Quote from thisnameistaken :

I recorded a new answerphone message!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caoYdiq3kak

Quote from thisnameistaken :

The line between musician and music listener is getting blurry these days.

I think if you don't have any instrumental skill (and that could be turntablism too IMO) or compositional skill (pasting samples together is creative, but is it the act of a musician?) then you aren't a musician.

My dad used to listen to vinyl records, but I never heard him call himself a DJ.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nvc0hYcv5XM

I think it is.

Depending on the way you look at it, samples are like notes, controllers (to some extent) can be instruments. An MPC is a good example, and in this video the samples are close to actual notes/keys on a piano, instead of just triggering two or three different samples.

I know what you're trying to say, and i basically agree, but it has nothing to do with sample based music. The keyword is "instrumental skill". A sampler/sequencer like an MPC, depending on the samples, does really feel like playing an instrument (and while i'm not the next paco de lucia or oscar peterson, i do know how it feels to play a guitar, or a piano... in other words, an instrument).

Look at the video and tell me that's not a musician. Well, ok... he actually plays instruments aswell, so you win.

Yeah I would imagine that guy is an instrumentalist, or he wouldn't have figured out how to play that.

I phrased my last post as a question because it's marginal - the blurry line I mentioned. Some people make amazing records with no knowledge of music theory and just a handful of guitar chords, or just a disk full of samples. They are talented people who in most cases (in my experience) have a better understanding of how music works than they are credited with, it's just hard to know how much they know, because they can't explain it.

But for every one of them, there's a hundred guitarists who can only play things they read from a tab, or a thousand bedroom producers with a software sequencer and no imagination. Do they still count as musicians? I don't know. I don't think so.

I wouldn't want them in my band anyway.

Edit: I think I reserve the word "musician" for really talented people. I've been playing for 20 years and I am only just getting comfortable with people using that word to describe me, because in some circles I just could not keep up. At a festival we played this summer I ended up getting called up to jam with lots of different people and in most cases I was alright, but a couple of jams with some talented jazz players (which I tried in vain to get out of!) I was completely out of my depth and I think it was obvious.

Yeah... First of all, I do now remember how freaking bad it was at first place back then that no one else and will ever remember... Embarrassing.

From that dark times, I have at least progressed somewhat into barely decent level. Can't really say I am a proper musician... I can't even play a doorbell properly...

...but that doesn't stop me to develop and attempting all plausible potential I may have. Year is 2023 and have somewhat serious gear now, only lacking some hardware...

...So, here's my best effort so far of electronic music. It is up to you of course about do you find this tune having potential or not.

Times has changed... so have I as well. This is of course a huge bump, that has not been changed.

EDIT : Yes, I do know it does not play perfectly, which I know how to prevent that next time.