are professional players better musicians than non-professionals?

[fazool]

I think, through natural selection, better plays tend to gravitate (and bubble to the top) more as professional musicians - so the percentage of better musicians amongst professionals is higher.

Professional musicians also might spend more time playing (because they dont work a "day job") so that will help them be better.

But that does not mean they are better automatically.

I know "couch players" who are better than pros.

Originally Posted by Wade Hampton

Of course, just as you’ve heard painfully untalented amateurs, as well (if you haven’t, it’s obvious that you’ve never given private lessons...) But I don’t think it’s outlandishly exaggerated to say that the general level of musicianship among professional musicians is higher than among those who don’t play out in front of audiences. Not necessarily dramatically higher, but higher nonetheless.


whm

A bold and exciting statement!

Following this train of thought along imagine two guitarists: Guitarist 1 has 25 years of couch experience. Guitarist 2 is identical to Guitarist 1 except he has a monthly paid gig at a club.

So Guitarist 2 is the better musician?

[Joe Beamish]

As in any field, a pro can do the job whether he’s sick, or conditions are rotten, notice is short, etc., every time no matter what.

Plus I think pros have better time. Not just staying on a click track. I mean communicating a feeling of groove to the listener. This is typically lacking in what amateurs post. (Not always.)

[RP]

Originally Posted by J-Doug

Following this train of thought along imagine two guitarists: Guitarist 1 has 25 years of couch experience. Guitarist 2 is identical to Guitarist 1 except he has a monthly paid gig at a club.

So Guitarist 2 is the better musician?

If Guitarist #1 is me, then Guitarist #2 is better. All of my "couch experience" has so far only made me the best player on my couch...

[Wade Hampton]

Just to add one more thought - when it comes to playing uncommon musical instruments and more obscure styles of music, it’s often amateur musicians who are best at that because they don’t face the commercial pressures that gigging musicians have to deal with - it’s much easier to be a purist when you don’t have bar patrons staggering up to you and demanding that you play whatever crappy song they want to hear. When I was making my living singing in Irish bars, while the singalong pub songs and intricate jigs and reels I played went over well, there wasn’t much interest in the unaccompanied Gaelic language sean nos songs that I liked just as much.

So if I wanted to be a serious sean nos singer, Irish bars weren’t the places to do it.

In other words, if you choose to be a specialist in a type of music that lacks broad popular appeal, you’ll probably be better off if you have a day job to pay the way for your passion, and you’ll probably get better at it, too.


whm

[roylor4]

They are related, but different skills. I am an intermediate and play for pay (80-100 gigs a year). There are lots of guys that never leave their own living room that can outplay me by a country mile. Being a good musician and being a good entertainer are not the same thing.

Playing under pressure and playing relatively clean are part of it. Playing to your dog or couch is different than sitting in front of people and playing. Being a great player at home doesn't make you prepared to play in public. Only playing in public does that, just as playing scales over & over make you good at scales and leads.

Being an entertainer, being a better than average singer, at ease in front of a crowd takes practice and work.

[sleeperservice]

Sid vicious was considered a professional musician according to boxes ticked(and i'm sure that folks here know a few more that fit that category) but he was not a great musician in my book.imho there are many great professional musicians on this world and there are many more great amateur musicians.i dont know how many times i've heard someone say" i cant really play guitar"( or other instrument) and then proceed to melt face's off with out of this world mastery of the instrument.

[jklotz]

Jeez, I dunno. I'm a pro. I get paid to play on a regular basis. Tommy Emmanuel is a pro. He is better that I am. Does that mean he is more of a pro? How does one answer such a question?

[robrick]

Being a paid musician is not just about how you play, it's how you look, sound, act and make the audience feel. Just because you can play the same songs like your pro hero doesn't mean you are on the same level. It just means you can copy them really well.

[zmf]

Originally Posted by geewhiz

There are a lot of absolutely stellar session players who might disagree with that statement. As do I

Guess I don't get to put aside "knowledge and technique" for a while. I just meant that there are other pros, like session players, who are in a different category and almost part of another thread.

Once took a lesson from someone who was both a performer and session player, and he assured me that session players were the best.

Or maybe I missed what you were taking exception to?

[BluesKing777]

Yes, there are many levels of pro and amateur guitar players!

Poor pro, medium pro and pro pro! Do any of them get sick pay, benefits, pension plan? Probably not.

But the main difference between a pro player and an amateur is that they get asked.


BluesKing777.

[hotroad]

Professional means you get paid. That's all. You might be good or terrible but if you get paid you are a professional.

[robj144]

I definitely think so. If someone with no qualifications who did my job for fun and is better than I am, there's something wrong.

[fardept]

Many are gifted, few are chosen.

[Silurian]

Noel Gallagher has said his guitar playing is average at best. His close friend Paul Weller(The Jam) agrees, calling Gallagher's playing "rudimentary".

Oasis have sold over 40 million albums. In the UK there are many guitarists of a certain age who say they were inspired to pick up a guitar by Gallagher, realising that you didn't have to be Eddie Van Halen to be start a rock band.