Artistic License Music: Difference between revisions

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* In the film version of [[Ghost World]], the actor portraying the guitarist/singer of Blueshammer has never played a guitar in his life.

* Averted in [[Master and Commander]]:The Far Side of the World. Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany took lessons on the violin and cello, respectively, so that they would at least appear to have some experience. When the scene was filmed, they played along with the recording which would be dubbed over for the finished product. Both turned out to be decent musicians anyway, particularly Bettany. In fact, the artificially polished performance of the film made the characters better musicians then their literary counterparts. In the novels, both men are little more than enthusiastic amateurs, rather than Regency-era versions of Yo Yo Ma.

* Dooley Wilson, who played Sam in [[Casablanca]], was a drummer, not a pianist. It's fairly obvious.

* Dooley Wilson, who played Sam in [[Casablanca]], was a drummer, not a pianist. [[Slow Left Hand|It's fairly obvious]].

== Live-Action TV ==

* An episode of ''[[Bones]]'' has Dr. Brennan claiming that by knowing how to play the akonting (a West-African 3 stringed, non-fretted lute), she could play blues-style electric guitar. While the writers were trying to [[Show Their Work]] by knowing what an akonting is, the instruments are too distant in style, culture, structure, and tuning to pull that off.

* An episode of ''[[Bones]]'' has Dr. Brennan claiming that by knowing how to play the ''akonting'' (a West-African 3 stringed, non-fretted lute), she could play blues-style electric guitar. While the writers were trying to [[Show Their Work]] by knowing what an ''akonting'' is, the instruments are too distant in style, culture, structure, and tuning to pull that off.

* ''[[Glee]]'': Calling what they do a "glee club" is like calling a rock band a "string orchestra." The term is "show choir" (which they do acknowledge in show) "Show Choir" probably didn't sound as cool a title.

** Though, it could be a [[Truth in Television]], or [[Defictionalization]], as a lot of show choirs in the U.S. are calling themselves "Glee Clubs."

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* Similarly, [[Scatman John]]'s "Scatman" video has a trumpeter, upright bassist and drummer in it, when all of the instruments are obviously synthesized.

* And in the video for The Bellamy Brothers' "Old Hippie (The Sequel)", one of them is strumming a resonator guitar in the video. This is doubly wrong; besides the complete lack of said instrument in the song, resonator guitars are usually played horizontally (like a lap steel guitar) or finger-picked, not strummed.

* [[Rebecca Black]]'s song (no, not ''[[Friday (song)|Friday]]'') ''My Moment''. At the beginning of the song you see Rebecca Black in a recording studio with a guitarist, a drummer and a bass player. Absolutely nowhere in the song can you hear a guitar or a bass.

* [[Rebecca Black]]'s song (no, not [[Friday (song)|"Friday"]]) "My Moment". At the beginning of the song you see Rebecca Black in a recording studio with a guitarist, a drummer and a bass player. Absolutely nowhere in the song can you hear a guitar or a bass.

* Richard Swift's "Knee-High Boogie Blues" video has a lot of closeup shots where it's obvious the drumsticks are not touching the drum head at any point, and the guitarist isn't touching the strings at all. It's so obvious that one can only assume that it was intentional.

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== [[Western Animation]] ==

* ''[[Looney Tunes]]'' has this to the level where [[They Just Didn't Care|they]] ''~~[[They Just Didn't Care|~~obviously]]'' ~~[[They Just Didn't Care|~~just did not care]]. There is nothing even remotely accurate about the way any of the characters play any musical instrument. But then, they weren't trying - [[Rule of Funny]] is the single most important element of ''[[Looney Tunes]]'' shorts.

* ''[[Looney Tunes]]'' has this to the level where [[They Just Didn't Care|they ''obviously'' just did not care]]. There is nothing even remotely accurate about the way any of the characters play any musical instrument. But then, they weren't trying - [[Rule of Funny]] is the single most important element of ''[[Looney Tunes]]'' shorts.

== Musicals ==

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** Toy Pianos like Schroeder's generally can't play accidentals (Sharps and flats). it's even pointed out in one comic strip that the black keys are just painted on.

*** and in the Christmas Special his toy piano is versatile enough to sound like a classical piano and a pipe organ in addition.

== [[Real Life]] ==

* Early in [[Stan Freberg]]'s career he was in a big band as a singer and guitarist; but he couldn't play guitar, so he just mimed it. It took them a while to catch on.

* [[Muse]] were told on an Italian TV show that ~~the~~ would be lip-synching. So, to mess with everyone, they switched instruments and exaggerated all the movement. Apparently, the Italian director of the TV show didn't notice.

* [[Muse]] were told on an Italian TV show that they would be lip-synching. So, to mess with everyone, they switched instruments and exaggerated all the movement. Apparently, the Italian director of the TV show didn't notice.

* The Finnish dance musician [[Darude]] once "played" his hit tune "Sandstorm" live on Finnish TV with a synthesizer; however, anyone with any knowledge of synthesizers could see it was not even plugged in.

* A fair number of bands didn't really think much of ''[[Top of the Pops]]'' when it was on air, but since they had to promote their singles, they often decided to make the most of it by invoking this trope. Highlights include Marc Bolan performing with the lead from his amp going into his back pocket and members of the Faces stepping back from the microphones when they sang.