The University of Huddersfield is home to a variety of musicians, and is the ideal place for classical, pop and music technology students to collaborate and learn from each other. It can be so inspiring to listen to a musician with a totally different perspective to your own, but instead of exploring their ideas some of us are too busy insisting that our own music is somehow superior. I\u2019ve repeatedly seen classical versus pop, music tech versus music theory and almost everyone versus musicologists! So what\u2019s the big deal and who are the \u2018real\u2019 musicians here?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Oxford Dictionary defines a musician as \u201cA person who plays a musical instrument, especially as a profession, or is musically talented\u201d and plenty of people would agree with this definition. After all, the time and dedication it takes to learn a musical instrument is remarkable, and the experience you pick up along the way can help you understand music in a far greater depth than the general listener would. The term \u2018musically talented\u2019 could be used to encompass musical professions that don\u2019t necessarily involve playing an instrument, and may also include enthusiasts who simply appreciate the nuances of the music they listen to. But, who we call musically talented and whether a musician should play an instrument are debates that exacerbate the \u2018us versus them\u2019 mentality that I continue to find.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Firstly, how experienced does someone have to be before they \u2018play\u2019 their instrument? Anyone can strum a guitar or play a chord on the piano, but where do we draw the line between those people and more proficient musicians? Maybe, to properly play an instrument, you have to practise routinely or at least commit to improving over time; but this would exclude any experienced performers who decide to plateau at the ability they are content with. Maybe you should understand a variety of techniques to truly play your instrument, but who can decide which techniques you should and shouldn\u2019t know?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Secondly, does playing an instrument automatically make you a musician? I\u2019ve come across countless people who play an instrument but don\u2019t listen to music, go to concerts or even perform with an ounce of passion. It seems like they\u2019ve never left the school music lesson mentality, but because they can play Clair de Lune, or know some chords on the guitar we happily define them as a musician.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With that in mind, do you have to play an instrument to be a musician? I compose my fair share of electronic music, but never need to reach for an instrument while doing so. You may say that this is irrelevant, because I can play an instrument and just choose not to use it. But, I do know of people who compose incredibly musical and detailed electronic music, and don\u2019t happen to play an instrument on the side. Does this make their creation less valuable than mine? I don\u2019t think so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Undoubtedly, this minefield of questions makes it impossible to establish what a musician really is, and the Oxford Dictionary tries to account for this by including the phrase \u2018or is musically talented\u2019 in their definition. But even this can fuel the debate, as everyone has their own idea of what musical talent is. For example, a pianist may believe that playing their instrument requires more musical talent than playing the recorder does, but all you recorder players out there might think that you have the hardest job! Perhaps more controversially, someone who can compile a good playlist may see themselves as musically talented, and with the broad nature of the term \u2018musical talent\u2019 \u2013 who is to tell them that they\u2019re not?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the end, there is no one solid way to define a musician. We\u2019re all talented in our own way, and to disregard someone\u2019s credibility as a musician based on genre, instrument or background is highly counterproductive. You may not agree with everyone\u2019s perspective on music, and that\u2019s absolutely fine. But, next time you meet someone from a different musical world to your own, listen to them with an open mind, because you never know what you might learn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Oh no, does this make me a musicologist?!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The University of Huddersfield is home to a variety of musicians, and is the ideal place for classical, pop and music technology students to collaborate and learn from each other. It can be so inspiring to listen to a musician with a totally different perspective to your own, but instead of exploring their ideas some…<\/span><\/p>\n