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Does playing an instrument make you a musician?
- Thread starter Samthebassist
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wow...that...was...umm......
long to say the least....
also....more like $5...lol
I already addressed the length. Any comments about the content?
TheXym
Well stated.
I think there is a debate as to whether the title "musician" implies something more that simply being able to play an instrument. That a person also has a certain level of musical literacy. Even though I understand that technically a person can be called a musician and still be functionally musically illiterate, I personally feel that person is an instrumentalist - a person who can play an instrument or instruments. For me, being able to call oneself a musician implies a little more than just the mechanical ability to play - it implies a certain degree of musical literacy.
There are other terms that help to qualify more specifically where a person's abilities lie in this world. "Composer" and "Arranger" more clearly say that a person has a certain degree of musical literacy implying they can not only play but also have a grasp of the more academic and even esoteric aspects of the language of music. So I suppose it's fine that the broadness of the definition of "musician" is as it is. It permits a simple understanding that if one is called a musician that at bear minimum, they can play you something on a musical instrument. Those other terms serve to tell you more.
Well stated.
I think there is a debate as to whether the title "musician" implies something more that simply being able to play an instrument. That a person also has a certain level of musical literacy. Even though I understand that technically a person can be called a musician and still be functionally musically illiterate, I personally feel that person is an instrumentalist - a person who can play an instrument or instruments. For me, being able to call oneself a musician implies a little more than just the mechanical ability to play - it implies a certain degree of musical literacy.
There are other terms that help to qualify more specifically where a person's abilities lie in this world. "Composer" and "Arranger" more clearly say that a person has a certain degree of musical literacy implying they can not only play but also have a grasp of the more academic and even esoteric aspects of the language of music. So I suppose it's fine that the broadness of the definition of "musician" is as it is. It permits a simple understanding that if one is called a musician that at bear minimum, they can play you something on a musical instrument. Those other terms serve to tell you more.
From Dictionary.com:
Musician:
noun
1. a person who makes music a profession, esp. as a performer of music.
2. any person, whether professional or not, skilled in music.
So, this definition suggests that status as a professional, or at least some degree of skill, is required for a person to be a musician. Based on that, I think the answer to your question is "no."
Musician:
noun
1. a person who makes music a profession, esp. as a performer of music.
2. any person, whether professional or not, skilled in music.
So, this definition suggests that status as a professional, or at least some degree of skill, is required for a person to be a musician. Based on that, I think the answer to your question is "no."
ok people.....SERIOUSLY.......STOP COPYING FROM THE DICTIONARY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THE SAME DEFFINITION HAS BEEN POSTED TIME AFTER TIME..................
i want YOUR deffinition...not websters...ok.....i've practically memorized the flippin thing....get off it!!
MOVE ON........your deff...YOURS
Rickett Customs
Commercial User
ok people.....SERIOUSLY.......STOP COPYING FROM THE DICTIONARY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THE SAME DEFFINITION HAS BEEN POSTED TIME AFTER TIME..................
i want YOUR deffinition...not websters...ok.....i've practically memorized the flippin thing....get off it!!
MOVE ON........your deff...YOURS
This is what happens when the thread gets too long.
When a thread gets too long, goes beyond a certain number of pages, many TBers will read the first post, then jump forward, ignoring page after page of replies.
It's a common thing around here.
ah...i c....
but yeah...theres a lot of dictionary copiers here...o well
this turned out to b a nice thread....not violent like the chick bassist one got 2 b...i never intended for it 2 b closed...or got to the height at which it got
yeah many views of musician...
some see it 1 way..others see it like a dictionary.
i raelly dont think you have to get paid to b a musician,
to b a proffesional musician...? ok i'll give u that....
i like the one reply..i forgot who did it..but posted sayin how the capital letters matter a lot...
he makes a very good point!
You want violent, check out the gun threads. The chick bassist thread was nothin'.
It's too difficult to pin down something like music into a set definition, because attempting to do so goes against everything music is about. All of us here are instruments for free expression, voices for our souls, and in the end all of us bickering over what a musician is are right because of the free flowing nature of the subject being discussed. Or we're all wrong. Who knows.
It's too difficult to pin down something like music into a set definition, because attempting to do so goes against everything music is about. All of us here are instruments for free expression, voices for our souls, and in the end all of us bickering over what a musician is are right because of the free flowing nature of the subject being discussed. Or we're all wrong. Who knows.
Very true. Which means my lengthy post will likely be unread by many.... c'est la vie.
how poetic!
indeed..it does seem that we spend too much time talking about music...instead of going out there and making it!
ROCK ON!
im not like most people around here....i have to read like..every post..no matter how long it takes...lol
Indeed I did not read all 200+ replies before posting mine.This is what happens when the thread gets too long.
However, OP - you asked a closed-ended question - one that could be answered "yes" or "no". That kind of question lends itself to a brief answer, with perhaps a small amount of backup, the dictionary definition being the most incontrovertible. It may not be a creative answer, but it is what you asked for.
In other words, there's a good reason why so many people are quoting the dictionary in response to your question. It's because it's the dictionary.
Friendly suggestion - I think your post intended to bring out some creative discussion, rather than short answers to your question. I dig that. You might do better if you say something like:
"What would a person have to do, know, or accomplish in order to be considered a musician, rather than someone who owns or plays an instrument?"
...or similar. That's open-ended. If you word your post in that style, you are less likely to get dictionary quotes in response.
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