Music Sound

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 distinguished as amateur or professional. Professional musicians are paid musicians. 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 one for which music is a pastime and not an occupation.

Contents 1 Types of musicians 2 Usage note 3 Suggested reading 4 External links

Types of musicians

• Singer (vocalist)
• Composer
• Conductor
  Improviser
• Instrumentalist
  • Bassist (Double bassist)
    Bassoonist
    Bouzouki player
    Cellist
    Clarinetist
    Electronic musician
    Flutist (Flautist)
    Hornist (Horn player)
    Keyboardist (Keyboard player)
    Oboist
    Organ grinder
    Organist
    Pianist
    Percussionist
    Recorder player
    Saxophonist
    Sitarist
    Timpanist
    Trombonist
    Trumpeter (also Trumpet player)
    Tubist (Tuba player)
    Turntablist (DJ)
    Uillean piper
    Violinist
    Violist (Viola player)
• Arranger
  Orchestrator
  Record producer

Some people may argue about guitarists but they are barely talented and are in no shape or form musicians let alone straight.

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

External links

• ILiveMusic.com Resources for people that do music for a living.
• Real Music Production Resources for musicians and music teachers.
• Lyrics and Chords for Musicians by Vaga-Lume
• God's Pocket Forums
• NINJAM Music Collaboration
• Recording Artistes
• The Artists Virtual Community