Pianist Zombie

The Pianist Zombie is the twelfth zombie that is found in the Wild West. It rolls over plants and causes all other Cowboy Zombies, Conehead Cowboys, and Buckethead Cowboys to rapidly change lanes. They instantly die with Spikeweeds, or Spikerocks. Spikerocks can kill up to three Pianist Zombies.

Almanac entry
TOUGHNESS: Hardened

SPEED: Creeper

His rolling piano crushes plants while his music causes dancing zombies to switch lanes.

DAMAGE: crushes plants with piano

SPECIAL: summons cowboy dancers who switches lanes

Pianist Zombie only knows two songs, and they're both groaners.

Overview
Pianist Zombie absorbs 41 normal damage shots and its appearance changes upon an absorption of 20.5 normal damage shots before dying at 41 normal damage shots.



Appearances
Player's House: Piñata Party

Wild West: Day 3, 6, 8, 14, and 15, 22, 25, and Big Bad Butte

Strategies
Try to kill as many Cowboy Zombies before they swap lanes on screen. Otherwise, you will have a hard time if the other zombies shift to eat your plants you have placed (Lightning Reed, Pea Pod, etc.). A Pea Pod with five heads will quickly kill it. Wall-nuts and Tall-nuts do not stop it, as it crushes your plants. You can delay a Pianist Zombie with an Iceberg Lettuce to let the zombies stop dancing. A good choice to deal with it is to use any instant kill or the Coconut Cannon which can easily defeat it. Planting a Spikeweed or Spikerock on the tile it is on will also instantly kill it. Do not use Cabbage-pults and Kernel-pults, as if you don't kill the Pianist Zombie, the catapults will have a hard time shooting at the zombie as the other Cowboy Zombies continue shifting because of their low fire rate.

A good strategy is to use Kernel-pult to butter a dancing zombie, that way when the zombie switches lanes, when you plant a squash in front of them, they will get squashed together.

Trivia

 * The projectiles hit the piano, but the zombie still loses its arm and head.
 * Whenever at least one of these zombies are alive and onscreen, its piano song will replace the stage's current music.
 * Pianist Zombie moves fast first then slow in versions 1.0 to 1.6 while in version 1.7 onwards, its animation and speed change to that of a regular zombie before entering the lawn then proceed to its original speed once it plays its music.
 * When the Pianist Zombie is slowed by either the Snow Pea or the Winter Melon, its animation slow down but the music it's playing will continue at normal speed.
 * If it meets a Tall-nut or a Wall-nut it will take 2 seconds to kill them. This trait is shared with Barrel Roller Zombie.
 * Even though it's almanac entry says that it can summon cowboy dancers of the Pianist Zombie doesn't actually summon them; it only causes Cowboy Zombies, Conehead Cowboys and Buckethead Cowboys to dance and switch lanes. However, all other Cowboy Zombies, Coneheads, or Bucketheads that appear on the lawn will switch lanes.
 * As shown in Piñata Party, the Pianist Zombie only causes cowboy zombies from the Wild West to dance. No zombies from other time periods will dance and change lanes.
 * During its first degrade, players can see the tip jar slide off the piano. The tip jar then disappears.
 * Even though it squashes a Chili Bean and faints, the Barrel Roller Zombie will not die when it squashes the Chili Bean, even though they both squash plants.
 * Any instant kill can kill the Pianist Zombie except Chili Bean as of version 2.1
 * When killed by Lightning Reed, the Pianist Zombie dies by electrocution just as a normal zombie does, but the piano disappears.
 * This is also shared when killed by either Cherry Bomb or Jalapeno.
 * In version 1.9 onwards, the Piano crumbles while the zombie gets burned.
 * Pianist Zombie is one of the 6 zombies to get a new Christmas look for the 5 Days of Feastivus, along with the Swashbuckler Zombie, the Camel Zombies, the Poncho Zombie, the Gargantuar, and the Imp.
 * Pianist Zombie's costume for Feastivus resembles Santa Claus.
 * Pianist Zombie's music was written and performed by Korby Sears, as seen in the credits.
 * Pianist Zombie played Christmas music when it appeared in the Feastivus event.
 * If you hear closely on Pianst Zombie's theme, you hear the Bungee Zombie saying yee haw