Hobbyists -vs- Real Musicians?

[MultiScaleMale]

A frequent side topic on many threads covers "real musicians" - you have to gig five nights a week to consider yourself a real musician. And then the - if you don't play originals, you're just playing someone else's music, might as well be a juke box -vs- play covers - it's what the crowd wants to hear. Then the classic - if you have expensive basses, you're a bedroom hack, it's all in the fingers.

Why do we care so much about what everyone else is doing? We're all bassists and just the fact that we chose bass means that we're largely taking a backseat to the rest of the band. Copyrights are determined by lyrics, chord progressions and melodies. Screw the bass line. If we really wanted to be successful musicians, we'd work on vocal skills and play an acoustic fronting a band. So, maybe it's pent up frustration about nobody really caring about what the bass does until we screw up - then people notice.

If you just enjoy playing at home - that's great! You're still playing bass! If you play originals - awesome! If you're into covers or a tribute - rock it strong! Play a Squier - kudos! Play a MTD - great! Only a very few are actually going to make a living at this. Getting home at 2:30AM for $75-100 gets old quickly for some.

If you are playing bass and find enjoyment in what you do, you're doing it right.

 

[bholder]

TL;DR but liked anyways.

 

[knuckleduster]

We're in a society that values authenticity. We value going all-in, and committing fully to whatever we're doing. I heard a podcast one time (maybe Art Of Manliness) talking about why we as Americans feel the need to be so extreme like that...the example they used was the question "So, what do you do?" A typical European would answer with "Oh, I enjoy soccer, or playing bass, or driving cars," while a typical American would answer "Oh, I'm a CPA, or a project manager, or a civil engineer."

Our expectation, when hearing that someone plays guitar, is that they're a gigging musician...maybe they play at church on Sundays, or in the bars on Friday and Saturday...but the fact is, we're not prepared to hear that someone just does something for fun.

 

[QweziRider]

If you are playing bass and find enjoyment in what you do, you're doing it right.

That's all there is - right there.

 

[hrodbert696]

Agreed. There are two different ways you can say you're a "musician." One is as an answer to the question "What do you do for a living?" Sure, that's playing music enough, and at a level, where you can pay your bills with it. But the other is as a description of what you're doing. If a town big band plays Glenn Miller songs at the central square, then the conductor is going to refer to the players in the band as his "musicians" even if they do this twice a year and pay their bills as electricians or librarians or whatever it is they do. If you play music, you're a musician. Done.

 

[Bassbeater]

Getting paid/monetized = Pro
-Everything else is negotiable.
Real/fake... Hmm. If i'm not the songwriter, then I am playing a cover. Every song is an original to somebody.

 

[Bodeanly]

I have a son that I only see two or three days a week. Do I still get to call myself a dad?

If you want to be a musician, be a musician. It’s a state of mind, not a collection of instruments.

 

[saabfender]

... all bassists and just the fact that we chose bass means that we're largely taking a backseat to the rest of the band.

I don’t see my role in the band that way. The business of being “just the bass player” doesn’t really cut it anymore. You’ve got to add some value otherwise someone else will take your seat. There are no back seats in my current band.

 

[xroads64]

Touchy subject...I am a full-time musician, which means I play during the week too

 

[xroads64]

I have a son that I only see two or three days a week. Do I still get to call myself a dad?
If you want to be a musician, be a musician. It’s a state of mind, not a collection of instruments.

Per the Dad statement; Absolutely. Whether you can call yourself a 'good' Dad, is up to you. Re: "State of mind" Understood, BUT....if I own a plunger and use it on my toilet, am I now a 'plumber'?

 

[Bodeanly]

Understood, BUT....if I own a plunger and use it on my toilet, am I now a 'plumber'?

If you woodshed your plunger until it’s an extension of yourself and don’t just sit around collecting plungers, then, by all means, call yourself whatever you wish, though I think you’ll need a license. Don’t need a piece of paper to call yourself a musician.

 

[gln1955]

Per the Dad statement; Absolutely. Whether you can call yourself a 'good' Dad, is up to you. Re: "State of mind" Understood, BUT....if I own a plunger and use it on my toilet, am I now a 'plumber'?

In that moment, yes.

I play in weekend warrior mode and not nearly every weekend. But, for that time that I'm on stage and getting paid, I'm a pro and intend to act like it. Same for church, where I don't even get paid. There's an expectation that I am going to be prepared, play my best and act professionally.

 

[kesslari]

OP, nice post.

 

[bholder]

We're in a society that values authenticity. We value going all-in, and committing fully to whatever we're doing. I heard a podcast one time (maybe Art Of Manliness) talking about why we as Americans feel the need to be so extreme like that...the example they used was the question "So, what do you do?" A typical European would answer with "Oh, I enjoy soccer, or playing bass, or driving cars," while a typical American would answer "Oh, I'm a CPA, or a project manager, or a civil engineer."

Our expectation, when hearing that someone plays guitar, is that they're a gigging musician...maybe they play at church on Sundays, or in the bars on Friday and Saturday...but the fact is, we're not prepared to hear that someone just does something for fun.

Sigh, completely lost track of the "pursuit of happiness" thing. All that work's got to be for something or it's just a rat race. I've stepped off that treadmill already, at least enough to remember what solid ground feels like... (6 more years to retirement)

 

[knuckleduster]

Per the Dad statement; Absolutely. Whether you can call yourself a 'good' Dad, is up to you. Re: "State of mind" Understood, BUT....if I own a plunger and use it on my toilet, am I now a 'plumber'?

Hot take: Yes: There are those among us that have to call in professionals to plunge toilets, at the rate of $60 an hour or more (non-prorated). By having the basic skillset of operating a plunger, you have potentially saved yourself money. If we define "professional" as "generating income," then yes, owning and operating a plunger does make you a plumber. While you may not be a card-carrying member of a plumbers' union, or be employed by a local plumbing company, you have saved yourself (while not truly generating income, you've alleviated the need to spend money) some cash that others would've had to spend.

 

[Bassbeater]

I'm a plumber, unless it's somebody else's toilet. Then I'm just too busy to plumb.

 

[xroads64]

Interesting exchanges. I understand that there are many different "walks of life" on this site and respect them all. When I read threads like this it makes me think about the difference between the 70's-90's for live musicians (full-time, no other jobs) and now. The importance of live music and musicians who play live music has drastically declined. Wages have essentially stayed flat during this whole time. A 5-piece band making $500 in 1982 was not bad money if you were consistently playing gigs. Those prices have stagnated or gone down. People just don't care (I'm generalizing of course) about live music as an entertainment choice for their evening.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

This whole "pro" versus "non-pro" thing is also contentious. To me, I'd define "pros" as you're making your living (and paying taxes) off playing bass and I'd omit those that have the classic definition of success - a wife/girlfriend with a great job with benefits. If you're pulling in $75 / night, that's a hobby that takes a long time just to pay off a bass. I've seen a lot of people calling themselves "pros" and then when you dig deeper, they're retired and are playing every other Wednesday at Joe's bar and grill off Rt 32. But, hey, if calling yourself a pro makes you feel better, go for it.

 

[Haroldo]

A frequent side topic on many threads covers "real musicians" - you have to gig five nights a week to consider yourself a real musician. And then the - if you don't play originals, you're just playing someone else's music, might as well be a juke box -vs- play covers - it's what the crowd wants to hear. Then the classic - if you have expensive basses, you're a bedroom hack, it's all in the fingers.

Why do we care so much about what everyone else is doing? We're all bassists and just the fact that we chose bass means that we're largely taking a backseat to the rest of the band. Copyrights are determined by lyrics, chord progressions and melodies. Screw the bass line. If we really wanted to be successful musicians, we'd work on vocal skills and play an acoustic fronting a band. So, maybe it's pent up frustration about nobody really caring about what the bass does until we screw up - then people notice.

If you just enjoy playing at home - that's great! You're still playing bass! If you play originals - awesome! If you're into covers or a tribute - rock it strong! Play a Squier - kudos! Play a MTD - great! Only a very few are actually going to make a living at this. Getting home at 2:30AM for $75-100 gets old quickly for some.

If you are playing bass and find enjoyment in what you do, you're doing it right.

I wholeheartedly agree (with the blue). Not so crazy 'bout the red, depends on definition of 'successful,' I guess.

 

[Joedog]

If some folks want to get their panties in a wad about definitions, that's no concern of mine. I've got better, more important things to occupy my time. For decades, I made money in bands as a second income, sometimes up to 3-4 gigs a week. Call it what you will, no skin off my butt!