In thinking about it, I figure anyone who has seriously worked at the skills using either a voice or a musical instrument as being a musician. Some are good musicians, others are poor musicians.

On the other hand, anyone can sit down on a drum set or piano, pick up a guitar, or open their mouth and get some sounds at it. But without working at it, they really don't become musicians. Just as anyone can pick up a hammer, saw and nails, without working at it it doesn't make them a carpenter.

I replaced the water heater in my house, but it doesn't make me a plumber.

I painted my own house, and I did a good job, but I'm no painter.

I've done some electrical repairs in my house, but it doesn't make me an electrician either.

I consider myself not much more than a tinkerer at these activities. I can do some of the things a plumber, painter, or electrician can do, but I have my limits, I know my limits, and I definitely refer to the real thing when my limits are exceeded.

Just when someone graduates from a "tinkerer" to a musician, carpenter, plumber or whatever else, is very hard to say. But without working at it and learning the skills required, you cannot be a musician, carpenter, electrician, plumber, painter, etc. you will not be any of these things.

You don't have to be good at it either. I had a plumber come to my house once who wasn't very good at it, he botched the job, but fortunately the plumbing company sent someone else out to correct his mistakes.

Now to be a professional musician is easy. To make a living playing music (that includes singing) qualifies you at that, even if you don't do it very well.

Part-time pros are also easy to qualify, they make their living doing something else, but play music (or sing) for extra money.

Those who play/sing at home, church, open mic nights, and other venues for no monetary compensation are amateurs, or hobbyists. And this is the grey area. Just when they graduate from being a tinkerer to a musician is not for me to say.

And I guess it doesn't really matter.

And I'll add, those people who slice and dice or copy and paste other people's recordings are not musicians. They are more sonic collage artists. Just as a visual collage artist can copy and paste other people's works of art to create something, they themselves are not painters.

And a rap artist, is not a singer. To read and/or compose poetry is definitely an artistic skill, but it isn't being a musician.

Of course all of the above is just my own personal opinion, for whatever that is worth

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Bob "Notes" Norton smile Norton Music
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