Moves from rock to jazz

Strange drummers blow their trunks, with a loop cry and grab their instrument, to roll a drum using the roots of thick trees in a Ugandan forest and create their own rhythms, according to a study published Tuesday.

Everyone has their own style: some are hard rock drumming and others are “jazzy,” notes the study, published in the British Journal. animal behavior. But in addition, these animals know how to modify it so as not to reveal its whereabouts.

The researchers followed a group of chimpanzees and ibira through the western Budongo forest in Uganda, recording and analyzing the strokes of seven males. Their voices spread more than a kilometer through the dense forest, and served as a means of communication for chimpanzees on the move, according to Vesta Eleuteri, lead author of the study.

The PhD student explained that she was able to identify who had been playing alone for a few weeks. “Tristan, the ‘John Bonham’ of the woods, beats drums so fast with many separate rhythms on a regular basis,” Elleuteri said, referring to rock band famous drummer Led Zeppelin. He adds that his playing is “so fast you can barely see his hands.”

British primatologist Catherine Hopiter, who led the study, explained that other chimpanzees, such as Alpha or Ella, have a more tactile style, and with a different technique: They hit the root with both feet at about the same time.

drum solo

The research is the work of scientists from the Scottish University of St Andrews, which explains why many chimpanzees are named after whiskey, such as Talisker. Chimpanzees have long been known to play drums. “But with this study, we understand that they use their own style when they seek to communicate with other individuals, when traveling, or when they are alone or in small groups,” Catherine Houpeter explained.

The researchers also discovered that chimpanzees sometimes choose not to sign their messages, in order not to betray their identity. “They have remarkable flexibility to express their identity and style, but also to conceal it,” the researcher added. And while many animals produce sounds that can be associated with music, such as the sounds of birdsong, chimpanzees may appreciate their music even more. Similar to what humans do.

“I think chimpanzees, like us, potentially have a sense of rhythm, a sense of music, and something that affects them on an emotional level, like the thrill of a solo drum or other important musical sound.” Primate scientist pointed out. He said studies of chimpanzees focus on their tools or diet.

“When we think of human culture, we don’t think of the instruments used, but the way we dress, and the music we listen to,” he said. The researchers plan to study how other chimpanzee communities produce sounds. They are interested in a species in Guineqa, which lives in a savanna almost devoid of trees that could be used as a drum.

“We have indications that they can throw stones at other stones,” he said, making noises. “Literally rock music,” said Catherine Habiter.

* AFP information.