Faking (Western classical music)

In instrumental music performances in Western classical music, "faking" is the process by which a musician gives the "...impression of playing every note as written" in the printed music part, typically for a very challenging passage that is very high in pitch and/or very rapid, while not actually playing all of the notes in the part. Faking may be done by an orchestra musician, a concerto soloist or a chamber musician; however, faking tends to be more associated with orchestra playing, because the presence of such a large music ensemble (as many as 100 musicians) makes it easier for musicians who "fake" to do so without being detected. A concerto soloist or chamber musician who faked passages would be much easier for audience members and other musicians to detect. Orchestra musicians at every level, from amateur orchestras and youth orchestras to professional orchestra players will occasionally "fake" a hard passage.

Faking is considered controversial in orchestral playing; The Strad magazine calls it one of the "great unmentionable [topics] of orchestral playing". A professional cellist states that all orchestral musicians, even those in the top orchestras, occasionally "fake" certain passages. Professional players who were interviewed were of a consensus that faking because a part is not written well for the instrument may be acceptable, but faking "just because you haven't practised" the music is not acceptable.

A musician from the Canadian Music Centre stated that "...when I hear someone [a musician] say "I can just fake that" [music] is akin to nails on a chalkboard." The CMC musician states that as a "...performer I feel obligated to make sure I can play the music as well as I can. If that means I have to woodshed [(practice) a] lick up until the day of the concert that is what I will do, I can't personally accept "faking" it as an answer for any kind of music."

One reason that musicians "fake" is because there are not enough rehearsals or time to learn the pieces.Another factor is the extreme challenges in contemporary pieces; professionals interviewed by the magazine said "faking" was "...necessary in anything from ten to almost ninety per cent of some modern works. Youth orchestra members and players in amateur or community orchestras may fake because the parts in professional orchestral repertoire are beyond their technical level. Gigging musicians playing in "one-off" pickup groups and local pit orchestras may fake because they do not have time to practice or prepare the music.

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Wikipedia