I Confronted a Fake Violin SCAMMER *CAUGHT*

[@PenneySounds]

I once saw a guy who was clearly homeless sitting outside a Walmart playing a violin. He wasn't playing very well at all, but he was playing it legitimately. I gave him money just because I respected the fact that he didn't just go sell the instrument at a pawn shop or something.

[@thilomuller2497]

That´s great. I think we should support legitimate musicians, even if their performance is not 100% perfect!

[@jpjp9111]

That are terrible things legitimate violinist than a great playing faker.

[@RandomRants525]

Don't ask bro. Just hide somewhere then start playing The Devil Went Down To Georgia. Wait a few seconds. Then walk up to them playing ferociously staring in their eyes.

[@Tyler_Kwak]

It sucks for me as a violinist street performer who gets questioned (mostly on live streams) if I'm fake playing or straight up accusing me of fake playing. These people are giving a bad image on legit violinists.

[@smithmusicstudies]

Yuuuup

[@TwitterChannelOfficial]

ur so good people think you fake it

[@robinshen8364]

God I wish I was so good that people thought I was faking it. Sadly, no one ever asks if I'm faking it. No one ever accuses me of taking steroids. They never even ask how much I practice or work out. They just smile and walk away.

[@DariusSharlow]

I wish I could be a street performer....maybe someone might like my twinkle :D! I'm only halfway through book two (Suzuki).

[@smithmusicstudies]

@@DariusSharlow I've played suzuki book 1 and 2 on the street before. It's great performance practice.

[@reipfvn]

I just saw one this week near my work! I was in bad mood. So I yelled “Stop Faking!” The lady stopped and left. My musician friend got an idea of giving them fake toy money. I think that’s a wonderful idea. They deserve fake money because they are fake violinists.

[@DariusSharlow]

"empties monopoly board into car"

[@terrycools6731]

The fake money is hilariously perfect

[@wanyuhuang8802]

Very nice idea.

[@TheDogn]

This is great. Just monopoly money. You smile at them just right and they'll know you know 😂. And who knows, maybe it'll create a wholesome encounter and they'll laugh with you and brighten your day.

[@larrywheels762]

Great idea. I'm going to get some fake money and hand it to them for their fake performances.

[@sarahbraden8064]

I saw this today and knew they were scamming people. I asked the guy if I can hear him play without being hooked up. He declined. I tried to warn others in my community of the scam but all I got was backlash. Thanks for your video.

[@SealWithoutHat]

I'm glad you spoke out as best as you could, more people should try to intake advice and give others advice as well, I'm just genuinely glad you tried to be the one that doesn't think "We need more people like them" because, we need to BE like them.

[@RareguyUk]

Violin teacher 25+ years. can instantly spot a fake. Our city is inundated with these guys

[@adlan_kacak]

i did my studies in music course, so yeah almost spontaneously i can tell those fakers

[@fedegroxo]

What city is that?

[@AVIRA-m5m]

Yes....city​@@fedegroxo

[@Santiagol]

Somewhere in Quebec, Canada.

[@420scene]

As a musician, it would be much more satisfying to actually learn to play.

[@billd3356]

Why is it ALWAYS Secret Garden?

[@hobeone1192]

Agree.

[@meagainokay7673]

Millions of people each year also pay huge money to watch artists faking it on stage too.

[@jesseredden7123]

Shhhh! They only care if it is poor people do it.

[@abyssusnox]

This is the most stupid rich-people-bad take I've seen in a while, and I dont even have to explain why. Cant believe you even come up with this comparison.

[@deathbydeviceable]

​@@abyssusnoxjust cause one's poor and the others known rich doesn't make it a bad comparison. It just shows fools departing from their money

[@abyssusnox]

@@deathbydeviceable No. Those 'fake' artists at least actually do have to put effort to get to where they are. The same cant be said for these fake performers. They literally just put on some music on speakers and pretend they're playing. Those artists? There's a reason why people pay huge money to watch them.

[@randwall7626]

@@abyssusnoxYes, because at one time they actually did work hard to play music and entertain, but once they became famous it just became too exhausting to actually use their skills to perform for those who love them. Nice, I wish we all could have it so good.

[@jackcummins2275]

If he actually spent his time learning the violin instead of scamming it could actually pay off more

[@W3RK1Nit]

IKR! Around my area there is a huge demand for entry level violinists.

[@mariapaulraj263]

The scammer did a good job covering his face to avoid embarrassment 😂😂😂

[@ludicrous7044]

It was blurred out.

[@1duskyknight]

@@ludicrous7044😂🤣😂🤣😂

[@worgle123]

You should just open Shazam - show them the screen and then start playing the exact recording they're using lol. You'd get some banger reactions out of that one 😆

[@kshineducking7714]

w viral title idea. sounds very difficult to pull off

[@WilDBeestMF]

​@@kshineducking7714Not really! Shazam is pretty powerful actually lol. A lot of the recordings being used would be stock royalty free things with backing that they ripped off KZbin or something. It would be way easier and way funnier than you're imagining. Absolutely brilliant idea.

[@Duckz4bucks]

💀💀 has anyone does this? I wanna see now

[@worgle123]

@Duckz4bucks If I lived anywhere near a city I would have...

[@worgle123]

@@kshineducking7714 Yeah... We can dream though!!!

[@MyNameIsUnavailable]

😂 Bruh...at 3:32 I fucking *_HOWLED_* when the music kept playing

[@syedabakhat5163]

Nice work! Keep exposing these scam artists. We need to an end to this kind of fraudulent activity.

[@SnowJingxueWang]

3:07 “Listen, this is a master class for scammers ” lol

[@jackiehooks8613]

If they can play that well they good get a job with that talent I fell for it once give someone $5.00.

[@johnnyhock]

Taylor Swift charges HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS for a ticket to her “live” show… But she is miming, lip syncing on stage… to me that is even worse !

[@LoganDoesSumShiet]

It’s the exact same thing.

[@MissxLariz]

Pretty sure she aint the only famous artist doing that.

[@DavidTyler]

I am no fan of her, but she miming to her own squeeky voice

[@Duckz4bucks]

@@MissxLarizthis reminds me of that one clip where dua lipa drops her mic in the middle of the concert and loses it and the music just keeps playing lmao

[@PakiNewsNetwork]

yeah and that's fine. A poor, homeless man faking it is a big deal and generates thousands of views.

[@hamwhacker]

I saw one in Rome. Couldn’t believe it. The cheek of it. Sad I spoke to him (old guy) BEFORE he had set up and started playing and so gave him money to support him since I couldn’t stop to listen. He sold me a CD with his photo on the front playing the violin. When I came back later he was playing with a bow attached to his violin without any hair on it. And his bow wasn’t in time with the music. I didn’t confront him but felt embarrassed that I had been fooled by a fraud. When I got back the hotel I opened the CD case. It was an empty computer CD rom. The only positive thing is that I know now that one day I will busk myself but I will not be nervous because it will be real.

[@middleagegeek]

Your fault. Don't be fooled. If thry are doing this, they are up to something.

[@hamwhacker]

@ ah right. So when people commit fraud it is my fault…got it, thanks for the understanding

[@ludwiglanestudios]

The land of Vivaldi, Paganini and Stradivarius. Crazy.

[@orangesnowflake3769]

Haha wow

[@WilDBeestMF]

​@@hamwhackerListen, man. Don't wanna be mean, but since you're being snarky, here goes. If YOU couldn't detect that the man was an absolute fraud from a mile away with your apparent expertise, and you approached him at all, that's on you. There's a sucker born every minute. Those who know better and go for it anyway, have only themselves to blame.

[@Maki-00]

Even not knowing a damn thing about playing the violin, I can look at these people and immediately see they’re not really playing!

[@1Kekz]

At 4:20 there's a single frame where his face is not blurred.

[@_Phynx]

R

[@ackirz]

eagle eyes

[@davidcreignou1380]

How tf did u notice

[@1Kekz]

@davidcreignou1380 By not blinking at that moment

[@CottonCandyTheWW2Geek]

The fact the dude in the red hoodie wasn’t even doing vibrato when there was vibrato XD

[@charliebrown7904]

Anyone who can play stringed orchestral instruments can see the scammers are not playing the instrument, but faking it. Bow hold is wrong, bow strokes and pressure do not match the music, right arm position is wrong, left hand position is wrong, left finger positions are wrong, left wrist position is wrong: etc, etc. One of the most difficult instruments to fake - of which you cannot really fake playing violin.

[@juliejules7780]

I've never used all that fancy gear and wires and amp to busk lol. Just an acoustic violin so you know it's real lol

[@hellspark]

Years ago, we had an elderly man who would play Christmas carols on his violin at the local Kmart. As a kid, I loved his playing and I was deeply inspired.

[@arlarl5122]

I personally found it irritating and often intrusive and offensive when a violinist would busk too close to me busking with my classical guitar amped through two Roland Micro Cubes, because my instrument required the amps to be heard over the traffic, a fountain and all of the ambient noises around, while the violin was loud enough to be heard several blocks away. I always felt I needed to be aware of my volume and the here comes a violin or saxophone and drowns out my playing from down the street.

[@arlarl5122]

I’ll never understand the need to amp a violin for busking, as it is capable of producing high decibles on its own. Unless you’re using effects, you don’t need to amp a violin.

[@billd3356]

We have a few of these here in Charlotte, NC. No vibrato at all and its ALWAYS something by Secret Garden. I asked a guy once "how long have you been faking?" he either didn't speak English well enough to understand or just avoided the question. He had that stupid Joel Osteen grin on his face and kept right on.

[@1jotun136]

They have finally shown up in Asheville NC right after the hurricane. I sat , laughed, and warned everyone that it was clearly a scam. They finally packed up and left because they weren't making any money.

[@jake78787]

I’ve seen these people before and had no idea they were fake! Thank you for exposing the truth 😃 👏🏻

[@samanthathompson9812]

Yet people pay big bucks to see celeb musicians doing the same thing in the pop world.

[@Chris-wi3vu]

I was about to post the same thing , these pop stars just lip synch the whole thing and auto tune their whole songs as well

[@mrpillows]

2 completely different things. People pay a lot of money to go to concerts for the experience. It’s entertainment. And it’s not just one person that makes a concert work, there are many people involved who spent thousands of hours of their lives becoming good at what they do. This guy in the video is just pretending to play an instrument that he has no clue how to play. He’s hoping people think to themselves “wow, he’s really good! I’m gonna give him some money because I can see he actually worked hard to become good at something”

[@yespetto]

@@mrpillows To break the news to you, almost no one gives money for that reason, they don't think too much about it and just do it as a gesture to the person playing music (or doing whatever else) for them in the streets, or because it's a custom, as a selfless charitable act, or to look cool in front of others. The average person doesn't care if you have violin skills or not, only violinists (other musicians) and people looking for content do. If someone wanted to see real violinists play, they'd go to a concert.

[@mrpillows]

@@yespetto I don’t think you understood my comment tbh. You are focusing too much on the violin aspect when it’s really just about skills in general. I was not saying that the people who give him money know anything about violin at all. Their lack of knowledge of violin or any instrument is how they get tricked in the first place. The guy in the video is doing a cross between busking and panhandling. People busk all the time, even without a sign, and if watchers/listeners like the performance, they will reward them. If it didn’t matter how the violin guy played then why is he playing a recording and not just trying to play the violin even though it would sound like crap? It’s because people are more likely to give money if they think the person is actually skilled at what they are doing.

[@gingerali]

It is virtually impossible to get a studio sound at a street corner yet people get easily fooled by this scam.

[@kingdomcome6078]

When I lived in Montreal in 1990s, a lot of musicians used to play their instruments in METRO stations next to special signs on the walls. There was a refugee claimant( alcohol adict) from Czechia called HAVEL who fake-played keyboards! Very often you could see him playing, in one hand he was holding a cigarette, in other hand he was holdig a cup of coffee, but music was still going on. It was hilarious!!

[@mountzod]

We had this in our neighborhood recently too and the cops ran them out within the hour. Haven't seen them since lol.

[@hellspark]

We have one of these guys at our local Kroger. His speaker is SO LOUD. I play guitar professionally on the side for a little money, and it's a major bummer to practice and work so hard at something, and then see someone stand on the corner and get paid to fake it. I sort of want to roll up nearby with my amp and noodle along to his recordings.

[@WilDBeestMF]

Do it! At least *someone* would be performing!

[@petergroverd6626]

Keep fighting for the hard working REAL Musicians. Thank you.

[@inTruthbyGrace]

yes... bc we should really make an example of beggars.... for "musicians" you are as tone deaf to the plight of the poor as a rich-entitled person can get.

[@dr.emilschaffhausen4683]

We should make an example of scammers, which is what this "beggar" is.

[@inTruthbyGrace]

@@dr.emilschaffhausen4683 beggars are POOR people....no one is fooled into mistreating the poor except you and these other entitled , tone-deaf, way overly privileged "musicians"

[@esau93631]

what is fun, is get a portable cell jammer, turn it on and put it in your pocket. Approach them slowly as if you are enjoying their music. The ones I have seen always use a cell phone with a bluetooth speaker. The moment you get close enough everything will stop working for them. Maybe give them a nickle or something. Act like you are willing to give more money if they are going to "start playing" again.

[@richiehoyt8487]

That is Goddam genius!

[@vickiechandler3112]

i may be aging myself but a wooden nickel would be perfect..lol

[@randylazer2894]

I have a jazz violin cd coming out, and have confronted several scammers in a large grocery store parking lot. On one occasion, the guy was really rude and started yelling at me, so I gave it back to him, disgraced him at a high level of volume. got him to leave. Another time I called one guy on the phone, and told him he was playing a song that a friend had written and recorded (true), and told him that if he did this again, my friend would call the cops and press charges, as the scammer of course was using the sound track that my friend had produced, along with my friend's actual playing. Surprisingly one really rude lady started yelling profanities at me for calling out the scammer and gave him money. I have shut down the playing of several scammers, and likely the best thing is to report them to the business they are situated at, as what they are doing constitutes fraud and violations of copyright law.

[@sistasongstress]

Always ask them to play Mary Had a Little Lamb, Twinkle Twinkle or the first song that they learned on violin without background music. True test to expose them to other ppl on the spot! 😉

[@titanomachy2217]

Hahaha for some reason that made me think of the scene from Amadeus where they're at a masked ball and people are asking Mozart to play in the styles of different composers and then Salieri (in a mask) says "Play Salieri!" and Mozart starts playing really badly to much laughter from the crowd. I just imagined someone going "Play Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star!" Lol

[@andreweff1284]

​@titanomachy2217 he wasn't playing badly, he was just playing really slowly. Mozart knew Salieri was inferior to him, but he also knew Salieri *could* perform. By the way, I recommend that you listen to some of Antonio Salieri's work; he's not a chump! Amadeus is my favorite movie of all time, I watch the director's cut 3 or 4 times a year.

[@サックス-尺八]

Better idea, just ask them to play a regular diatonic G major scale...

[@Mary_Thompson]

​@@サックス-尺八 No, I played violin for four years in school as a child, and we only learned to play songs and pieces from symphonies, including movie theme music. We didn't learn scales at all. We didn't learn what a diatonic is. We didn't learn what G major is.

[@サックス-尺八]

@@Mary_Thompson in my theory, I think it depends on who you learned with, self taught people are more likely to learn the violin with the same technique that you learned

[@SonnyGTA]

Give the fake player Monopoly money.

[@FraserGriffith-ph2hy]

As a cellist since the age of 4, this makes me so mad to see people making money with no effort whatsoever. Do they seriously spend money to buy a crappy electric violin just to do that?

[@rlpstudiospiano]

I'm a musician as well... Though not violin. But yes I've always gotten extremely angry over these fake "musicians." I see it all the time and EVERY time, people give them money. My goodness.

[@hobeone1192]

Shame him, they steal from actual homeless people

[@robsaberrations4924]

I remember when I was working in China, passing by a public performer of the violin's Eastern cousin, the erhu. It was obvious he was only beginning to learn, as the sound was, to be frank, terrible. But he was honest and he had the courage to try! I have a new respect for.him now.

[@Jeanbmw14]

Bro I have been trying to play violin 2 years ago and I still don't know how to play well any Melody.. And this idiots wining money for faking it's other level men.. Ridiculous

[@Mary_Thompson]

When I was a child in America, we learned real songs as soon as we started. Most American violinists were learning with the Suzuki Method, designed by a Japanese musician named Mr. Suzuki. I had it for the first two years of the four years that I took lessons. The first song was "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." We learned many different bowing variations to the same melody for that song. We learned many songs each year. By the third year, I was at a new school, learning with various other songbooks and sheet music.

[@deanevangelista6359]

Years ago, as an experiment, Joshua Bell performed in the DC subway. Few people gave any money, and even fewer recognized the virtuoso.

[@lizstrangesavage7948]

Making their kids pretend to play also. I've seen that too.

[@smithmusicstudies]

We had a family do this locally in parking lots. They would even bring their kids and say they needed money for rent and food. I. Reality, they didnt live in the county and had multiple scams going on. They had permission from the owners of the businesses, so there wasn't much to do. But our local sheriff'soffice posted about the scam. I made a comment about how they also faked playing. I was pretty disgusted that most of the responses were anger towards me saying, "Who cares if its fake as long as they entertain us." That's the world we live in.

[@DariusSharlow]

"Who cares if it's fake..." I do. I want to some day go outside, play my violin for others and think, wow, I did this.

[@Jakub680]

Hey but you’re a real one so that counts for something

[@Revan-up5tl]

PLEASE COME BACK TO KZbin VIOLIN MECHAINC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@m-og9fq]

we miss him

[@firstnamelastname7990]

These people got some guts to fake something so badly in public

[@AFLOVEable]

So, this is an Italian refugee, with a poster written in French, roaming the streets of the USA, while giving you his Paganini-impression. Hats off to him!

[@areallyboredguy5825]

I am pretty sure this is in Canada, probably Montreal

[@AFLOVEable]

@@areallyboredguy5825 Thanks, just have seen Walmart

[@Chrom_LV]

​@@AFLOVEable regardless if it's CA or US, your comment is still legit!!

[@SUCCESSPASS]

I feel sorry for him because he must be struggling. At least he’s not begging. Hopefully he’s ok

[@phucket01]

That's Canada 🙄

[@HURRIC4NEyt]

As someone who hasn't played any instruments ever, I laughed my ass off at 3:32 😂😂

[@JohnDoe-NERDTortise]

I didn’t know they had a sustain pedal for violin 3:30

[@Mary_Thompson]

They don't.

[@WilDBeestMF]

Man I am happy I found your channel. I'm new to violin, but have played both double and electric bass since I was a child. There was some natural aptitude, sure, but damn do I struggle. I really admire your skill on the instrument dude.

[@siegfriedschnosel5114]

That's the last video bro uploaded in the last 7 months. I think we are late to the show

[@bigtuna9529]

At least he ain’t asking for money to pay for his kid’s funeral! I find those people much more disgusting.

[@richiehoyt8487]

Got caught by one of these lurking strategically outside one of Dublin's biggest hospitals a few years back. I was dubious, but when the f%&ker started to cry real salt tears, my (late) wife was already pulling €20 out of her purse, no small amount as we were both on disability. Later found out he worked that patch on a daily basis. Shameful, especially where he was doing it!

[@the.spin.doctor]

violin is such a hard instrument to fake - I always thought it would be easy to fake beatboxing since they always hold their hand round the mic covering their mouth, but maybe I lack the audacity to actually do it

[@ellybargmusic]

Wait he told you he was Italian!? Is his sign a lie too? It's one thing to fake playing, but to fake being a refugee without work papers with two children to feed would be next-level terrible! [For non-French speakers, his sign says: "we are a family of refugees. I have two children and we don't have work papers."]

[@verkehrsteilnehmer-berlin]

Have seen in a senior citizens club a man, mimicking keyboard player and playing way more, than was audible.

[@dukenukembubblegum7311]

I’ve been playing guitar for 3 years, and you aren’t kidding learning an instrument is hard.

[@davidledford3522]

Got to give it everything...

[@Crisisdarkness]

In my country I have seen that some pretend to sing, that is still wrong, but the worst cases are when people pretend to be disabled, blind, or with a rare disease, there are other people who rent small children to beg for alms, showing that they have to feed their little one

[@Digibeatle09]

That guy matches the integrity (lack thereof) of some politicians !

[@PP-rq7ly]

He was not playing the violin. He was just playing with a violin.

[@mikemitchell7374]

I am much happier to hear a player who is rough around the edges who is authentic and puts their true self into playing as opposed to a phony. I would happily hear a few squeaks and skwaks from a player who is truely giving it. John Lee Hooker is the real deal.

[@MrTears03]

0:42 totally don’t get it tbh

[@Ethan_Buchanan]

1:23 bros playing his own accompaniment on guitar

[@googlewolly]

If he really is faking it, he should be shamed. Simple as that.

[@siegfriedschnosel5114]

Even I as a rookie see that he's bloody faking

[@Mary_Thompson]

The dude is playing a recording of someone else's violin playing through the speaker! His violin is not making sound! He even lied about being Italian and lied about being a refugee from Italy, which doesn't have refugees fleeing from it because it has a better government than most nations.

[@googlewolly]

@@siegfriedschnosel5114 Probably is faking it.

[@googlewolly]

@@Mary_Thompson Probably is faking it.

[@Mary_Thompson]

​​@@googlewolly No, it's 100%. I played violin. It's visible that he's not really playing. He lifts the bow off the strings while the music is still playing! Stringed instruments only make sound while the horse hair on the bow is scraping against the strings!

[@MkKirschner-m3s]

After seeing this , now I’m aware that people fake their own instrument performance . Thanks for this heads up 👍

[@coolbluelights]

I'm not a violinist and I can tell they're faking it

[@TheLonelyMoon]

bros so good he summoned a guitarist out of thin air

[@WoonYiNoahHanson]

Always outside of a Walmart

[@Mary_Thompson]

The scammer is obviously middle-aged (about age 39 to 59). His beard is turning gray, and his facial skin is dry and sagging as shown when the blurring clears for a second. The scammer falsely claimed to have been playing since he was a very small child (about the height of age 3 to 7), and falsely claimed to have been playing for 22 years, which would make him in his late twenties!

[@HellNoNotKerry]

bru i cringed just by the few seconds 😭 btw, UR ALMOST AT 25K CONGRATSSSSS🎉🎉🎉‼️‼️‼️‼️

[@basspig]

I started piano back in the 1970s and I've played piano all these decades and I still don't play piano any better than Jack Benny played the violin. Some people just have natural talent and other people don't.

[@nekoempress1]

You should have gotten a cheap violin and asked them to play acoustic on the spot.

[@dougblazer1376]

I suggest that people should give him monopoly money.

[@DAMONARCH]

This comment needs more attention lmao 😭

[@drako8764]

Please make a new Video😢

[@j_Noel_s]

I mean, if he would've put up a sign that said "Don't know how to play, raising funds for violin classes" then I might even pay his classes for the honesty 🤷

[@erikaatkinson9345]

But it's hard work fake-playing all day like that 😶😳🤣🤣🤣 He been fakin' it all day in the cold!

[@DougieNelson82]

He's not ashamed ...far from it !!!

[@robinshen8364]

I loved this whole video except for that last sentence...."go practice" cuz I knew it was time for me to practice😪

[@DAMONARCH]

LOL

[@HDFWB]

I can’t believe he made such a big mistake. Retakes the bow completely off the strings and there’s still music playing. I’d be the type to go up and ask how did you do that? How did you play the note without the bow being on the strings that’s amazing. I’ve never seen anyone be able to take their hands off their instruments and still play it hands-free that’s amazing!

[@RodrigoMazutti]

Ok, your video convinced your audience that this guy wasn't actually playing or may not know how to play at all, but it's important to approach situations like this with empathy rather than judgment. Street performance is one of the most vulnerable ways to make a living. Labeling them as scammers, strips away their dignity and humanity. The performance might still brighten someone's day and offer value. Their effort to create an illusion of music for passersby shows creativity and resourcefulness rather than an intent to harm. The performer is still out there in the cold, dedicating time and energy to craft an experience for others. That effort, regardless of their technical skill or method, deserves a level of respect and understanding, especially considering the hardships that may have driven them to the streets in the first place. Using your KZbin channel to expose someone’s struggles in a way that could destroy their means of survival is not only unkind but potentially damaging.

[@Myaccisbanned]

What nonsense, aren't you sick of the lack of quality of everything in society? I'm sick of seeing people trying to hustle other people, whether it be fake performers, knock off merchants or charity beggars. And they all seem to have one thing in common, they're not from tbe US!

[@AneiderGranobles]

He is asking for money saying he plays so it's actually scam. Yeah, sorry for his situation, but he is robbing people as he accepted money for something he is not doing

[@carlosviloria8239]

Leftard text wall

[@lauramunos4951]

Hey ViolinMechanic! Happy to see your channel grow. Keep up your dedicated work you put towards these videos! :))

[@hulkaiden6178]

I think the scammer took his revenge. No video in 6 months

[@frankcastle013]

haha well played sir with the savagery yet subtle , narrative very underrated. deserved the ultimate sub.

[@imraanjacobs3670]

What is the name of the song at 03:14?❤

[@alexandermacdonald7547]

Don't know what it's called but it was used in schindlers list

[@ScottsStockDueDiligence]

Buzz off

[@osen-z3v]

If you search "song from Secret Garden" - you will find it.

[@Metafables76]

It's called "Song from the secret garden" by Secret Garden

[@HungryFires]

@@ScottsStockDueDiligence🤓🤓🤓

[@fannymozzarella]

As a musician, three reasons I would never play in public: 1. There really isn’t a point. It’s not like 90% of the people are going to care. And you’re probably going to get 5 cents at the end of the day. 2. Literal stage fright. I hate performing in front of huge audiences, especially if it’s complete strangers, on the street. I’d much rather perform in a concert. 3. Being called a fake when you really aren’t faking. Hate being accused… just leave me alone :(

[@347Jimmy]

I make a living from busking, have never been accused of faking (helps that I'm playing 100% acoustic) People will care if you play well enough to make them care, and you'll make more than $0.05 if you're worth anything as an entertainer 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@oldharpydisguised709]

I actually took up busking for charity, but really to combat my crippling stage fright. Playing for people that were actually listening to me gave me 8 thumbs! Not good for a harpist!! The background noises cover any bum notes, and very few if any people stand about and listen for more than two or three minutes. I talk to a lot of really lovely people, and amazingly, I was really enjoying playing for someone other than the dog! Over the years it has brought me a lot of work and has improved my playing expediently! I still really enjoying busking. And it has raised a fair bit of cash for a very good cause. But I must admit that I don’t do it for the charity, I do it because I enjoy being a street musician!! So give it a go! How ever bad you think you are I can guarantee there worse sounding buskers out their😝

[@oldharpydisguised709]

In my innocence I’d never thought that a street musician could be faking it 😳 in future I shall be a lot more critical of buskers who play superbly to a backing track!

[@347Jimmy]

@@oldharpydisguised709 the harp is an extreme choice as a busking instrument, kudos to you just for taking one out!

[@oldharpydisguised709]

@ It’s not a very big harp….well sort of medium sized. Not a humongous great pedal harp!😜

[@fenderfox5080]

My wife and i stayed in Lake Havasu AZ for 7 months a few years ago and everyday a guy was "playing" violin and i knew right away he was faking it😅 he even had a wife and 2 kids and they also "played" violin...... i couldn't believe it, i was shocked nobody thought it was strange they could all flawlessly play😂 I'm a guitar player of almost 30 years and it makes me angry when people fake their way just to scam people 😢

[@strummercash5601]

Fun video, thank you. I subbed, liked, and now comment to appease the lords of the algorithms, mostly as I love Canadians. 🙏🏽✌🏽💙 from Minnesota, USA

[@agnidas5816]

you live in Quebec ?

[@shawnchristopherwhite3271]

Lots of fake players here - makes me sick.

[@JohnGaltI]

Sign in french. Quebec plate on cars. Quebec shops. Yes he does.

[@rbspider]

I gave a guy two bucks. Felt bad that nobody was giving him donations, he was at end of parking lot. Got me.

[@Nascarstatman.]

Better things to waste time catching. Fake or not it's entertaining. Who you gonna call? "The Fake Violin Police." 😂

[@laurieharper1526]

There used to be a guy outside Charing Cross station in London who worked this scam. As I play the fiddle, I could see he wasn't playing what was coming out of the speaker (scammers always use skeleton electric instruments, because they make no sound unamplified, so unless you know what the bow and fingers are doing, you cannot tell they are cheating). I used to ask him loudly why he was scamming people as I passed him on my way to work. On one occasion, he stopped to argue with me and the music carried on playing, which was hilarious.

[@SuperLlama88888]

This should be outlawed for deceiving the public.

[@brianjones4026]

yes its begging, even theft through falsification of service !

[@dirkmoon619]

Absolutely, that's why Biden should be prosecuted and be forced to repay his salary including benefits to the taxpayers he's been scamming claiming to be the president

[@middleagegeek]

Totally preventable. Don't give them money.

[@brahmbandyopadhyay]

As a piano player, I loved this video. The words at the end cannot be truer. Subscribed after watching the first video.

[@aquatarkus2022]

Same reason I will never give money to any "homeless" beggar. They are all frauds.

[@WilDBeestMF]

Some are legit, some are scamming. Others have a home but nothing else. There's a spectrum to it. Talk to them. Ascertain for yourself. It's pretty easy to tell when someone is actually sleeping rough.

[@aquatarkus2022]

@WilDBeestMF there are videos of "homeless" beggars turning down job offers. They don't want to be self-reliant.

[@WilDBeestMF]

@@aquatarkus2022 Yes. That's SOME. SOME.

[@ceratops.66]

The advantage of playing music for 15+ years has taught me to recognize what sounds and looks right but also get slightly salty when pianos are never animated correctly…

[@nathansutter6253]

Life is hard; be kind. People are complicated and make wierd choices. This kind of video easily becomes an excuse to be condescending, self serving and meritocratic. The culture of classical music suffers from these tendencies enough as it. You can do better. Do what you can to help others, use your platform as a youtuber to elevate people not humiliate them. This person has no real power and did not harm you. You however are using your platform and status to harm them for your own benefit. If you want to make the world a better place use your platform to improve the lives of those who have less than you, and if you want to call out someone as a fraud then use real courage to call out someone with real power who is guilty of doing actual harm to the community.

[@amandacollecutt2491]

I thought he was pretty fair in this video! VM wasnt unkind. I more worry that the faker might go loose, so stay safe VM! :)

[@Jakub680]

You talk a lot

[@StephenDoty84]

I wondered how that guy I saw could play the harmonica while sipping a beer. And old blues trick, I guess.

[@maligno1000]

Apparently you don't have a life and have nothing better to do!!! If you don't like them just ignore them.

[@DAMONARCH]

He’s just showing how there are people that pretend to play. It’s just unfair that people unknowingly give money to them, and that ACTUAL violinists are accused of being like those people.

[@maligno1000]

@DAMONARCH there is a guy outside starbucks that plays a violin but the sound is coming out of a speaker. Dead giveaway its fake because violins are not electric lol 😆 😂

[@DAMONARCH]

@@maligno1000 that’s crazy 😂

[@agam5599]

Never played a violin and i could tell right away it's fake

[@torus1]

Normally enjoy your content, but don't feel good about this one. The guy's in a low moment of his life. Maybe minimum wage wasn't cutting it to pay rent and put food on the table for his family while studying or requalifying for his real profession. As humbling and embarrassing as panhandling was, it wasn't bringing enough in, so he has to go even further to attract attention and "busk". People aren't donating under the condition that he really knows how to play the violin, they just saw a guy in need. If they really cared, they probably would have noticed as well.

[@owenmcneill7746]

In that case he should just beg

[@MarkBonneaux]

The dude managed to get an electric violin. Those aren't cheap. He's not begging out of need, he's scamming.

[@smithmusicstudies]

Nah. They make bank

[@Pik_lok]

I'm definitely going to scrutinise any violin buskers I see now

[@elliegreen4738]

Thanks for this video which confirms my suspicions that the Roma Gypsy man who sometimes "plays" a violin outside the door of the Post Office is a scammer. I'm the only waone who seems to suspect that his repetitive and somehow soulless, deafeningly loud music is prerecorded because some people give him their change. He uses a powerful speaker in behind the Bakery stall on market days and it's almost impossible to think or have a conversation with the Stall owners when he's "playing". It's difficult to get past him or in to the Post Office because of the ignorant way he sets up outside the door and takes up a lot of space. Another woman shopping for bread at the bakery stall became passive aggressive towards me after I said that I couldn't hear myself think because his music is too loud. "That's an awful thing to say." she said angrily even though I hadn't mentioned his nationality. Down farther the Farmer who sells meat, eggs and honey had said ( before that ) "He's a talented Musician." when I said the same to him. All afraid to open their mouths, even if they tripped over his Speaker and flexes they'd be too afraid of being called Racist to say anything. Even in regard to this they'll be sure to be some Karen or Ken who will attack me when I say that their music is only a recording. They'll probably say "Oh but he's still playing some of the music." or in scornful tones deny all possibility of him being a fake violinist. The music sounded better when you played it because it had more livliness, Soul and lightheartedness that the prerecorded AI sounding music.

[@icecl0ud]

This is like yelling at mimes because there's no invisible box.

[@martiemutsch7461]

Is there a sound device in that box? I think there was a guy doing this in my area. He was outside a Target and looking for $.

[@DAMONARCH]

Probably.. but they also have speakers that they can control

[@VeXlauthentic]

in french, his sign says: "We are a family of refugees. I have two children. We do not have papers and no work work"

[@blindlynx]

Yeah, I wouldn't have chosen a homeless to pick on, he's not even scamming, that's just a show. I am sorry the poor man's improvisation to get some coins offended the rich kid with real violin skills.

[@somebloke8405]

Wow this is crazy. I never knew this was a thing. I’ve never encountered anyone fake playing any instrument