Swedish engineer and musician Mattias Krantz recently bought an octopus from a grocery store, saving it from becoming someone's dinner. Instead of ending up on a plate, the incredibly lucky (and talented!) octopus, which Krantz named Tako, fulfilled another extraordinary, almost unbelievable destiny — it became a pianist! Now this piano-playing octopus performs surprisingly terrific duets with Krantz, who accompanies on guitar.
This unlikely saga took place over the course of six months, as Krantz slowly and painstakingly taught Tako to play piano. Using his engineering background, Krantz fashioned various kinds of keyboards to help Tako figure out how to press or pull the piano keys to make sound. Through trial and error—and lots of failures, including using a light-up keyboard to attract Tako's attention, which works well for chickens but is a flop for octopi — Krantz finally figured out the secrets for success. The winning keyboard design involves pull-levers (which is easier for octopi tentacles than pushing), and the winning method for getting Tako interested enough to actually pull the keys is a kind of "crab elevator" that lowers treats a short distance down a tube for each key Tako pulls.
Krantz created a remarkable video documenting the entire process — I was enthralled watching both human and octopus learn from each other. I found it fascinating to see Krantz trying out different approaches, and to watch his engineer brain engage in so much interesting problem solving. And it's also super cool to see Tako interact with the piano in all of its different iterations and also form a bond with Krantz. I never really doubted that Tako would be playing the piano at the end, however, given how smart octopi are.
If you want to skip all of the trial and error and get straight to the good stuff, fast forward to 15:20 where you can see Tako and Krantz's first duet — featuring Tako on keyboards and Krantz on acoustic guitar. And at 16:55 you can see them after a few days of practice, when they're really hitting their stride. Krantz is so impressed with Tako's range, he laughs and exclaims, "He's like Rachmaninoff." I love Tako's personal style — he's very soulful and has great rhythm. Who knew Tako the piano-playing octopus had such an affinity for the blues? He's really quite astounding.
At the end of the video, Krantz states, "I almost forgot sometimes that Tako was destined to become someone's dinner and now we're making music together." What lovely gifts Krantz has given Tako, and it seems Tako is returning the favor by blessing us all with his music! Thanks Krantz and Tako!
Go see the duo in action for yourself in the video, below. And see more of Mattias Krantz' work with instruments and animals of all kinds on his YouTube and Instagram.
Previously:
• Rescued octopus comes back a day later to chill with its rescuers
• What it's like to share consciousness with an octopus
• Fishmonger buys 70-pound octopus just to set it free
• Octopus selfie wins photography contest
