Here's a question to all of you:
I play several different traditional instruments, have been in many bands that have played live many times, and I also compose music on a computer, and have been doing so for 13 years. Now, I'm no longer in any bands, I can still play my instruments but I just noodle around here and there, and I still compose music on a computer (which I don't perform at all).
Was I a musician, or am I a musician?
Here's a different way to ask the same question:
An imaginary band called "Poop Chute Rockits" gets very successful playing rock gigs, lands a record contract, and sells music as their career. Suddenly, they flop and break up because the whole world started liking Dubstep and all the members decide to hang their hats because they could never bring themselves to making Dubstep, and would prefer to work 5 to 9s for their coin. To prevent themselves from the urge of creating Dubstep-like arpeggios and drum rolls on their instruments, each member burns their instruments and vows never to play music again.
Were they musicians, or are they musicians?
What I see is that you really have to define "musician" in a particular way in order to answer either of those questions. In my case, I no longer perform music, nor do I really play my instruments. Does the fact that I have the ability to do so qualify me as a musician, or the act of doing so regularly? Am I a musician because of my inherent abilities? Or do I have to put them to work in order to achieve the title of musician?
In Poop Chute Rockits' case, they no longer make a living as musicians, nor do they even play music. They burned all their radios and their favorite records too, in the very same bon fire as the instruments. When music plays at a restaurant, they leave. Are they musicians? If not, well they definitely were, but why aren't they any longer?
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