Well, Scott, if I were you, I wouldn't go and see ANY pop music show by an artist under 30. Tapes, sequencing and loops are a fundamental part of any big tour, these days. I even met a young(-ish) man the other day who used to sing under the stage for Toto, back in the day. Whenever the lead singer's voice was shot, they flew him into the mix!! Multi-million dollar tours cannot afford to have a bad night for ANY reason. Do you think Destiny's Child (or ANY dance artist) can dance THAT vigorously, and still sing well?

And don't get me started about country music, the most Beat Dectective'd, Auto-Tuned music on the planet!

And finally, lest we all forget, an arranger is nothing BUT fakery........ only the parts you play yourself have any more musical honesty than Milli Vanilli.

Diki, excactly...AGREED!!!!

Great post!

Wow, this subject faking is really taking off. Years back we were not sure if a singer was mouthing or singing, so our attention was brought to the singers neck. If there was no strain they were not singing, then they were condemned in the publics eye. Not much of a test.

We have now become extremely liberal, if it works for you do it. If the job requires faking – do it. Do whatever it requires.
Sounds right, I think, Hmmmm!
Barbara Strisand (spelling?) did her concert in the park – The music, solo and background was beautiful. Violins, guitars, drums, basses, ect --- At the end of her show she introduced six musicians and said, “All the music you have heard tonight came from these musicians. A got a small bill for musician and a large electric bill”.

Who’s winning here? Who’s losing here”

I feel there are fewer musicians who have mastered their instrument today – but we do have many more fakers. Personally I would travel a distance to hear a accomplished musician, one who has put his in his time and effort.

I do apologies to those using the background for their performance, this post is not meant to do that. We do the best with what we are given. We do what we have to do earn $$$. It’s not only music, I remember buying a Hersey chocolate bar that tasted like chocolate, that is before they started using plastic or whatever to preserve their product.

IMHO, John C.

Yes of course! But it's exactly THOSE supposedly played 'keyboard parts' that are only FAKED in which I so distain. Utilizing SMFs, sequences, or auto accompaniment is fine, but when a performer insists on FAKING his/her playing itself (melody line) then this shouldn't be billed as a live concert, but entertainment for entertainment sake only, and perhaps should be more aptly booked as a comedy, mime, karoake, or lip sycing act, not a LIVE music concert. - Scott

Scott, nowadays, about the only thing billed is the performer's name (sometimes not even that!). I'm sure that you don't go out billed as 'Scott Yee and his Arranger' or 'Scott Yee with auto-accompaniment'. My money is on 'Scott Yee'.

So does anyone who comes and sees your show get a refund if they say 'but I thought I was going to see an all live show'? Hell, no....... you just go 'this is how I perform'. Just because you ARE playing the parts you are playing, doesn't mean you ARE playing the parts you are not, and to anyone other than an arranger player there is no difference. They are hearing something you are not doing live.

SMF, arranger play, totally faking it (karaoke or Jessica Simpson!), it's all the same as long as it entertains, and if it doesn't entertain, well, it doesn't matter if you play every last darn note............

Excactly

Dikki: I myself am billed as a: vocalist- keyboard musician, and that's exactly what I deliver. In my shows, All of the keyboard (piano) parts heard from my keyboard (as expected) I perform LIVE. Drums, bass and rhythm section parts supplied by the auto accomp traditionally don't emunate from a keyboard, so my audiences "fully realize" this to be what it is: auto accomp backing tracks merely to support my LIVE playing & singing. When I play solo leads or left hand bass lines, it's visually, pretty obvious to everyone, that I'm playing that, and not the drums or other auto accomp parts.


If it's a big stage production act such as the entertainers (including dancing, choreography & visuals)as you mentioned like Destiny's Child, etc, the audience may be a lot more forgiving, but in a much smaller (intimate) venue of which (I believe) most of us arranger players here(one man band/duo) acts do, lights, glitz & theatrical pyrotechnics don't dominate, and venues where people come specifically to appreciate live music by musicians, they deserve to be actually hearing us "play" not fake, the instrument they come to see us performing on.

As far as DNJ's argument that's it's all about making the big buck and doing whatever it takes to make the audience happy . . . sorry, that way just isn't my style. I'm well over 30 afterall. - Scott

Very well said Scott, you definitely have a point.

There is miming and faking every where and we all know it, but as an example if you hire someome as in a one man band keyboardist for your wedding and he is blaitently faking everything and all the leads that you assume he is playing himself, then thats pathetic. you might as well have just saved the money and wack on CDs all night.

Nick