Here it is:

What do you consider to be a person that can play the guitar?

and

What do you consider to be a "guitar player" ?


There is a difference, but what are they? Years playing perhaps? Maybe how they approach the art of the guitar? How it makes the person feel? Describe the difference to me in your own thoughts and words please. I asked this because I am facsinated with the art of making music with the guitar as a whole. At the moment I consider myself neither because I am still a beginner, though there are a few things I can slightly play on the guitar but I am in awe of the instrument and I stride to keep learning guitar and music in general as much as I can.


hotrod

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1983 Gibson Explorer 1 (main axe)
2004 Fender American Standard Stratocaster (Butterscotch on ash 1 piece maple neck and fretboard) (my baby)
2008 BC Rich Assassin neck thru(fun toy)
Peavey 5150 212 combo (early model) FREAKIN CRUNCH MONSTER!

I think the difference to be psycholocical.

If guitar is your main instrument, regardless of playing time, or caliber, then you're a guitar player/person who plays the guitar.



*A professional guitar player is different, they went to school and got their degree in music, guitar, etc. I.e. Session musicians, hired guns, studio musicians.

*Recording artist is either a guitar player with a record deal, or a professional with a record deal.


Thats kinda the way I break it down for my own sanity. I'm no pro, have no record label. I've been playing for 11 years at 24 years old, and can hold my own in most styles. I'm probably not as far along as I should be, but nevertheless, I am a guitar player, guitarist, person who plays the guitar; with no inferiority complex.


Catch my drift? I don't claim to write the gospel on this subject. I just play for The Lord and for myself, and with that I am satisfied.

Hope this has been of some help.

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-Kc
"Payin' dues."

I always considered a guitar player merely one who plays the guitar, not particularly concerned with what is right or wrong by established standards, irrespective of his or her level of accomplishment. Said person is simply happy to play the guitar with no particular premeditated goal(s) or regimented plan.

A musician on the other hand, is someone who is passionate about the entire fine art of Music and endeavors with their chosen instrument, be it voice, guitar or whatever, to continue to learn and excel at the art to the best of their ability, always onward and upward.

Unfortunately, there is a segment of the guitar player group who popularly and quite ignorantly insist on grouping themselves in the musician category. This is not only insulting to musicians but it taints their good name and overall quest for that matter. Conversely, there are many snobby musicians who can't accept guitar players as a group for their 'arrested' way of thinking. So, it works both ways.

Me, I was formally trained for decades. In spite of this, I now am a part time guitar player, part time musician. I, alone decide nowadays when and to what extent I want to go onward and upward. Surely, YMMV.

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You dig?

If you look at the 60's beat group type players. A lot of their guitarists didnt know a whole lot and were pretty much nothing more than kids that had just picked the thing up and had a go. A lot of them made some magical sounds without a whole array of licks, riffs and technique. That to me is typical of a musician. Someone who gets a pleasurable sound out of a thing despite unfamiliarity.

I think the archetypal guitarist is the same way. We can all copy what we learn in tabs. We can all play a never ending amount of covers. Its when you create that you become a real guitarist, not how well you can impersonate jimmy page or whoever. Thats not dependant on ability.

Ofcourse there are those few guitarists that can do pretty much anything. Their the big boys you dont mess with.

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No no and no

Hi hotrod128z: then I'll give you a serious answer.

I think these are meaningless distinctions. Not only that, I believe it is a harmful way to think about making music because it distracts us from what counts.

There are umpteen different kinds of players. Those who are good at a huge range of technique and style and those who do only one thing well, perhaps with a very limited or even "wrong" technique.

Is the music good to listen to? That is the ONLY thing that matters.

There are massively talented players from whom I can barely stand to hear a note. There are untrained players who make my heart beat faster with their wonderfulness. And there are inverse versions of both of those, and everything in between.

Musical snobbery, like any other kind of snobbery, is a bad thing; because it sets up unnecessary barriers - it gets in the way. It keeps people out, when what we need to do is welcome people in.

For instance, when I hear people saying so-and-so is a "musician's musician" I find myself thinking; uh-oh...

In short, I am an elitist-inclusivist. I want the highest possible standards made available to the maximum number of people. And there's a lot more wrapped up in that argument...

Cheers - C

Hey, decent topic and replies here. I agree with all the different opinions on this subject, but I still have my own views that may differ, whether I agree with them or not. On whether the distinctions should made, I don't know but they are there.

So anyway, to me a person that plays the guitar is not a guitar player neccessarily. I drive a car, does that make me a car driver? Not necessarlily. I think its a matter of how you and others view you, and how much of this activity consumes your life. Lots of people play the guitar, some for a living, some very often, but do other things for a living, and others just do it as a side hobby in their free time and are not serious about it.

To me a guitar player is a person who when you think of them, you think of the guitar automatically, or altenatively, when you think of yourself and who you are, you think of the guitar. If you think of a person and you think of something else about them, or think oh yea, they also play the guitar, then that person is not a guitar player. Or when you think of yourself you think of other things, and then, oh yea, I also play the guitar.

In other words, a guitar player dedicates much of their efforts and time to the instrument only. They play the instrument well, but may not know how to read music, or play other instruments. They constantly try to play the guitar better and work hard at playing the guitar better. I view myself as a guitar player.

A person that plays the guitar, just plays in their free time, and is not worried about perfecting their skills and dedicating a significant portion of their time to the instrument. This is more for fun, and they are happy to learn a song here and there.

A musician is different than a player, as they are more interested in the art as a whole as opposed to a singular instrument. They generally very studied on the art. They may be a guitar player, singer, and so on, but generally is not the virtuoso on any one instrument, but can write music, understands the various parts of what goes into a song, understands the theory, can read music and dedicates more time to the whole instead of focusing in on one instrument. Most musicians I have met can play multiple instruments, tell you what key a song is in by listening, can name the various parts of a song ect.

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Guitars:
1. mid 70's Ventura MIJ Gibson l6-s clone (Pre-lawsuit) in Black with Rosewood FB and EMG 81 BR/ 85 Neck
2. ESP KH2 Neck Thru
3. 2008 Am Std Strat in 3 tone sunburst

This is going to sound snobby, but here it goes my opinion:

A "guitar/bass player" is someone who actually can gig with a band and perform in front of people.

A "person that plays guitar/bass" is probably still in the learning phase, or maybe plays another instrument and the guitar is not thier main instrument.

While titles may seem shallow, it does help define a skill set.
I consider myself a guitar player after playing for over 20 years, and have made a living at it when I was younger. But these days I'm more focused on producing/writing/composing.

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SG.
"Walls" video from Zero in the Sun by Villains of Yesterday

Sean

Theres a quite simple question, with a even more simple answer. As a response to your thinking.

Q: When do you stop learning?

A: Never is the commonly accepted point.

Gigging is gigging, its not a matter of how. Its more a matter of when you choose to do it. Plenty of far better players than I never gig. They play simply for personal pleasure.

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No no and no

I agree, the only thing a person that could step right into a band and play a gig, that I cannot, is someone that took the time to learn all parts of a song, that I did not feel the need to spend the time on. It does not make them more of a guitar player, a better guitar player or anything else. There are many mediocre players that gig, and they just regurgitate songs written by other guitar players. As I don't gig, I put much less importance on it as do gigging players/musicians. When I get together with my boys, we write on own music on the spot together, and we don't play out. I think this is more enjoyable tha learning others music. How many bands make it playing others music? It seems the bands that make write their own music, and the cover bands playing in bars....well they stay cover bands playing in bars....yuk

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Guitars:
1. mid 70's Ventura MIJ Gibson l6-s clone (Pre-lawsuit) in Black with Rosewood FB and EMG 81 BR/ 85 Neck
2. ESP KH2 Neck Thru
3. 2008 Am Std Strat in 3 tone sunburst