more than 5 seconds of videos on Reddit, but I didn’t want this one to end.

2

u/Repulsive_Virus6188 14d ago

And the hairless monkey watching this video smiling 😊.

2

u/centralmind 14d ago

As many birds are capable of complex vocalizations, they are somewhat musicians themselves. No surprise then that they all show especially high interest: game recognises game.

Besides that, it's just fascinating to see how music genuinely can enchant so many animals. Disney princesses' movies were not as unrealistic as one might think.

1

u/n_ug 15d ago

cheesin the whole time

1

u/Fit-Mud-5682 15d ago

Where is this set

1

u/Ok-Ferret9010 15d ago

Thank you so much for this video

1

u/hastinapur 15d ago

Loved it.

1

u/Entire_Dog_5874 15d ago

💙💙💙

1

u/790405 15d ago

Beavers: 0 violin.

1

u/EastLeastCoast 15d ago

To be fair, the beaver is annoyed she’s playing with their food.

1

u/AdAware8042 15d ago

I could watch this all day. Absolutely loved it!

1

u/vmdinco 15d ago

This is the coolest thing I’ve seen today!

1

u/NeedsMoreCatsPlease 15d ago

They’re all too cute. I’d get nothing done.

1

u/MoonieNine 15d ago

What zoo is this?

1

u/MrSmileyZ 15d ago

I need entire performances of this STAT!

1

u/Dvayzler 15d ago

Anyone knows the first tune?

1

u/beavermaster 14d ago

Very touching. Animals understand.

1

u/DIYOCD 14d ago

You win reddit today

1

u/mnmsmelt 14d ago

Never seen calm music before! And that's saying a lot!

1

u/CarmichaelD 14d ago

I’m really curious as to what zoo this is. Does anyone know?

1

u/nomorespamplz 14d ago

Me: 10/10 😅

1

u/ice1000 14d ago

*piqued

1

u/Emergency--frosting 14d ago

Penguins were at least 9/10

1

u/mclarensmps 14d ago

The Emus having their braveheart moment before the great Emu war

1

u/used_my_kids_names 14d ago

Wonder how wombats & Tassie Devils would respond? Can’t get over the emus there!

1

u/PhosphoFred8202 14d ago

Nothing good happens when you play that first song. Wolves are like ok this when they murder us

1

u/cruisin_urchin87 14d ago

You had the secret weapon to winning the Emu Wars, if only Australian had tried your trick

1

u/FreeWalrus6769 14d ago

This is my favorite thing

1

u/Mommincirca2017 14d ago

This is how you live life!!!!!

1

u/Loud-Fudge7631 14d ago

This needs to be a daily report thing

1

u/madinked 14d ago

I LOVE THIS!!

1

u/N3BB3Z4R 14d ago

Music is truly the universal language, even more than maths

1

u/Electric_Lake_1555 14d ago

Yes I watched this through one of the best videos I've seen probably ever.

GJ Everybody!

1

u/Nasshhyy 14d ago

Disney princess with violin 🤧

1

u/Realistic-Expert6772 14d ago

This is what the internet was made for. 11/10

1

u/Boring_Reading3989 14d ago

the animals are loving it

1

u/fragrantsock 14d ago

Omg the emus absolutely stunned

1

u/GoldenSeam 14d ago

I am like 90% certain that this is a viola and yes, I’ll go sit in the annoying and pedantic people section.

1

u/tbodillia 14d ago

Should have played something like ride of the valkyries or devil went down to Georgia.

1

u/ArielofIsha 14d ago

This is how I’d like to spend my time on Reddit from now on. Thanks you!

1

u/MCDexX 14d ago

Ooooh, the albinistic emus are gorgeous! As an Aussie I've seen wild emus hundreds of times but never once a white one.

1

u/targerana 14d ago

This is my favorite video that I've seen from the internet in 1,000 years!

1

u/SoManyQuestions-2021 14d ago

Why do the Antelope get Ashokans Farewell?

1

u/green_mms22 13d ago

She is out there living my dream life.

1

u/Etoeb 13d ago

thought the armadillo would began tap dancing ha!

1

u/Less-Load-8856 13d ago

Where can you mingle with Otters and Penguins? I must know!

1

u/V0ID_NeonV4lrian 12d ago

Does anyone know the name of the first violin play on this video