New Year, New Projects
Posted on January 25, 2010 by freshwater
Happy 2010! Now that video for The Ugly Guppy is safely tucked away on computer disks, our clever fishies are concentrating on other projects.
Jor Jor, our resident musician, is hard at work on her first CD, Unknown Waters, Common Ground. We are recording Jor playing notes and chords on her handbell set, then amassing these recording as a library of sound files. Later the notes and chords will be edited in with the contributions of local musicians and singers on Jor Jor's album. So far Jor Jor has played all notes in an octave and about 10 of 36 triplet chords.
She is also expanding her instrument repertoire. If you ever wondered what is the perfect Christmas gift for the fish who has everything, the answer is: GLOCKENSPIEL! Yes, Jor Jor has gone Glockie. Santa brought her a child-sized glockenspiel with a surprisingly lovely tone, and she has just learned how to play it. Soon we will start recording Jor Jor playing glock notes for addition to her CD sound library.
Meanwhile, Pele and Vanya are working on cues. Initially, their communal tank was divided in half during training sessions using a homemade tank divider (some plastic canvas with suction cups). Each fish was taught two target behaviors (1) touch a colored soda straw target, and (2) go to your "Magic Door" (a square made of colored soda straw). Pele was given red targets, and Vanya blue targets. Pele's "click" for correct behavior is a red LED light flash, and Vanya's is a blue LED flash. When each fish was fluent with targeting (i.e. was successful for 80% or more reps), a color-coded cue was introduced on a handheld ipod. Pele got red cues, Pele got blue cues. Both did well understanding the concept of cue and responding appropriately to it.
Now they are back together rehearsing their trained target behaviors, and learning to respond to their own color cue while ignoring the other guy's color. It gets a little chaotic at times, but they are inching toward understanding this crazy human idea of rules! It's quite interesting to watch them learn.
The ranchus, on the other hand, aren't learning a whole lot other than very basic targeting. Luna has some behavioral issues; she's a bit of a bully, really, and not that interested in training. We're working on it. The new little guy, Pip, would be a whiz kid if he weren't living with Luna. I separate them during training with a tank divider, but neither is getting the attention they could be.
Anyway, life is not dull here! Videos upcoming.
Jor Jor, our resident musician, is hard at work on her first CD, Unknown Waters, Common Ground. We are recording Jor playing notes and chords on her handbell set, then amassing these recording as a library of sound files. Later the notes and chords will be edited in with the contributions of local musicians and singers on Jor Jor's album. So far Jor Jor has played all notes in an octave and about 10 of 36 triplet chords.
She is also expanding her instrument repertoire. If you ever wondered what is the perfect Christmas gift for the fish who has everything, the answer is: GLOCKENSPIEL! Yes, Jor Jor has gone Glockie. Santa brought her a child-sized glockenspiel with a surprisingly lovely tone, and she has just learned how to play it. Soon we will start recording Jor Jor playing glock notes for addition to her CD sound library.
Meanwhile, Pele and Vanya are working on cues. Initially, their communal tank was divided in half during training sessions using a homemade tank divider (some plastic canvas with suction cups). Each fish was taught two target behaviors (1) touch a colored soda straw target, and (2) go to your "Magic Door" (a square made of colored soda straw). Pele was given red targets, and Vanya blue targets. Pele's "click" for correct behavior is a red LED light flash, and Vanya's is a blue LED flash. When each fish was fluent with targeting (i.e. was successful for 80% or more reps), a color-coded cue was introduced on a handheld ipod. Pele got red cues, Pele got blue cues. Both did well understanding the concept of cue and responding appropriately to it.
Now they are back together rehearsing their trained target behaviors, and learning to respond to their own color cue while ignoring the other guy's color. It gets a little chaotic at times, but they are inching toward understanding this crazy human idea of rules! It's quite interesting to watch them learn.
The ranchus, on the other hand, aren't learning a whole lot other than very basic targeting. Luna has some behavioral issues; she's a bit of a bully, really, and not that interested in training. We're working on it. The new little guy, Pip, would be a whiz kid if he weren't living with Luna. I separate them during training with a tank divider, but neither is getting the attention they could be.
Anyway, life is not dull here! Videos upcoming.
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