2 different definitions of “musician” for different contexts:
Someone making original music at home on the weekends on a Digitone, with no previous musical training, is a musician—a folk musician, like someone a hundred years ago playing acoustic guitar and singing on the porch. Folk musicians can be great, or awful, they can play for others or only for themselves. Playing music is something they like to do.
Someone who has spent many hours playing music with other musicians; who has played for an audience; who has practiced alone and rehearsed with others; who has been corrected by teachers and failed and passed auditions: that person is also a musician, but here the word implies something different than in #1. Not everyone can be this kind of musician, because it requires work, opportunity, talent, and basic social skills. These musicians are always in danger of becoming bland, since they must conform to the conventions of whatever genre they’re in, but they often drive the progress of music as a whole, because they are forced to become skillful on a level that the weekend musician in #1 might be but doesn’t have to be.
Anyone can be in category #1, where you appoint yourself a musician by making music.
To truly be part of category #2, a musical community has to tell you you’re a musician; you can’t just sit down in a symphony orchestra or an African drum ensemble and expect to be accepted by the other players as a musician because you feel like you are—if you can’t play well by the group’s standards, they will kick your ass out into the street, and you will not be a musician to them.
Interesting point: Either category of musician can produce good music.
I agree with the 2 definitions idea but here is my take:
Musician as an occupation. This is the thing you do 40+ hours a week (paid or not). People refer to you as a musician because that is the main thing you do. Like doctor, roofer, engineer, volunteer firefighter, etc. You’re highly skilled because you’ve done it all day for years.
Something else that’s fairly hard to define (see rest of thread)
To argue with myself a bit, I was thinking “professional musician” was bogus because you never hear anyone say “professional doctor” or “professional ditch digger”. But then you do say “professional tennis player” because if I say “tennis player” you think I’m talking about their hobbies not their job. So “pro musician” holds up because so many people do it for fun unlike ditch digging which is assumed to be your job because it sucks.
But then I can call someone a “guitarist” or that they “play guitar”. You’re probably going to think they’re a professional with “guitarist” and a hobbyist with “they play guitar”. But there is no “tennisist” so I need the “professional” in that case.
I blame our electronics. There just isn’t a good word or phrase to describe someone who creates music on machines. “Plays the DAW” just isn’t a thing so we start asking if we’re musicians and posting on forums about it. Elektronist? Hey I know, Musicianist
Once you have made music. That’s it. All you have to do is press record. Whether it’s any good is a whole different can of worms but if you make music, you are a musician. You could become a musician today if you wanted to. It all starts with the first note. Don’t look back.
Edit: Doctor, I’m obviously not talking to you here. You are a musician, and you have a good ear for music production
We all have hits and misses. But when we hit. Chef’s kiss!
I’m not a musician per se but I do consider myself to be somewhat of an artiste a la cyberpunk definition. In my free time, I masquerade as a musician. I do an ok job playing one on late night tv.
I suppose there’s the literal meaning: if you play music then you’re musician; if you compose music then you’re a composer; if you’re create art then you’re an artist.
But I think each of these has secondary meanings. A composer is usually thought to be someone who can create notated music for an orchestra. So a singer-songwriter does compose music, they write songs, but they aren’t a composer using this definition.
And being an artist is almost a value judgement of quality, “now he’s an artist!”.
Being a “musician” might mean you’ve been classically trained, studied at a conservatory, etc. But really, being a musician is just too broad for that to be the dominant meaning.
At a time where a ChatGPT could be creating reasonably interesting music, I do think the question is interesting.
Would AI be labeled “musician”?
I think the core thing is the need to play.
Then the skills that come from practicing, either the ability to play (with an object or without) or the one to compose/arrange music, or both.
I would add a level of intention to share: there is, to me, the will to establish a link with another human, somehow, to convey some emotion or will to dance.
I don’t care much about being a pro/getting money out of it, I ruled this out half a life ago, so I can’t tell much about this from the inside. It does something to get the musician label for our society and help reaching celebrity/posterity, but even as a listener, I couldn’t care less. But I suppose it means being dedicated enough, anyway.
There is certainly an ego thing as well, but not necessarily…
I believe being a musician is not a line you cross, there are plenty ways along the road. It’s actually being on the road I guess.
In all fairness to the background preformer, I heard the rob and fad (fab?) sing album they released after all the contreversy or at least enough of it to know that there was no grammy in their future without that gentleman with the fine pipes who sang their entire album with no credit.
A musician is someone who extracts enjoyment from making music. The only stipulation is that they need to have an active role in making/influencing the music, in that just enjoying listening to music passively doesn’t count. (Imo).
Considering how subjective the term “music” is I think the above definition covers most bases.
for me it all started from basement punk & industrial, so…
musician is someone who can play something.
better musician plays in time.
cool musician stimulates audience’s dopamine receptors while playing.
