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Have been thinking again. Not always a good thing 
I sat sat down after a particularly frustrating practice session and thought, "This is bloody hard at times. Will I ever get good at it?"
And then I started thinking, at what point dose a person become a 'violinist' and at what point does someone become a 'musician'. Is there a difference?
When a person picks up a violin for the first time and starts to practice they are neither. So at what point does it happen?
Its not 'really' important I suppose. You can call me learner, a violinist, or a musician. You can call me the illegitimate son of a tone deaf wombat if you like. It doesn't change how well I play
Am gunna have to stop thinking so much. 
Seen it all. Done it all. Can't remember most of 
..... What was I saying???? 
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Well, a musician is anybody who plays music, isn't it?
Learner, well, I think everybody is always learning, at least if they're smart. Conversely, a teacher would be someone who has taught someone or who is teaching someone.
Violinist, I'm not so sure on. "Violinist" and "Fiddler" might be titles that require a super secret initiation ceremony somewhere that involves a lot of shaving cream and feathers and clown make-up or something. I ain't entirely sure on those.
The -ist endings in general, well, I can't say as I know for sure. But the rule I have generally followed over the years is to use that with my main instrument. So I think of myself as a guitarist who plays violin and other assorted instruments. That's strictly my personal "rule" on it , though. I won't even recommend it for anyone else.
If unsure what to call another person who plays an instrument, or unsure if anyone present would have a problem with what I might call myself, I default to the term "player". But I have been informed at least once that "player" has some non-musical connotations that one may or may not want people to assume. LOL
So in the end, my definitive thoughts on the whole matter boil down to:
"This young wine may have a lot of tannins now, but in 5 or 10 years it is going to be spectacular, despite the fact that right now it tastes like crude oil. You know this is how it is supposed to taste at this stage of development." ~ Itzhak Perlman
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You are a violinist if you play the violin. You are a professional violinist if you make money playing. IMAO
You can be a great violinist or a novice or beginning violinist. You are still a violinist if you play the violin.
You are a musician when you make music. I guess same examples as above.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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Fiddlerman said
You are a violinist if you play the violin. You are a professional violinist if you make money playing. IMAO
You can be a great violinist or a novice or beginning violinist. You are still a violinist if you play the violin.You are a musician when you make music. I guess same examples as above.
I like that explanation. BTW, I thought this topic seemed familiar. I started a similar thread almost two years ago when I was four months into learning to play the fiddle.
https://fiddlerman.com/forum/p.....he-violin/
Guess many of us go through this thought process at some point.
When the work's all done and the sun's settin' low,
I pull out my fiddle and I rosin up the bow.
Honorary tenured advisor
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Ferret said
Have been thinking again. Not always a good thing
I sat sat down after a particularly frustrating practice session and thought, "This is bloody hard at times. Will I ever get good at it?"
Chances are pretty high that if you were having a particularly frustrating practice, it's because you were learning something you didn't already know how to do, or are relearning a skill that had begun to fade. That's not a bad thing, that's a good thing. Just like in weight training -- if it doesn't make you hurt, you're not going to make any progress. Practice should be frustrating -- until you learn how to do whatever it is that's frustrating you and it finally becomes easy -- then it's time to move on to the next frustrating thing.
The important thing is that you make your practice count by learning something each and every session -- sometimes it may be what not to do rather than what to do, but either way you should be paying attention and earn some new knowledge from every practice session.
A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort. ~Herm Albright
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@DanielB
Dan
My thoughts on you comment on the connotations of the word 'player' are:
At 'almost' 64 years of age, if the 'feminine females of the opposite genra' thought of me in that light, I would be totally stoked mate
Seen it all. Done it all. Can't remember most of ..... What was I saying????
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Ferret said
.....'feminine females of the opposite genra'.......
Hmmmmmmm!!!!! I'm trying to figure out the true meaning of that sentence. LOL
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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