Do you all ever do this? kind of pretend like you are playing but not really following along.

I was sitting in my school's computer lab listening to a Tchaikovsky concerto and realized I was moving my hand along. I though this must look so obnoxious to those around me. what do you guys think?

All the time.

When listening, my fingers twitch involuntarily, silently playing along, but not noticeably to any onlookers (unless they're looking where they really shouldn't be looking.... ). However, when I'm actually playing, I do find myself conducting my playing hand with my free hand (if I have a free hand) at the end of phrases, just to make sure I let go at the right moment.

And no, it's not because I've been copying one or two well-known pianists' mannerisms......

yep. I've also been known to conduct involuntarily, even when listening to music that doesn't require conducting. When it's a piece I know or I'm working on, I will usually actually be playing along as well.

I've seen people move their jaw subconsciously to music. Now that was strange.

Yep. I do that. Also, when listening to full orchestral music, I typically am picturing in my head a full piano and picturing the various sounds as if they were being played from a piano.

I remember pretending I was playing piano on my school desk when I was in about in the third grade, and we were listening to music in preparation for a young people's concert.

I also move my jaw while playing rapidly ascending or descending octaves, and so does Andre Watts.

There may be others.

Tomasino

Brendel's jaw stops just short of a jig.

I'm an inveterate sing-along-er.

Like Andre Watts?

Do you really conduct or do you just move your arms around?

Other people do it too. I noticed somebody at the bus stop today.

Is this somehow related to air guitar?

I know my beat patterns and cues thanks to the intro to conducting course I took last fall

That being said, a real ensemble would probably have a heck of a time trying to follow my air conducting!

Speaking of conducting.. am I the only one who can't stop watching the conductor during concerts? I find it intriguing for some reason.

I know this will be an unpopular response, but it has always annoyed me when I have seen people do those kinds of things. I guess though at the end of the day, a lot of people I have seen do those kind of gestures are dis genuine in them, and are more about "look at me, I am the genius musician" I even have a friend who feels the need to conduct during movies when the beat gets pumping. Sadly this is out of a need for him to feel like he has musical talent, which he does not, I don't even have the heart to tell him that he is not even with the beat.

The older I get, the more tolerant I am of other people's foibles and mannerisms. That's because I've reached the stage where I'm totally secure in myself mentally (and even physically ) that I don't give a toss what others think of me and my playing, and I realized that I've developed mannerisms of my own while playing (conducting myself with my free hand is only one of them), most of which were carefully suppressed when I was younger because I was very self-conscious and didn't want anyone to think that I was 'affected' when playing. So, it's only fair that if others had to put up with my mannerisms (assuming that they cared to listen to me playing), I should put up with theirs. But there are limits: Brendel's grimacing and cud-chewing still puts me off my dinner, however , so I never went to any of his concerts, or bought any of his DVDs.......

It's only on CD where sharp intakes of breath and grunting (many pianists), off-key singing (Gould) and moaning (Brendel again) can be disturbing if the balance engineer doesn't get the mike placement right.

All the time, lol.

Sitting next to someone doing this at a concert or recital is very annoying, so you are not alone!