Should Singers Be Classed As Musicians?
This is a debate that has been ongoing throughout the music industry and has divided opinions amongst music professionals, especially at mid-level. I’ve always had a mixed opinion on this topic if I’m being totally honest — saying that singers are not musicians can infer that they are “lower-class citizens” in the music world and I can understand why some singers would be offended when referred to as “just a singer.”
Likewise, I can understand why instrumentalists get rubbed up the wrong way when singers call themselves musicians when they don’t actually play an instrument like guitar or piano and don’t know an ounce of music theory, but do you have to play an instrument to be classed as a musician? My answer to this has always been no,BUT.
The but part comes in because I feel that unless you are able to talk comfortably on the same level as your pianist or guitarist about the theoretical side and be able to explain exactly what you want them to do in a musically articulate way, you cannot class yourself as a musician because you don’t know enough to talk like one.
I’ve worked with many singers during my time and some have a better grasp of music theory than me and I am absolutely okay with that, I applaud it in fact. On the other hand, I’ve also worked with singers that can’t even tell me what key they want their song in which means I have to work it out. Again, I don’t mind doing this on the odd occasion because at the end of the day you’ve brought me on board to play for you because you a) can’t play an instrument yourself or b) can’t play an instrument well enough to match your vocal ability.
What I can’t stand however are singers that profess to know everything and know better than the instrumentalist when they clearly don’t, otherwise said instrumentalist wouldn’t be sitting on the stage with them. The majority of singers I’ve worked with know enough about the inner-workings of music to articulate what they’re after and know little enough to warrant me being there. Let me be clear, I have absolutely no problem with singers that aren’t the greatest theorists, because I’m an instrumentalist and I’m not either — but I have a serious lack of respect for singers that like to pretend they know better than the instrumentalist helping them, and my message to those types of singers is if you know best, you do it!
To wrap it up, singers that have enough knowledge or can play an instrument to a reasonable standard should definitely be classed as musicians, singers that sing to backing-tracks and pretend they know it all when they can’t even write out the basic major scales, should definitely not.
