Faking musical instruments

[watervole]

I was watching an episode of Carnivale today (thanks, sugoll) and noticed that even a series that looks good for overall detail managed to make a classic mistake (It's not alone. Every film I've seen with a concertina does the same).

The person playing the concertina in the background hasn't a clue how to fake it. The concertina is like the one in my icon - the strap passes over the back of the hand. That means it's an Anglo concertina and they are played in short, jerky, in and out movements. The person holding it on screen is pulling it out a long way on the bellows and then doing a couple of seconds squeezing it together, then a few seconds out again. You can't play an Anglo that way (unless you're very skilled and playing it Irish style and frankly if you want to play that style it's much simpler to buy an 'English' concertina rather than an 'Anglo' as the keys are totally different and more suited to long bellows pulls). Anglos are a dance instrument, suited to bouncy tunes with lots of oomph and a bellows push for every bounce/beat. 'English' concertinas have very different straps as you're using different fingers to play with.

I'm sure we all notice our own instruments in this way.

What poor fakes do other people notice?

My other favourite is the bowed psaltery in the opening credits of the first season of BAbylon 5 (An instrument like an isocleles triangle being held by a Minbari priest) He's holding it the wrong way round and plucking it.

Comments

[kerravonsen]

I'm afraid I tend to notice stupid computer fakes more. But I must admit, when I'm watching something, I tend to notice plot and character more than the niggly details. While I'm watching, it's fine, but afterwards I tend to pick the plot apart.

[sugoll.livejournal.com]

Well, I apologise for the bad concertina faking. But that aside, what do you think of it?

[watervole.livejournal.com]

I haven't watched it all yet, but so far, I'm impressed. They handle weird a lot better than 'Lost'. I also like the way they let silence speak so loudly.

The pacing is very well done. They don't rush you through things and there's some lovely photography.

[major-clanger.livejournal.com]

For me, it's more technical or procedural errors. There was a drama set on an RAF base a few years ago which had a scene where a bunch of pilots were in the bar after work, dressed in blue working dress uniform. Aircrew never wear that in normal circumstances; they'd have still been in their flying overalls (or gro-bags as the rest of us call 'em) or would have changed into civvies.

A Few Good Men is superb drama (both the film and the current revival of the play) but I can't help notice when watching it that a major plot device - the 'missing' flight - just isn't workable.

[entorien.livejournal.com]

I don't know about instruments, but I used to watch a lot of hospital dramas, and the sheer level of mistakes with basic first aid was astounding! Things like a supposedly fully trained paramedic running up to a motorcyclist, and pulling his helmet off. It's laughable, that kind of thing can kill! Not to mention the amount of stupid people who think they know what to do in the event of an accident because of such shows, people could easily end up hurt. Meh.

[temeres.livejournal.com]

The obvious movie fake, for me, is in WW2 movies which have lots of old British cruiser tanks badly disguised as panzers by the cunning ploy of painting a black cross on the turret.

And not fakery, as such, but I do tend to notice birdsong on the soundtrack, and often as not it's from species that are not supposed to be in the relevant part of the world. In television SF, that means the relevant planet.

[kerravonsen]

In television SF, that means the relevant planet.

Yeah, but it's not like they can go and get recordings of alien birds, can they?

Mind you, you've just reminded me of the repeated birdsong-mistake that's so egregious that even I notice it. I can't remember where I heard it, except I think it was on some TV series or other, probably something pretty old. The mistake is when they have something which is supposed to be set in the tropics, like Thailand or Indonesia etc, so they put down some "exotic birdsong" in the background -- and it's Kookaburras! Er, excuse me, (a) you aren't going to find them outside of Australia and (b) they aren't particularly tropical.

[temeres.livejournal.com]

Apparently BBC News Southeast has a stock 'birdsong' tape to stick on outdoor reports. It's of Bee-eaters. So legions of Kent birders watching the news in spring get all excited because they think there's a Bee-eater wherever that new bypass is being built or the factory's closed down or a warehouse gone up in flames etc etc etc. But there isn't.

[dragoness13.livejournal.com]

Glad to hear you like Carnivale.

People don't generally make that bad mistakes with piano, but don't even get me started on films that use sai and have characters do really idiotic things like throw them.