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Path: utzoo!watmath!watcgl!sahayman
From: sahayman@watcgl.UUCP (Steve Hayman)
Newsgroups: net.flame
Subject: Actors pretending to play musical instruments in movies/tv
Message-ID: <1685@watcgl.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 17-Apr-85 02:06:39 EST
Article-I.D.: watcgl.1685
Posted: Wed Apr 17 02:06:39 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 17-Apr-85 06:04:41 EST
Reply-To: sahayman@watcgl.UUCP (Steve Hayman)
Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 45


OK, I've had just about enough of watching people - often well paid,
highly trained actors and actresses - trying to look like they know how
to play the piano or the trombone or something in the movies.  Maybe
their collective technique is good enough to fool the average
non-musical person, but it really bothers me that directors cannot take
the trouble to ensure that people know some of the basics.  Or substitute
someone who can ACTUALLY PLAY.

Case in point:  On tonight's episode of 'Space', we see Dieter Kolff's
young son Magnus belting out a few bars of "America the Beautiful" on
the trumpet.  It was immediately obvious to anyone who ever took 
9th grade band class that the boy was not actually playing.  There are
plenty of 10 year olds around who can really play the trumpet.  Why not
use one of them?  This was the only appearance of this character in the
episode too (I think) so it's not like they needed that actor for his
great speaking ability.

And for all you actors out on the net I would like to point out the following:

1) The high notes on the piano are towards the RIGHT hand end of the keyboard.

2) The trombone slide is supposed to go OUT when the note goes LOWER, and
   ISN'T SUPPOSED TO MOVE AT ALL WHEN THE NOTE DOESN'T CHANGE!!!!
   And please hold the instrument with your LEFT hand!

3) It is necessary to use your lungs when playing any wind instrument.  Thus
   it is also necessary to take a breath occasionally, which real musicians
   don't do in the middle of a note and expect the sound to continue
   uninterrupted.


There. That feels better. I know some people will consider these points
as extremely trivial, but some of these errors are blatant enough to 
reinstate my willingly suspended disbelief and shatter any illusion of
reality that the movie has been striving for.

Note: Some actors have taken the trouble to learn how to fake playing
realistically, and I salute them, but let's not burden the net with a list, OK?

Steve Hayman
Ex Chief Centurion
University of Waterloo Warriors Band
"One of the Bands in Canada"
Still waiting to see "The Music Man" with REAL trombone players