DJ's may be artists but they are NOT musicians. I can't
believe there is even a debate about it.
believe there is even a debate about it.
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Is a DJ a musician
- Thread starter WarriorJoe7
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To qualify, I think if there is a computer involved - it is extremely unlikely they are a musician. I think there is absolutely musicianship in someone who spins vinyl extremely well.
You mean like the computers in multi-effect units and the like?
I know I'm late to this boat, but there are some DJs out there making interesting music that is all their own. Some of it may be sampled, some of it may not be.
DJ = Disc Jockey. Being good is playing someone else's music, non stop, mixing/ beat matching is part of that job but not a musician. Scratch artist is different, it is creating new sound on a medium that just so happens to start as someone elses music but ends up different. If it was a real scratching record like a bunch of samples on an analog medium but no "music" which is commonly used it is like the vinyl is a woodwind reed. DJ alone by definition no, commonly called DJ artists possibly. DJ/Producer who makes said record and spins it for a crowd - yes a musician.
No, not a musician. I was an FM radio DJ in my early 20's. The job was there, and I moved on!
Now, the same qualities that make a "dance" DJ good at choosing the right songs are important to a band playing at a place with dancing. Either you know what gets tonight's patrons wigglin' or you have difficulty knowing what to play, and when to play it.
Now, the same qualities that make a "dance" DJ good at choosing the right songs are important to a band playing at a place with dancing. Either you know what gets tonight's patrons wigglin' or you have difficulty knowing what to play, and when to play it.
If a turntablist can scratch a record to musically produce rhythmic tension and release in the same way a drummer can then why would he not be considered a musician?
Neil Peart is considered by many to be a great musician and he uses triggered electronic samples in most of his solos. What's the difference if its a drum trigger or letting a record go between scratches?
I think we are splitting hairs on the definition and making a big deal about nothing.
Neil Peart is considered by many to be a great musician and he uses triggered electronic samples in most of his solos. What's the difference if its a drum trigger or letting a record go between scratches?
I think we are splitting hairs on the definition and making a big deal about nothing.
Id say that about sums it up.
the title wasn't clear as to a dj..like weddings..or a dj as part of band..scratchin n all that.
Many "musician" can't read music or understand music theory but they still "musician" or "artist" ... many of them do cover, like 90% of this website contributor and what about classical musician and jazz musician ??? they give life to the creation of someone else.
a DJ create something new out of something already existing pretty much like a jazz musician will make a different version of the same jazz standart each time it is played.
But the point where it is completely different is : a DJ is completely dependant of recorded music. They can't create something without something someone else made.
a DJ create something new out of something already existing pretty much like a jazz musician will make a different version of the same jazz standart each time it is played.
But the point where it is completely different is : a DJ is completely dependant of recorded music. They can't create something without something someone else made.
- Oct 18, 2012
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A DJ is NOT a musician. A musician has to actually learn to play an instrument not just sample or remix what other people have done. In my opinion, it requires little or no creativity.
Why is scratching a record rhythmically any less of an instrument than a snare drum?
They are both simple and you can use a plethora of techniques to get a wide variety of sounds out of them?
'Musician' and 'instrumentalist' are not analogous terms.
It really bugs me when people claim sampling and beat making requires 'little or no creativity'. Partially because my opinion is otherwise, and partially because someone shouldn't be so quick to prove their ignorance.
When someone says that being a DJ is easy makes me remember something that people say about bassists
Sorry, but this looks every bit as hard to master as a guitar, bass or drum set to me.
The house painter analogy is a bad one. The collage analogy is more accurate. And if an artist uses bits and pieces of a copy of another artists work to make a much bigger albeit different kind of artwork, then that person is also an artist, maybe not a sculptor or painter, but if it is good and of a technical standard exceeding skills way beyond the creativity of an average person and it moves people emotionally, then that's art IMO.
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The house painter analogy is a bad one. The collage analogy is more accurate. And if an artist uses bits and pieces of a copy of another artists work to make a much bigger albeit different kind of artwork, then that person is also an artist, maybe not a sculptor or painter, but if it is good and of a technical standard exceeding skills way beyond the creativity of an average person and it moves people emotionally, then that's art IMO.
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I'm a musician...not a very good one, but still....I used to be a DJ...I can teach someone how to DJ in five minutes...they can become proficient in an hour or two...they can become good in a month...after that, there's not much left to learn....can you say that about ANY musical instrument?
"There is nothing like going to a Euro music festival and hanging out with these super-self-important guys who carry suitcases of records. What are you? 'I'm a musician, man. I'm a D.J.' You're a f***ing thief of music. You're a record player player." - Henry Rollins
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