The netizens of Reddit and other social platforms have long argued if Benedict Cumberbatch really did play the violin for his role in the BBC hit Sherlock.

Certain social media users have outright roasted the actor for his violin scenes in the much-hyped series. 

The Violin Discussion

In one such Reddit thread, a user, violakat03, prompted a discussion about how awful the violin-playing scenes were in Cumberbatch's rendition of the crime fiction. 

While one can still follow the thread for a line-to-line discussion, the major takeaway from the forum was that the onscreen Sherlock Holmes was at best an amateur judging by the way he played. 

Then there was the fact that the soundtrack the producers added in the post was clearly the work of a professional who knew the instrument fairly well. 

Credit where credit is due. A bulk of the participants of this particular discussion were professional violinists or people who had spent years honing their craft on the violin. 

Some even went as far as to say that Cumberbatch's violin acts were so unsynchronized in their auditory and visual renders that it took them out of the intense plot. 

Others were not very critical. They had found peace with the fact that actors in movies and TV shows would never put up an act comparable to true professionals.

They even appreciated Cumberbatch for doing what he did. 

And finally, there were those who completely overlooked the whole thing, as they argued his acting with the violin was good enough to convince a majority of the show's viewership. 

From the Violinist

Public discussions aside, Cumberbatch did actually take up violin lessons with a professional violinist to better portray his character. 

The violinist, Eos Chater, even took it upon herself to write an article and give fans an insight into how dedicated Cumberbatch was to play his part to the best of his abilities. 

Chater noted that Cumberbatch was a quick study and picked up her teachings faster than she had originally hoped. In her post, she also explained that Cumberbatch was exceptionally hardworking. 

She recalled an instance when everyone on set had gone home for the night, but the British actor had stayed back to practice.

The cleaner walked into the room with a bucket in their hand and instantly backed out, apologizing. 

Cumberbatch responded with an apology of his own for using the room for longer than expected. 

Apparently, Chater was on-set whenever there was a scene where the sociopathic detective was supposed to play the piano. She would often be in his line of sight so that he could copy her movements. 

On the other hand, Chater could sync her bowings to what Cumberbatch was doing: playing when he played and stopping when he stopped. 

Chater also provided the production with the soundtracks they would later layer over Cumberbatch's screenplay. 

In the process, Chater could not help but dedicate odd paragraphs in admiration of Cumberbbatch's sheer prowess as an actor.

Although he might not have nailed the bowings, the emotions he conveyed with his acting made Chater cry.