Anybody seen violinists in a store parking lot asking for money?

[raccoon]

I haven’t but I don’t go to stores much except the grocery store.

I saw a thread about this on the Internet.

[Midnight Writer]

1. Yes, about a week ago at a small-town Walmart.

[Tree-Hugger]

2. All the time

99.9% of the time they are fake playing over a track. It's a hot topic on local facebook groups. I worry these folks are being trafficked.

[JenniferJuniper]

3. I haven't this year, but it's likely this scam

https://www.connellylaw.com/post/the-violin-scam-now-targeting-holiday-shoppers

When I saw someone outside a supermarket last year, I was pretty sure the "performing" was faking it.

[3catwoman3]

7. Shouldn't it be pretty easy to tell if it is...

...being faked?

[JenniferJuniper]

9. If one stood there and watched,

I think it would be easy to see. But they are often positioned where people are walking and not necessarily watching the fake performer, just hearing the recording.

[Ocelot II]

12. If it's an electronically-amplified violin it could be faked.

Watch to see if the fingers on the right hand actually move. If it's a normal acoustic violin and the fingers are moving it's not faked.

[3catwoman3]

16. I'm a music lover and have watched countless hours of...

...band and orchestra performances. One of the things I always enjoy is watching how the players of all the stringed instruments seem to become one with their instruments. There are ways they move, be it the bowing, or creating the vibrato, or the whole body swaying at certain points in the phrasing, that just can't be faked, IMO.

Same thing with wind instruments. In Star Trek The Next Generation, Commander Riker sometimes played the trombone in scenes in their lounge, 10 Forward. His portrayer, Jonathan Frakes, actually can play the trombone. Capt Picard and Lt Harry Kim were shown "playing" a type of recorder/flute and a clarinet, respectively, and it was quite obvious that it was being simulated - neither the finger movements nor the embouchure looked right.

[Shrike47]

4. We have an accordion player at the local grocery store. I have also seen a violinist there once.

The accordion guy is pretty good at Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah. He stands by the street entrance to the parking lot.

[SheltieLover]

5. Yes. Small town in TN

Store owners made them leave. (Perhaps for his own safety! There aren't even garage sales here due to the excessively high violent crime rate. Instead, people hold estate sales, usually with armed guards. It's like living in hell.)

[raccoon]

11. Sounds like a shithole country.

[SheltieLover]

13. It is EXACTLY like a 3rd world country. Commonly called Memphis region.

[raccoon]

14. Gosh.

[SheltieLover]

15. #1 in violent crime in entire country.

Difficult to find a person who hasn't randomly been shot at at least once.

I hate it here. Never could've imagined when I moved here to be near family.

Now fed is screwing with interest rates so unlikely I'll be able to move anytime soon. Faaaaak!

22 people armed with guns stormed a walmart a few days ago. Thankfully, they didn't shoot anyone, but it easily could've gone way sideways.

[randr]

6. Musicians are not "asking" for money

They are playing for money. They are "busking" which is the practice of earning a living by an artist. Enjoy with the time you can spare and share the spare

[Skittles]

17. yes that's how I see it

I listened to a guy playing AVE MARIA on a violin - he was definitely playing....I very much enjoyed it, and compensated him

[Ocelot II]

8. Could be a scam - or the famous violinist Joshua Bell in a social experiment:

What happened when Joshua Bell went busking?

The Washington Post joined Bell in his tuneful test. Ahead of the experiment, the newspaper quizzed American conductor Leonard Slatkin about his predictions.

Slatkin said, “Out of 1,000 people, my guess is there might be 35 or 40 who will recognise the quality for what it is. Maybe 75 to 100 will stop and spend some time listening.” Slatkin thought Bell might make $150 (£121) from his musical metro endeavours.

It was 7.51am on Friday 12 January 2007, in the middle of the morning rush hour, when baseball-capped Bell opened his violin case and started playing, just inside L’Enfant Plaza Metro entrance in the busy centre of Washington DC. Watch what happened below:

&t=4s

https://www.classicfm.com/artists/joshua-bell/violin-busking-washington-subway/

[marble falls]

10. Warning: Breitbart ahead, so believe it if you want.

https://www.breitbart.com › local › 2021 › 12 › 03 › police-warn-scam-artist-violin-players-shopping-centers
Police Warn of Scam Artist Violin Players at Shopping Centers - Breitbart
Dec 3, 2021Nick Gilbertson 3 Dec 2021 0 2:36 Police are warning citizens around the country of scam artists who pretend to play the violin at shopping centers and parking lots while an instrumental plays through a speaker. The Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) in Maryland tweeted a warning of the trend on Thursday.


What is the big deal?