Another throat infection...

I've got another throat infection. I'm hoping desperately that this one won't wreck the voice again. I'd got 80% of the way back to normality.

Fingers crossed. I was starting to get used to this talking lark...

Faking musical instruments

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.