Originally Posted By: eddie1261
<...> That's why I say "musicians write and players copy". That only bothers selected people based on the thickness of their skin.<...>

I find a lot of fault with that comment (and it doesn't really bother me, I know I'm a world-class musician even if you don't agree).

So according to your definition Itzhak Perlman is not a musician. Neither is Joshua Bell, Yo Yo Ma, Lang Lang, Pepe Romero, nor Leila Josefowicz.

I think the majority of the world would disagree with that.

Looking at various definitions from different dictionaries online:

One who composes, conducts, or performs music, especially instrumental music. (American Heritage Dictionary)

A person who plays or composes music, esp as a profession (Collins English Dictionary)

A person who performs music, esp. professionally (Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary)

A person who writes, sings, or plays music (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

I added the bold type. Notice Random House doesn't even include writing in their definition.

I've been in cover bands most of my life. I've also been in jazz bands, marching bands, and classical music bands. Every year I was in school I was first saxophone in the all-state band. The Florida Bandmasters Association thought I was a very good musician.

I've never written a song that I liked. However I've improvised millions of solos on the spot through the years, and I've also improvised countless "response" lines to various singers and other instrumentalists.

Irving Berlin was a very prolific songwriter who didn't consider himself a musician. He could only play piano in one key and had a special piano built with a lever that could move the harp in the piano to transpose what he was playing.

Some musicians have the talent for songwriting, others do not. That does not make them musicians.

And what about the ultimate cover bands, the ones that Perlman, Bell and Josefowicz play in. Are the members of the Cleveland Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, London Symphony, Czech Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Moscow Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, Budapest Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw, Bucharest Symphony, Russian National, St. Petersburg Philharmonic and all the other great symphony orchestras of the world not musicians? I don't think they would think very highly of that opinion.

If you play music you are a musician. You don't have to write songs to be a musician.

I've heard some cover bands that are comprised of excellent musicians and some singer/songwriters that are terrible. What you are doing doesn't make as much difference as how well you are doing it.

I break musicians down into three types:
  • Professional musicians: Those who make the majority of their income playing music
  • Par-time pro musicians: Those who make the majority of their income not by playing music, but who also supplement their income by playing paid gigs
  • Amateur musicians: Those who play musicians but not for monetary compensation


These categories have nothing to do with how well the music is played. After the gig while playing on a cruise ship, a young lady asked if she could play the piano. She was a monster playing Liszt, Chopin, Rachmaninoff, and others. She was an amateur and never had a paying gig in her life.

On the other hand, I've heard gigging musicians who truly are hacks with limited skills and hardly any talent.

It takes all kinds.

But to degenerate someone who plays in cover bands sells them very short it is likely to cause hard feelings. The next time Joshua Bell, Yo Yo Ma, or Leila Josefowicz plays a concert in your town, please attend the concert, seek them out after the show, and tell them they aren't musicians because they don't write songs, and let us know their reaction.

Peace.

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