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Does playing an instrument make you a musician?

Who do you think is right?!

  • Total voters
    72
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#41
Most definitly ... I had him listening to music in the womb, and he LOVES anything with a good rythym or beat ... so, he may be a drummer <hangs head in shame> but since i don't have drums in the house, I am hopeing that the bass will call his name too ... i will probably buy a short scale bass too, so that he can get to rockin like daddy with LIVE JUICE ... and, of course ... NACHOS!!!!
 
#43
Samthebassist said:
lol i stand by my definition....but yeah

if you cook..that that doesnt MAKE you a cook.....

i really luv my definition
:bassist:
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If you don't get paid, you're not a musician; you're a hobbyist. There's no shame in that, really. Playing out of love (and not love + money) is not a bad thing, and saying that you make money from playing doesn't mean that you love music any less.

It really irks me when people say, "I do it out of love for the music," as though the guys who are getting paid DON'T love it, just because they are getting paid, too. Most every musician loves music; if they didn't, why would they bother? Music is one of the hardest ways to make money out there. The hours are bizarre, there is almost zero stability in the marketplace, almost never health insurance coverage, lots of time away from home, pressure to perform night after night, even when you are sick or injured, and you're subject to a lot of public scrutiny regarding your looks, style, etc, in addition to your ability. And the money is not even that great on top of it, even for almost all pros. If they weren't doing it out of love, they'd probably do something else.

We all love music here. Getting paid is what separates musicians from people who do it ONLY out of love, just like people who like to go out and play pool but don't win tournaments don't say "I'm a pool player," people who like to fish but don't sell the fish for a profit don't say, "I'm a fisherman," people who like to cook but do it at home for no money (and paying out of pocket for the ingredients and equipment... sound familiar?) don't say "I'm a cook." What different about music?
 
#44
Dave Muscato said:
If you don't get paid, you're not a musician; you're a hobbyist. There's no shame in that, really. Playing out of love (and not love + money) is not a bad thing, and saying that you make money from playing doesn't mean that you love music any less.

It really irks me when people say, "I do it out of love for the music," as though the guys who are getting paid DON'T love it, just because they are getting paid, too. Most every musician loves music; if they didn't, why would they bother? Music is one of the hardest ways to make money out there. The hours are bizarre, there is almost zero stability in the marketplace, almost never health insurance coverage, lots of time away from home, pressure to perform night after night, even when you are sick or injured, and you're subject to a lot of public scrutiny regarding your looks, style, etc, in addition to your ability. And the money is not even that great on top of it, even for almost all pros. If they weren't doing it out of love, they'd probably do something else.

We all love music here. Getting paid is what separates musicians from people who do it ONLY out of love, just like people who like to go out and play pool but don't win tournaments, people who like to fish but don't sell the fish for a profit, people who like to cook but do it at home for no money (and paying out of pocket for the ingredients and equipment... sound familiar?) ;)
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i whole-heartedly dissagree with that.....

so you're saying that just because i dont get paid......im not a musician?

thats horrible.... it sickens me......

its not true.....:bawl: :mad: :scowl:
 
#45
Samthebassist said:
i whole-heartedly dissagree with that.....

so you're saying that just because i dont get paid......im not a musician?

thats horrible.... it sickens me......

its not true.....:bawl: :mad: :scowl:
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Just because you don't like something doesn't make it un-true. I'm sorry it sickens you, but IMHO, that's the definition of a musician, just like the definition of a cook is someone who has a job as a cook, the definition of a mechanic is someone who has a job as a mechanic, etc.

I suppose you could call yourself an "unemployed musician" if it makes you feel better. There are plenty of unemployed people in all sorts of fields. But to say that, that would have to mean that you are between jobs, not that you simply don't do it for pay, IMO of course.
 
#46
Dave Muscato said:
Just because you don't like something doesn't make it un-true. I'm sorry it sickens you, but IMHO, that's the definition of a musician, just like the definition of a cook is someone who has a job as a cook, the definition of a mechanic is someone who has a job as a mechanic, etc.
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thats not the only reason i thinks its wrong....

i want to add....you're kinda write......

i dont hink you have to get paid...but you gotta preform.....


preformance is huge...but u do NOT have 2 get paid for it..

:bassist:
 
#47
HI

Usually, the word refers to someone who makes a living.

Does driving a car make u a racecar driver?

Here's one

What do you call a guitar player on your porch? Pizza Delivery man!!!

LOL

Rob
 
#50
Samthebassist said:
thats not the only reason i thinks its wrong....

i want to add....you're kinda write......

i dont hink you have to get paid...but you gotta preform.....


preformance is huge...but u do NOT have 2 get paid for it..

:bassist:
Click to expand...

If you are regularly performing but not breaking even, usually the term used is "aspiring musician."

aspire: to be ambitious : YEARN, LONG : seek to attain or accomplish something, especially something high or great

For a regularly-performing player who is not breaking even to call him/herself a "musician" prematurely, rather than an "aspiring musician" (not yet making money from it) is either very optimistic in a neuro-linguistic programming type of way, or in denial, depending on whether your glass is half-full or half-empty, haha.
 
#52
Dave Muscato said:
If you are regularly performing but not breaking even, usually the term used is "aspiring musician."

aspire: to be ambitious : YEARN, LONG : seek to attain or accomplish something, especially something high or great
Click to expand...

i looked up musician, and honestly.....i dont think you have 2 get paid....to b a PROFFESIONAL.....yeah.....but 2 b a musician... my definition works...the new one i just made....

im a musician...i preform regularly in concerts, but i odnt get paid for it
 
#53
For what it's worth, here's the dictionary definition of "musician":

one skilled in music ; especially[emphasis theirs] : a composer, conductor, or professional performer of music

"musician." Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged. Merriam-Webster, 2002. http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com (6 Feb. 2008).

---

So I guess we're both right - if you're skilled in music, you're a musician, but I'm "more" right, lol, because the term usually means a professional performer of music (professional meaning "one that engages in a particular pursuit, study, or science for gain or livelihood," gain being in the financial sense of a net gain, from the same dictionary).

If you regularly perform but don't get paid, that's usually/more correctly called an aspiring musician. I'm not saying you're wrong, but it's more correct to say aspiring first.

:)
 
#54
Dave Muscato said:
For what it's worth, here's the dictionary definition of "musician":

one skilled in music ; especially[emphasis theirs] : a composer, conductor, or professional performer of music

"musician." Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged. Merriam-Webster, 2002. http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com (6 Feb. 2008).

---

So I guess we're both right - if you're skilled in music, you're a musician, but I'm "more" right, lol, because the term usually means a professional performer of music (professional meaning "one that engages in a particular pursuit, study, or science for gain or livelihood," gain being in the financial sense of a net gain, from the same dictionary).

:)
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lol.....no......

lets just stick with we're BOTH EQUALLY right....ok......i dont wanna get into this huge thing....i agree with you on some terms....but the money thing...thats just not fair...... especially to younger musicians....who can get a job!!!

like me.......im 15.....i cant get a job...let alone...will my parents let me.....but im a musician...i luv music more then eating and sleeping...and i preform...im a musician..and i wont ever change that

so if you're right.....

then if i go out onto the streets...put down a hat...and start playing.....and some people throw me some change..maybe a few $ bills....that makes me a musician?!

:eyebrow:

:bassist:
 
#56
Samthebassist said:
lol.....no......

lets just stick with we're BOTH EQUALLY right....ok......i dont wanna get into this huge thing....i agree with you on some terms....but the money thing...thats just not fair...... especially to younger musicians....who can get a job!!!

like me.......im 15.....i cant get a job...let alone...will my parents let me.....but im a musician...i luv music more then eating and sleeping...and i preform...im a musician..and i wont ever change that

so if you're right.....

then if i go out onto the streets...put down a hat...and start playing.....and some people throw me some change..maybe a few $ bills....that makes me a musician?!

:eyebrow:

:bassist:
Click to expand...

LOL I LOVE THE SMILIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
#58
Like I said, loving music doesn't have anything to do with it. I also said that if you're breaking into the field (such as a young person), you're allowed a reasonable amount of time to lose money/break even... but if you regularly perform without making money, and you continue to do it because you enjoy it and without trying to make money or without charging, you're a hobbyist.

If you hope to one day make money doing it, you're an aspiring musician.

If you are a busker (street performer), and you make more than the cost of the hat and the instrument, you're a musician.

If you busk full-time as your primary income source (which actually is not uncommon in larger cities, and you can make pretty decent money doing it, compared to traveling with a band), you're a professional musician. In some cities, you even get permits for busking, and you pay taxes based on your reported income from it. That's definitely pro.
 
#59
Dave Muscato said:
Like I said, loving music doesn't have anything to do with it. I also said that if you're breaking into the field (such as a young person), you're allowed a reasonable amount of time to lose money/break even... but if you regularly perform without making money, and you continue to do it because you enjoy it and without trying to make money or without charging, you're a hobbyist.

If you hope to one day make money doing it, you're an aspiring musician.

If you are a busker, and you make more than the cost of the hat and the instrument, you're a musician.

If you busk full-time as your primary income source (which actually is not uncommon in larger cities, and you can make pretty decent money doing it, compared to traveling with a band), you're a professional musician. In some cities, you even get permits for busking, and you pay taxes based on your reported income from it. That's definitely pro.
Click to expand...

OMFG......i still dont agree with u.......but w/e......that means any1 can b a musician...it takes talent to b a musician...if thats wut u think music is all about....then you're not a musician yourself........

:bassist::mad:
 
#60
My primary income source is from playing bass. I also love music, but that has nothing to do with being a musician or not, any more than it matters whether the guy at Jiffy Lube (who makes more than I do, by the way) loves cars or not. It's a job. I don't always love the music I have to play when I'm doing sessions, but I still give it my all, and overall, I'm doing something I love. My band is more-or-less a hobby. We make some money when we perform, but we don't do it often enough (once a month or so) for me to really consider it a steady income source, and thus it is rightfully called a hobby.

Not anyone can be a musician. It takes skill and training and natural talent, just like any other job. To be really good at it, you also have to be creative and ambitious and persistent, etc, just like any other job.

It doesn't really bother me either way; if someone wants to say he's a musician, it's of no consequence to me whether he makes money from it or not (unless I'm competing with him/her for the same gig, haha). I admire anyone who puts up with all the crap involved in performing music and sticks with it, but the more appropriate name for it would be aspiring, if you're not yet pro. Like I said, there is no shame in that at all, it's just the meaning of the language. If you call yourself a musician, people will presume you do it for a living. In the interest of good communication, it would be better to say "aspiring" if that's what you really are, lest people presume you're already a professional.
 
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