Do you consider yourself to be a musician????

[Etienne Rambert]

I ain't no steenking musician.

 

"I write the songs that make the whole world sing.

I write the songs of love and special things

I write the songs that make the young girls cry"

 

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[EdBega]

 

 

So you consider yourself a mtn biker and a hiker, eh?

 

 

Yes I am those things but calling me a musician for having the ability to cover a song would be like calling me Chef Boyardee for cooking a can of Spaghetti Os ...

 

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[Notes_Norton]

 

Yeah, without exception, every profess musician I know works harder than I do.

 

I put in a lot of time, definitely more than 40 hours per week. I learn new songs, play seven instruments and practice on many of those, I sequence my own backing tracks (learning each part, playing them into a sequencer, choosing voices among a half dozen sound modules/samplers, balancing/mastering, etc.), I gig, I schlep my own gear, and go home after a gig tired. But it's a good kind of tired.

 

But none of it seems like work, it's just what I do, or more to the point of this thread, it's what I am.

 

I've been playing music since I was in school, other than 2 day gigs I had while testing out what the rest of the world does I've made my living doing music and nothing but music for all my life (even then I was a weekend warrior). I'm now old enough to retire, but I have no intention of doing so. Giving up gigging for me would be like giving up sex. I'm not prepared to give up either as long as I can still perform.

 

So I'm 100% musician.

 

I don't know how to quantify someone who has a day gig and plays for his/her enjoyment. I heard a pianist once who never had a gig. She played some very difficult classical pieces on the piano and did them with great skill and musicality. So gigging doesn't mean you are a musician.

 

There are I guess different levels of being a musician, from amateur to professional. Dictionaries don't quite agree.

 

American Heritage dictionary says:

One who composes, conducts, or performs music, especially instrumental music.

 

Collins English dictionary says:

a person who plays or composes music, esp as a profession

 

Random House says:

a person who performs music, esp. professionally.

 

So I guess if you identify yourself as a musician, it's OK with me.

 

If someone comes up to you and asks, "What do you do to make your living?" and you say "Musician" I would think you are a professional musician.

 

Insights and incites by Notes

[wankdeplank]

"I don't know anything about music, in my line you don't have to." -Elvis Presley

[Phil O'Keefe]

Many people can play, but not everyone who plays an instrument is what I'd consider a "musician." To me a musician is something you are, not something you do.

 

I am not a great technical player, but I definitely consider myself a musician.

[Buttcrust]

Me, not really...a hack or noodler. A musician, to me, is an "accomplished" player that can read and play "sheet music" in standard notation, proper timing, proper key, no errors in what they are performing plays in an orchestra, band group or symphony...or plays classical style. Or, someone who can perform "improvization", jazz, properly...Knows the "mathematics" of music, ratios and harmonic "intervals" chords and progressions that :"fit", the notes and harmonics of the human, as well as animal and bird's "voice" . Can make sounds that make "music" pleasing, evoke emotions and just plain sound nice, or not so nice... "sinister" music, or "clown/circus" music, or cool, or loud...or all of them, at once......You know...a "real" musician. I also like to experiment making odd, strange, foul and funny noises with the millions of various sound effect pedals for electric guitars. I don't have a million of them...close...olo For me, a "non professional hack musician/experimenter", "fiddling diddling" around with effect pedals, loopers/fuzz/distorts/OD's space reverb chambers and all the other pedal gadgets that you can attach to your electric guitar, things like an Ebow, stylus picks and "short slides" as well as "standard size" slides, changing string types (round wound, half flats, ribbon/flat wound strings), capos to change pitch/key's, "talk boxes", "fat fingers" tone generator machines, amp simulators... Basically, anything that can be attached physically or electronically to make it not sound like an electric guitar, is OK by me...olo I enjoy making "new" sounds, "electronic" noises, loops, double echo's, "wah wah" and other "expression pedal" type things, and other infinitely changeable, unexplainable noises these things are capable of producing...on their own...or in a "pedal chain". Cool thing is, more different and varied sound effect pedals are being developed and released every day...what strange noises are next ? I'd say "right now" is a "happy time" for those of us who dig electric guitars and the noise makers you can hitch up to them, a very good "happy time"...

Tomorrow I will work with a couple of "jaw harps", different sizes/keys, and "mic" them through a few effect pedals, maybe a looper and something like a tube zipper or organ machine/distort sound effect pedal...just to hear the results. And maybe do the same with my oldest kids Bb clarinet...hmm olo That's the kind of fun I like to have with my instruments...not to do "covers" of "classic to classical", but to discover new and odd things that can be produced from them using myriad sound effect electronic pedals and boxes...but that's just me...sm-lavasm-ufosm-tiedsm-rotfl

Hey BC, that doesn't sound like an electric guitar......umm, ya, I know...lolol

[Notes_Norton]

I've given it a lot of thought. I read music, can improvise, was first sax in the all-state band every year I was in school and make my living playing music. I have no doubt about myself.

 

There are competent musicians and incompetent ones. As good as I am there are better musicians and worse musicians than myself.

 

But where do you draw the line between musician and non-musician?

 

Reading music? Eroll Garner supposedly couldn't read music, but he was a respected jazz pianist. Improvisation? Many classical musicians in the finest orchestras in the world cannot improvise a bit. Profession? I've heard some excellent amateurs in my day that could out-play many pros. Fame? That can be bought. Mastery of music theory? There are untrained 3 chord people who can make great music, think blues, rock and country.

 

So what is it. Is there a definitive line that you have to cross before you become a musician? Or is it all shades of grey?

 

I am thinking that as soon as you feel comfortable playing your instrument you are a musician. That doesn't necessarily mean you are a great musician, you could be a poor musician, or you can be a great one. That all depends on what you do with the instrument.

 

I think sometimes we are our own worst critics and are too hard on ourselves.

 

Of course, I could change my mind tomorrow, and someone can post something that blows this out of the water - but it's my 'thinking out loud' of the day.

 

Notes

[souldonor]

I used to struggle with this, because I didn't have a degree in music theory. I am now certain that I am a musician, from the moment I picked up a guitar and fumbled through a song. Struggled through chord changes, closing my eyes to recall worn out lyrics. United a group of friends all singing along at a get together. The first time I got the rush of connection through performance I was hooked. I have inspired laughter, and evoked emotion through song. Since I was a child. Now I make a living banging out songs 5-8 gigs a week. I don't claim to be great, but I do something I love for a living. Worth more than money to me. musician [myoo-zish-uh n] Spell Syllables Examples Word Origin noun 1. a person who makes music a profession, especially as a performer of music. 2. any person, whether professional or not, skilled in music.

[EdBega]

I do think performing for an audience is a big factor that and being proficient.

 

(Somewhat like all chefs being cooks but not all cooks being chefs.)

 

And then if you exceed the sum of what you've been taught and put a unique spin on it you are an artist...

 

[gardo]

My son has been playing sax for 12 years . As a senior in hgh school he made first chair in county band so he was proficient and performing ,in fact he's still pretty good. He told me he just plays the sax but he's not a muscian. Meanining his heart isn't really in it . He did it for something to do and enjoyed the bands he played in at school and at church but playing sax is not really a part of who he is.

According to his logic ,to be a musician you have to BE a muscian, if you know what I mean

 

 

[Notes_Norton]

Good point. I knew I was a musician when I was in school band. I made first char in state every year I was in school, but others who made first chair on their respective instruments went on to be normal people, some quit playing their instruments altogether.

 

Perhaps self judgement is the only way to answer that question.

 

If you think you are a musician, perhaps you are one.

 

Notes

[Freeman Keller]

There was a touching little story on the national news last night - a jazz player who's daughter was murdered at Sandy Hook two years ago just released an album in her honor. During the story they had a old video clip of the little girl calling her dad a "Jazz Magician"

[pickyphone]

Myself I do not though I recently covered a song for the first time which I had only heard several times and thought it was as good as anything I've played numerous times till I was sick of it.

 

For me ... I may have reached a new plateau for myself problem is I don't have much interest in playing it again but it felt pretty damn good at the time.

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To me a musician can play the same thing over and over again and still be able to put something into it which I can not.

 

So if you do feel you are a musician maybe explain what that means to you ...

 

Personally, I do not consider myself a musician yet.. partly because im still starting out at playing guitar.. The definition of musician will vary depending on each person i guess. For me it will be when I can compose music though study and "passion" (cant think of the right word at the moment)