Teaching her a Song?

[AmazonServant]

My bird talks up a storm and has a couple little tunes she sings, doo dee doo kind of stuff. I haven't trained her to say anything, she just says what she decides to pick up. Lately though I've been wanting to teach her a song, but with words. Because what would be better than my favorite bird singing my favorite song? So obviously the way to approach this would be to sing the song a lot and make it fun and exciting for her, with treats and attention. But what about playing a recording? I play music around her a lot, and sometimes she gets into it and screams along, but I don't know how much she picks up on vocal melodies or words because of all the musical arrangements and because the music isn't live. Has anyone known a bird to pick up a song from a recording complete with drums, guitars, etc.? Or is that too busy for them to decipher and mimic? I'm talking Motown, if that helps. She seems to like the song when I play it so I guess I'll just keep playing it and also singing it myself, but I guess I was wondering if anyone had any tips or experience.

PS I have to say that this seems like it would be easier if I liked heavy metal. Once a friend came over to my house and played me a heavy metal song. I was not impressed, but my bird got really into it. She also enjoys Coldplay. Most of my music, she isn't too interested in ):

 

[kitt]

My birds listen to and seem to like the stuff I play....I listen to country and rock and some oldies and they get excited and say "lets dance" they move their bodies but don't sing to any of it...
My hahns macaw sings "dusty is a good boy" but that is without all the music in the background....
Let us know how it goes......

 

[Nakiska]

Hahaha...great idea...bad idea! LOLOL

I think that by the time you teach your bird your favorite song you'll be so sick of it you wouldn't want to hear it anymore hehehehe!

However...I'm teaching my cockatiel to talk and he's picking things up really good, so in thinking about how Chicken Little has been picking up phrases, I think if I was going to try to teach him a song (WHEW! What an undertaking) I would start by teaching him one phrase or line from the song at a time and build on that, no music with it, just in talking to her, incorporate the phrase often, once you hear her say the phrase, then add more to it.

I think if your bird picks up a phrase at a time, when you play the song she will recognize that phrase and learn to chat along

Good Luck and what type of bird is she?

Toni

 

[kitt]

I tried teaching Dusty to sing Jingle Bells this past year and all he did was hiss through it....it was the strangest thing. I would start singing it and every time he would hiss...hey, wait a minute,,,,,maybe it was my awful singing he was hissing at...hmmmm..I couldn't carry a tune if it had a handle. LOL I think I have a video of that somewhere.I will have to see if I can find it.

 

[AmazonServant]

Hehe, I love it when my bird makes really ugly-sounding noises when she's getting into a song. That's generally how she enjoys music, growling to her own beat. She's a yellow-nape Amazon. I've seen videos of some very talented Amazons singing, and it made me realize that mine just might be able to do it too.

 

[merlinsmom13]

When I sing to merlin, he will (howl) along w/me. He seems to like the idea of singing. My husband has been trying to teach him to whisle the theme to Gilligans Island, so far he has about 3-4 bars, we call it his battle cry.

 

[stephend]

I'm trying to teach Bob either the theme from "Bridge over the River Kwai" (and youtube has several videos of tiels doing it) and Mozart's 9th.

 

[kitt]

When Dusty is singing "dusty is a good boy" he always sounds like he is hacking up a hairball when he says his name. So I tell people to listen for the hacking hairball and then "is a good boy"...LOL He is to funny sometimes.
Here is the video of dusty hissing.....don't have it to loud because you don't want to hear my voice. LOL

[ame=http://youtu.be/CHD6LBoVTOo]YouTube - ‪Dusty hissing instead of singing jingle bells‬‏[/ame]

 

[merlinsmom13]

He's too sweet, I bet he's quite a character.

 

[pittiepride]

I play a series of youtube videos for dolly usually once or twice a day and I sing along, on of the songs is the disney, whistle while you work...so dolly has picked up random whistles but also she has picked up the birds chirping in the background of the song, and she does THAT noise really loud.