Originally Posted by jdm11b

A friend of mine who was working on his music performance degree (percussion) had an argument with a coworker (a part-time DJ) while working at a music store. The DJ claimed what he did- spinning records- was no different than any other musician. My friend argued that a "real musician" requires years, even decades, of practice to master an instrument. It requires extensive knowledge of theory and thousands of hours of practice. Being a DJ, or remix artist, does not.

To prove his point, my friend spent his spare time at the store in the DJ room for a couple days. In a very short amount of time, he could do everything the DJ could- if not better because of his background. In turn, he asked the DJ to play some of his college percussion music, some of which were drumset solos and 4-mallet marimba pieces that even grad students spend months practicing.

Obviously the DJ couldn't do it.

It might take some skill and talent to do a remix or be a DJ at a club, but don't kid yourself and pretend you're in the same league as an actual musician.