Faking (music)

In instrumental 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.

A professional cellist states that all orchestral musicians, even those in the top orchestras, occasionally "fake" certain passages.

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.

[1]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.

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.

Indeed, in some miming contexts, the instrumentalists are instructed not to make any sounds at all, as these might be picked up by live vocal mics on the stage.