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11 Feb 18 - 02:00 PM (#3905005) Subject: pretending to play From: Andy7 As a fiddler, I always enjoy a good laugh at an actor pretending to play the fiddle on TV or film. The giveaway signs are the wrong position under the chin; the fingers of the left hand carrying out strange manoeuvres which have little to do with finding notes; and always, always a bow that flies around in a wild arc, rather than moving in a straight line. I wonder what are the giveaway signs of a non-player pretending to play, for other instruments? |
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11 Feb 18 - 02:44 PM (#3905014) Subject: RE: pretending to play From: punkfolkrocker Strumming a trombone... |
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11 Feb 18 - 02:47 PM (#3905015) Subject: RE: pretending to play From: Jim Carroll During a very early Willie Clancy Summer School a fiddler appeared at many of the bas sessions and would take out his fiddle out of it's case, carefully tune it and rosin the bow, then sit in silently without playing a note Nobody knew why until someone noticed he was always included in the free musicians rounds from behind the bar. He appeared a couple of years later carrying a flute case. Somebody commented, "I see he's not playing the flute this year" Jim Carroll |
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11 Feb 18 - 02:50 PM (#3905016) Subject: RE: pretending to play From: Dave Hanson Anyone with a banjo. Dave H |
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11 Feb 18 - 02:50 PM (#3905017) Subject: RE: pretending to play From: Stilly River Sage Camera angle from beyond the body of the piano, no view of the hands on the keyboard, and shoulders moving all over the place instead of moving mostly just hands and forearms. The really pleasant counter to this was watching actors like James Mason or Stephanie Zimbalist play their own piano parts. |
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11 Feb 18 - 03:39 PM (#3905022) Subject: RE: pretending to play From: JHW Farmer Ted played along and sang every week at the Kirby Hill pub (near Richmond, North Yorks) but everyone could see that his strumming fingers never touched the strings. |
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11 Feb 18 - 03:52 PM (#3905027) Subject: RE: pretending to play From: Big Al Whittle I think you see quite a lot of pretend guitar playing if the fiddlers not playing in G or D, or if he starts in G or D and then swings off into something weird! |
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11 Feb 18 - 04:10 PM (#3905029) Subject: RE: pretending to play From: Steve Gardham Lots of pretend concertina players in films and adverts. One giveaway is the sound of an accordion being played. Not so easy visually with an English or duet if you can't see the fingers moving but faux anglo players just push the thing in and out randomly or too regularly, pressing the air button. |
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11 Feb 18 - 04:19 PM (#3905032) Subject: RE: pretending to play From: Big Al Whittle perhaps they make special silent ones for actors. |
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11 Feb 18 - 05:25 PM (#3905043) Subject: RE: pretending to play From: The Sandman the best i have seen was someone called blue moon who had learned 3 chords in cmajor he strummed along to pre recorded tracks ., the give away was he made major chords when the song was in a minor key |
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11 Feb 18 - 05:28 PM (#3905045) Subject: RE: pretending to play From: Mo the caller Yes, some guitarists do that in pub sessions too - would be fine if they only pretended to strum! |
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11 Feb 18 - 05:52 PM (#3905048) Subject: RE: pretending to play From: Tangledwood Can't remember the show or circumstances, but on TV a while back somebody "playing" guitar with a capo in place. Notes were being fretted on the wrong side of the capo. |
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11 Feb 18 - 06:09 PM (#3905050) Subject: RE: pretending to play From: BobKnight A friend of mine who came from California swore there was a "Phoney Musicians Union," in Hollywood, of people who regularly appeared in films pretending to play. |
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11 Feb 18 - 08:04 PM (#3905066) Subject: RE: pretending to play From: GUEST,Kristoffer Ross In the US, pretty much anyone playing the Captain in a High-school Sound of Music? Best, Kristoffer |
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11 Feb 18 - 08:33 PM (#3905070) Subject: RE: pretending to play From: Andy7 "A friend of mine who came from California swore there was a "Phoney Musicians Union," in Hollywood, of people who regularly appeared in films pretending to play." Haha, that's very funny! |
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12 Feb 18 - 03:11 AM (#3905111) Subject: RE: pretending to play From: GUEST,JJ And then there was Boris Johnson fingering the guitar above the capo... |
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12 Feb 18 - 03:17 AM (#3905115) Subject: RE: pretending to play From: The Sandman shame he did not finger his penis above a capo |
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12 Feb 18 - 03:20 AM (#3905117) Subject: RE: pretending to play From: TheSnail True Love |
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12 Feb 18 - 03:24 AM (#3905119) Subject: RE: pretending to play From: The Sandman Bings bellows movement is all wrong, has no one told him about rhythm method |
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12 Feb 18 - 12:09 PM (#3905173) Subject: RE: pretending to play From: GUEST,John from Kemsing Some years back we were in a town in the Cotswolds and spent the evening in the hotel function room where a pretty decent rock band were playing. It was well attended by the local people fans, among them a young fellow playing"air" guitar. During one of the numbers he was seen to be tuning his instrument. You could not make it up! |
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13 Feb 18 - 05:33 AM (#3905327) Subject: RE: pretending to play From: JHW Moon River |
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13 Feb 18 - 10:36 AM (#3905418) Subject: RE: pretending to play From: Mo the caller "It was well attended by the local people fans, among them a young fellow playing"air" guitar. During one of the numbers he was seen to be tuning his instrument. " So what's wrong with that? Haven't you ever 'conducted' an orchestra on the radio? |
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13 Feb 18 - 03:30 PM (#3905510) Subject: RE: pretending to play From: Tattie Bogle I remember, a good few years back now, an advert for asthma medication in some of my medical journals, which featured a young man playing the clarinet. Unfortunately he had his hands the wrong way round - right on the top keys, left on the bottom ones! I first checked with my clarinet-playing daughter that this was wrong, then I pointed this out to the company: they very kindly sent me a CD of Emma Johnson playing various clarinet concertos. (Or do they make left-handed clarinets?) |
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13 Feb 18 - 03:44 PM (#3905512) Subject: RE: pretending to play From: Kenny B (inactive) was the camera on mirror image? Mine was for a few youtube videos before I noticed |
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13 Feb 18 - 04:11 PM (#3905521) Subject: RE: pretending to play From: Tattie Bogle No idea, but anyway, I got the nice CD! |
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13 Feb 18 - 06:40 PM (#3905538) Subject: RE: pretending to play From: Andy7 Re 'True Love' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CuP2YQTUlE More worrying than the bizarre concertina playing is, during that musical flirting, who is lookout for their sailboat? |
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14 Feb 18 - 04:04 AM (#3905589) Subject: RE: pretending to play From: GUEST Surely faking the playing of an instrument is just part of acting skill? Can be done well or badly. Of course it helps if the actor can actually play, even if not to concert standard - e.g. Richard Chamberlain as Tchaikovsky. |
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14 Feb 18 - 04:39 AM (#3905595) Subject: RE: pretending to play From: Ernest @ Mo the Caller: The thing thats wrong is: he was clearly showing off - everybody knows that an air guitar is NEVER out of tune |
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14 Feb 18 - 05:36 AM (#3905602) Subject: RE: pretending to play From: Jack Campin There used to be a guy who "busked" with a lute in Edinburgh High Street during the festival in a "ye olde minstrel" outfit. He was sitting on a stool covered with a blanket, under which was a ghetto blaster playing Segovia. |
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14 Feb 18 - 07:18 AM (#3905621) Subject: RE: pretending to play From: GUEST,John from Kemsing Mo, I probably conduct the "Philly" all the time but I cannot recall polishing the baton during a performance! |
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14 Feb 18 - 09:07 AM (#3905652) Subject: RE: pretending to play From: Roger the Skiffler Many examples on film in musician biopics of tenor sax on screen and alto on soundtrack and vice versa. RtS |
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17 Feb 18 - 03:35 PM (#3906346) Subject: RE: pretending to play From: Tattie Bogle Not to mention the Uillean pipes in "Braveheart"! |
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17 Feb 18 - 04:27 PM (#3906353) Subject: RE: pretending to play From: Big Al Whittle I once mimed my song to a radio audience in Dusseldorf. Looking back I can't believe they got me to mime on the radio... |
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17 Feb 18 - 04:42 PM (#3906356) Subject: RE: pretending to play From: Andy7 Many years ago, I sang tenor in a choir that appeared on 'Songs of Praise' with a very well known soloist. First we had to learn the hymn, of course. Then we were sent a recording of the soloist singing the lead vocal, and we had to practise singing along to it. Eventually, when we had it right, the choir was recorded singing along to the soloist's recorded track. On the big day, when we were filmed for TV, the soloist and we in the choir were ALL miming, he to his recording and we to ours. Then at the end of the hymn, he said to the camera, "What a pleasure it is to sing with such a fine choir." ... except that he never actually did! |
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17 Feb 18 - 04:52 PM (#3906358) Subject: RE: pretending to play From: Andy7 Haha, after making that post, I decided to try to find the programme on the internet. It's there ... but it turns out it wasn't 'Songs of Praise', it was another programme entirely. Memory is a funny thing! |
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18 Feb 18 - 08:01 AM (#3906449) Subject: RE: pretending to play From: GUEST,Jerry Talking of pretending to play, why is it that when guitarists pose for a publicity shot or album cover they tend to finger a first inversion D major chord? Ok, sometimes it is a G major, but I suppose barre chords might look too pretentious. |
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18 Feb 18 - 02:02 PM (#3906524) Subject: RE: pretending to play From: GUEST,Some bloke On a related note.. Many years ago when Top of the Pops was all mimed, Dave Mattacks the Fairport Convention drummer wore a T Shirt with Miming written on it. The BBC producer did'nt realise and it was broadcast. A few years later, Bob Geldof played a candleabra during a saxaphone middle eight. Mind you, calling Boomtown Rats folk agitates the fossils so I shall shut up now. |
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18 Feb 18 - 04:15 PM (#3906540) Subject: RE: pretending to play From: Jos I'm not sure if it counts as miming, but ... A few years ago, BBC2 had a series of mini-films, like visual jingles, featuring figure 2s indulging in various activities. In one there were six 2s morris dancing - doing a hankie dance to a soundtrack of a stick dance (you could hear the sticks clashing). |
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18 Feb 18 - 05:44 PM (#3906568) Subject: RE: pretending to play From: BobL Mmm, a hankie-clashing dance ... now there's an idea. |
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19 Feb 18 - 05:55 AM (#3906636) Subject: RE: pretending to play From: Jackaroodave Big Al: "I once mimed my song to a radio audience in Dusseldorf. Looking back I can't believe they got me to mime on the radio..." Really? That's wonderful! The things you can do on the radio! American ventriloquist Edgar Bergen appeared (?) on the radio frequently. As a star turn, he would lipsynch duets with his dummy Charlie McCarthy--WITHOUT MOVING HIS LIPS--in perfect synch, of course. Marcel Marceau faked his way through John Cage's "4:33," WHILE TUNING HIS CROSS-HANDED AIR CLARINET and no one caught on. I really did once hear a public radio broadcast of clog-dancing at a folk festival. Allegedly. Maybe it was just people in the studio clomping coconuts on the table. |
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19 Feb 18 - 09:01 AM (#3906677) Subject: RE: pretending to play From: Jos A radio reporter was once (1980s?) 'debagged' on the radio while joining in a dance with a female Morris side. (I wasn't there, I was at home listening to it on the radio.) |