Musician
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 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.
*
Singer (vocalist)
*
Composer*
Conductor*
Improviser* Instrumentalist
**
Accordionist**
Drummer**
Bassist (
Double bassist)
**
Bassoonist**
Bandurist (Bandura player)
**
Bouzouki player**
Cellist **
Clarinetist**
Euphoniumist**
Electronic musician**
Flutist (Flautist)
**
Guitarist**
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 producerMany 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.")
* A. P. Merriam,
Anthropology of Music, 1964
* John Blacking,
How Musical is Man?, 1973
* Sheila Whiteley,
Music, Identity & Sexuality, London: Routledge 2000
*
www.ubl.com Ultimate Band List, online resource for musicians.
*
www.artistdirect.com Online music portal, info about musicians and reviews.
*
moture.co.uk Musician portal.
*
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*
MusData.com International music artist directory and orchestra database.
*
TheIdealMusician.com Everything Musician.
*
Linked Musicians Social networking website for the live music industry.
*
Dancing About Architecture - portal to the best music writing online
*[
1] Live Music Service
*
List of musicians by genre*
Performer
