The question was, "Does playing an instrument make you a musician?"
The answer is "no".
If you are upset by my half-assed attempt to add some clarity to my brief answer, I am sorry.
But be offended by my perceived snobbery or not, a person who plays kazoo and gets a paycheck can be called as a musician.
You don't choose to embrace that definition and that is your choice. However, to use your logic, where in any of the dozens of definitions to you find a
skill level requirement?
And where do I go to pass my "musician's" test? Is there something similar to the DMV that issues "musician's" certificates? Do you have to be in possession of one of these documents to meet your personal definition of the word "musician"?
A person can be rather unskilled and low paid and still be a musician. Sorry if that offends you. I don't identify with that particular definition, but if someone out there wants to stretch a balloon across their bunghole, play for whomever would actually lay down dough to see such a sight, and call themselves a musician, who the hell am I to say otherwise?
I think the snobbery is coming from the kettle - or the pot... not sure which, but they're both black. And don't start calling me racist now.
I've been playing music since age 10. Piano, violin, trombone, upright bass, electric bass, mandolin and more. I was asked by a close friend a few years ago if I considered myself a musician. The key phrase is "considered myself". I told him at that time that I did not consider myself a musician despite my pedigree. Even though I had many years of schooling, performed with many bands AND gotten paid, I did not personally identify with the description "musician".
Why? Because I was not actively pursuing furthering my knowledge and understanding of music. I was just getting by on what I learned oh so many years ago - and I did not want to insult those who I considered "real" musicians - ones who, every day of their lives got out of bed and nurtured their musical knowledge through study and performance - those who ate, slept and breathed music - I was not one of them - I knew many - and they were who I considered (there's that phrase again) to be real musicians.
But just because I didn't choose to embrace the definition as it related to my own position in the world of music did not mean I was NOT a musician, right? By many definitions - ones that include getting paid - ones that do not include getting paid, I still met the criteria. Technically I could have easily answered, "yes" to my friend's question. I chose to amend the actual definition to meet my personal interpretation.
Which, my friend, is what you are doing.
And I don't think anyone here is saying you are not a musician.
It strikes me as funny how you rant and rave, then conclude your comment with:
I'm a musician and you can't tell me otherwise. I don't do it as a full-time job and it's not my main source of income by any stretch of the imagination. But I'm a musician and I do get paid. Period.
Seems after all that, the only sticking point you actually had was whether or not you did it "full-time".
.
This means that I'll finally be able to afford a 5'er 
