Play It Again, Giacomo Turra (But Actually Play It This Time)

Is Giacomo Turra a guitar god—or just really good at pressing play? Let’s talk fake riffs, viral fame, and where we draw the line.

Let’s talk about Giacomo Turra for a second. If you’ve spent even five minutes scrolling through music content online, chances are you’ve seen his videos. He’s cool, stylish, camera-ready, and—on the surface—an absolute master of the guitar. His riffs are buttery smooth, his fingerwork hypnotizing, and his whole vibe just screams effortless musical genius.

Except… it’s not really him playing. At least not in the way you think.

The Illusion of Talent

Turra has built a solid online following with videos that appear to showcase his incredible guitar skills, but what you’re hearing isn’t always his playing. According to multiple sources, Turra has repeatedly lifted recordings from other, often lesser-known, musicians and mimed along to their work. In simpler terms, he’s pressing play on someone else’s performance and pretending it’s his own.

And before anyone jumps in with “well, maybe it’s just a remix” or “maybe they collaborated”—nope. We’re talking full-on uncredited usage, with no shout-outs, no tags, and no indication that the guitar licks weren’t born from his own fingers. And yet, his views continue to soar.

Worse still? His live performances reportedly don’t match the skill level shown in his videos. What looks like genius online doesn’t quite translate in real life, where there’s no hiding behind social media editing.

So Why Isn’t Anyone Mad?

It’s not just a case of borrowed beats or even “inspiration.” This is someone actively profiting from other artists’ work without credit. He’s building his platform off the backs of musicians who actually put in the time, the practice, and the original talent.

And yet, Turra’s followers keep coming back. Is it because the internet, at its core, is a spectacle machine? Do audiences just want to be entertained, and as long as the content delivers a dopamine hit, they don’t care if it’s fake? For most people, does it matter if the magician’s trick is real as long as the illusion is fun to watch?

Maybe what he does is a form of art. Maybe we’re just watching performance art and not musicianship. Or maybe we’ve just collectively agreed that as long as it looks cool on our feed, who really needs authenticity?

Watch the video below and decide for yourself: does it matter if an online musician can’t really play? Or are we all just here for the vibes?

• image source