Musician

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Instrumentalist" redirects here. For followers of the philosophy, see instrumentalism. For the popular-music magazine, see Musician (magazine).

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

A singer (or vocalist) uses his or her voice as an instrument.
An instrumentalist plays a musical instrument.
Both singer and instrumentalist can be improvisers, who create real time music.
Composers and songwriters write music.
A conductor coordinates a musical ensemble.

Musicians may also dance or produce choreography. The concept of the musician and the status of the musician in society varies from culture to culture.

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.

1 Types of musicians
2 Usage note
3 Suggested reading
4 See also
- 4.1 References

[edit] Types of musicians

Singer (vocalist)
Arranger
Composer
Conductor
Improviser
Instrumentalist
- Accordionist
- Drummer
- Bassist or Double bassist
- Bassoonist
- Bandurist (Bandura player)
- Bouzouki player
- Cellist
- Clarinetist
- Euphoniumist
- Electronic musician
- Flutist (Flautist)
- Guitarist (Electric, Acoustic)
- Harpist
- Hornist (Horn player)
- Keyboardist (Keyboard player)
- Oboist
- Organ grinder
- Organist
- Pianist
- Percussionist
- Recorder player
- Saxophonist
- Sawyer (musical saw player)
- Sitarist
- Timpanist
- Trombonist
- Trumpeter (also Trumpet player)
- Tubist (Tuba player)
- Turntablist (DJ)
- Uillean piper
- Violinist
- Violist (Viola player)
Arranger
Orchestrator
Record producer

[edit] 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.")