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This video from America's Got Talent purports to show a chicken playing the song America the Beautiful on a keyboard.

I am skeptical. For all I know, it could be hitting random keys, and a software could be playing the correct note each time a key is pressed.

Can any musicians here verify whether the notes being pecked in the video are the real notes to play the song? Is this legit?

Oddthinking
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J.Todd
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    It looks real, but it's hard to tell from this angle. [Here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxOBV6Hto80)'s how to play this song on the piano, it seems to be in the same key (only white keys, except for one black key where the chicken isn't filmed). (I'm a decent piano player myself.) [Here](http://www.music-scores.com/graphics/tr_america_vce.gif)'s the sheet music for this particular key. – Glorfindel Jun 08 '17 at 11:51
  • I'm not skeptical because I know how you'd train/trick the chicken to do it. –  Jun 08 '17 at 13:13

1 Answers1

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Yes, the chicken is playing the correct notes, but it is being assisted with cues.

Take a look at this video that was posted by the chicken's owner. It has a much better angle, and it can be seen that the appropriate key lights up before being pecked.

There is still quite a bit of software that is being used to allow the song to be played, but it's nothing special or unique to the chicken. It's just some of the training tools available to teach new people (or chickens) how to play piano. This Casio keyboard promo shows off all of the features.

Oddthinking
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A Bailey
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  • Exactly how I'd trick the chicken. Birds, like many animals, are attracted to small lights (cats + laser pointer = fun) –  Jun 08 '17 at 17:15