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Musician




A musician is a person who plays or composes Music . Musicians can be classified by their role in creating or performing music:


Sometimes the term is can include other people who produce music such as:

The concept of the musician and the status of the musician in Society varies from Culture to Culture .

Both singer and instrumentalist can be Improviser s, who create new music in real time.

Musicians can be either Amateur or Professional . Professional musicians are paid musicians who use performing as their main source of income. They may work Freelance , enter into a Contract with a Studio or Record Label , be employed by a professional Ensemble such as a Symphony Orchestra , or be employed by an institution such as a Church or Business (such as a Bar ). An Amateur musician is someone for whom Music is a pastime and not their main occupation. Musicians usually attempt to attain a high level of proficiency, constantly practicing to develop the skills needed to perform their chosen Style . For example, the practice of Scales and Modes by Instrumentalists.




USAGE NOTE

Many times a musician can be named according to his or her Instrument (a Violinist , for example, is one who plays Violin .) The "-ist" suffix is most common, though not universal (e.g. " Trumpeter ," not "trumpetist.")


SUGGESTED READING

  • A. P. Merriam, ''Anthropology of Music'', 1964

  • John Blacking, ''How Musical is Man?'', 1973

  • Sheila Whiteley, ''Music, Identity & Sexuality'', London: Routledge 2000

  • Dan Vaughn, "How To Play a Pennywhistle", Iowa City, 2007 !@#$%^&---()



SEE ALSO