Researchers from the Australian National University (ANU) are playing high-frequency instruments for dolphins on the New South Wales mid-north coast, to determine if humans can communicate with the marine mammals through music.
The study, which took place in Port Stephens, just north of Newcastle, saw flutes, piccolos, and Indian wooden recorders played for the marine creatures, with great success.
The musical performance was conducted aboard an Imagine Eco Cruises boat in December, where the crew reported seeing a much higher volume of dolphin pods than normal.
Flautist Sally Walker of the ANU School of Music was one member of the team who played for the dolphins, and said "within minutes" of playing the flute a pod began swimming alongside the boat.
"One dolphin glided directly underneath me at the same speed as the boat, and the rest of the pod danced around it," she said.
"Staff of the Imagine boat said that we had seen an unusually large number of dolphins both in the port and out to sea."
An opera singer also serenaded the dolphins with a coloratura — an elaborate operatic vocal melody with decorative embellishments — which researchers said saw the same success as the high-frequency instruments.
Dr Olivia De Bergerac, neuroscientist and founder of The Dolphin Society, who has been researching the interaction between dolphins and humans for more than 25 years, said very little was known about the marine mammals' reaction and responses to live music.
"Dolphins are highly intelligent creatures and can sense our thoughts, feelings, state of being, and send us sounds to heal us," she said.
Professor Kim Cunio, head of the ANU School of Music, said due to the extremely high frequency of dolphin calls, having instruments that could make sounds within this range was an essential part of the study.
"Having the flute, piccolo, and a coloratura voice were really important as they are some of the highest instruments we have and are well above our speech," he said.
Next step to determine dolphins' musical tastes
Researchers involved in the pilot study said they were planning to expand, with an underwater speaker to play the music through, and an underwater microphone — or hydrophone — to record the dolphins' responses to the music.
This use of the underwater speaker is hoped to reveal whether the dolphins respond differently to the music and whether the musicians are playing above or below the water.
"The effect of listening to water teeming with life with the aid of a hydrophone is quite exciting," Professor Cunio said.
"This means that we are not easily hearing the nuance in their calls."
Ms Walker said she was interested to see what kinds of music the dolphins preferred as the study continued, and if it could affect the animal's responses to the researchers and musicians aboard the vessel.
"Do they respond differently to structured music like a Bach sonata? Or perhaps more soothing sounds similar to what you would hear on soundtracks designed for meditation," she said.
