Are singers musicians? One of those questions popped up while I was on google. I thought to myself, “Must be a joke”. It apparently wasn’t. People really wanted to know if it was possible for singers to be musicians.
Singers are musicians because they practice musicianship just like every other musician. They put time into honing their rhythm, ear, and music theory. These three things are universal in a musician’s growth.
So, the things that make a musician, musician, are the same for everyone. We can’t get lost in the semantics, musicians make music and so do singers.
Who is a musician?
A singer uses their ‘voice’ as an instrument, whereas an instrumentalist uses a physical/real instrument. That is probably the only major distinction between an instrumentalist versus a vocalist.
A musician is also someone who composes, conducts, produces, or performs music. A vocalist can take any of those roles and even in some cases has to wear every hat to fulfill a project’s need, whether personal or for someone else.
More In Common Than Not
Just as an instrumentalist must master the correct playing of their respective instruments such as the guitar, piano, and others, a vocalist must devote the same efforts to become better at singing.
Everyone is born with a voice, and even though some may be born with a natural talent for singing, in the long run, consistent practice and trying to be the best you can be is the best thing a vocalist can aim for. Regardless of what they end up working in a band or a choir.
A musician who plays an instrument requires more or less the same amount of study and hard work into honing their instrument.
Rhythm
You see, I purposely am talking about things that are universal in music. Including rhythm. If you know any music theory you know about simple and compound time signatures.
Regardless of how you look at it, we need to have a universal understanding of how rhythm works. If the understanding of rhythm is different between two musicians then their means of communication through music wouldn’t work.
It’d be like translating a foreign language through Google translate and then replying back. It’d simply be too late. You need to understand the language of rhythm almost immediately and be able to respond not just in time but move along its pace and compliment by adhering to it.
So, it’s safe to assume that in terms of rhythm, singers need to practice and understand the same things as every other instrumentalist.
Ear
The same goes for understanding harmony. A major chord is the same for a vocalist as it is for another musician.
So, in order to develop their ear a singer, just like their practice of rhythm, must practice the same principles of ear training as someone who is learning anything but the ear. The idea is the same as understanding rhythm.
Ear training is going to dictate whether you perceive what you’re hearing as accurately as possible. You can’t have the miscommunication of calling a major chord minor because then we’d be void of a system that allows us to understand how music works.
Music Theory
This brings me to music theory.
Music theory is the best example of how a system that seems so mechanical has proved to work wonders and give a cohesive idea about how music works. It’s also something everyone ought to understand as a musician.
Music theory classes in colleges will be filled with singers, bassists, and drummers. Why? Because to understand harmony, compound time, and how cadences work, you don’t necessarily even need to know anything to play. It’s all theory, you can study these things.
But, when the time comes to write, arrange and eventually perform. Having internalized these concepts and talking about them effortlessly pays off. Why? Because every other musician concerned with this also does.
It bridges the gap between a person who doesn’t know music and someone who lives it.
So, someone who practices rhythm, ear, and understands music theory and performs and uses these skills in their musical life already is a musician. Whether they’re a singer or not.
How Are They Different Then?
The Medium
The only way a singer is any different from anyone else is by using their voice as the primary way to make sounds. Even wind and brass players use their vocal cords to control their instruments but none like a vocalist.
It’s also as simple as saying, the instrument altogether is different. Singers/vocalists use their voices while pianists don’t. Factually true. But, that’s one of the major differences you’ll find.
So, maybe the question you should’ve been asking all along is how are singers unique from other musicians who are instrumentalists?
The Things That Matter
Timbre
You can hear 10 different kinds of drum sets and pianos. They will all sound relatively the same. Some snare drums will have a hissing high-pitch ring and some won’t. Some pianos will sound warmer and some won’t.
But the voice?
No two people will ever sound the same.
That’s where it’s at. You’re going to be very hard-pressed to find another human that sounds like you. The more you train yourself to sing the sweeter your voice will be. It truly is a magnificent instrument to hone and get better at.
No one will ever sound like you and to add to that….
You Can’t Buy a Voice
I myself am a handy person. I like to fix things. I have turned the oil drain plugs and set the action on my guitar a few times. I know my way around. There are quite a few things you can do with money. One of them is buying a better instrument.
You really see a huge difference between a $100 guitar and a $500 one. Have you ever seen a difference between a $100 voice and a $500 voice? No. No, you haven’t.
The reason I said that is, that as someone who is a DIYer, I love building and fixing things. I love things whose quality can’t be bought but has to be developed. It’s like when people who make kit cars at home put the sticker ‘Built not bought’ to show their pride to everyone who’s behind them.
Vocalists really are a different kind of breed of musicians, and they are musicians for sure.
Do You Want to Learn to Sing?
It doesn’t matter what age and who you are, if you’re willing to learn you can learn to sing.
I believe the answer to that is through online courses and you can find out why, here.
I also have curated courses that will fit your need in case you would like to learn how to sing. You can read all about it here.