WHAT DO YOU THINK?

[Cecil hinkson]

In another discussion a person said we should used the term Musician rather than Player, can we call everyone that plays in a steelband a Musician or is there a difference?

[VALENTINE YOUNG]

I would Say that anyone that Plays Music with a Musical Instrument is a Musician. Can We Call a DJ a Musician? No We Cant. You don't have to be Musically Literate to be a Musician. Boogsie is one of the Greatest Musician in the World on the Instrument He Plays. He arranges and Composes from Classic to Calypso. What will You Call Him? Answer A Musical Genius.

[Winston Dayal ( alias Gons)]

You are right Cecil . He is one amazing panist . Musician extraordinaire .

[Winston Dayal ( alias Gons)]

You guys know Casper Durant , well I don't know if he can read music or not but this man plays some unbelievable chords . He is a Musician in my book .

[Cecil hinkson]

Winston, Casper has been playing music for over 40yrs, it's close to impossible for someone not to learn ah ting or two about what he enjoy doing.

[Andre-Roger Dellevi]

Learning to play music by rote instead of by note does not dilute nor discount musical ability for many. Just listen to Boogsie and others like him...

[Winston Dayal ( alias Gons)]

That's true Andre , another great one who
can't read music but does some amazing arrangements for singers and band is Carol
Cymbala of the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir .

[Cecil hinkson]

People like Boogsie and others cannot read or write music but they have a knowledge of it, but some people that play pan can only play what is shown to them this is why I would say they are "players"

[BEDE LOPEZ]

Cecil, they are all Musicians, you have Great Musicians, Good Musicians, Copy and Paste Musicians, mediocre Musicians, Bad Musicians, and Shitong Musicians, it all depends on your Ability to Place yourself in the Proper category,  What we are trying to do here is to let the World know that we are all Musicians and we play a Musical  Instrument that we call the Steel Pan (the foreigners will say Steel Drum) 

 If I am being presented as a performer playing our National Instrument, I would like to be presented as a Musician and not as a Player, the word "Player" is taking me back to years ago. (that's like bringing back "Rope in Band") them days done. 

[Janice Perryman]

Agree

[Andre-Roger Dellevi]

As far as I know Boogsie, does not read nor write music either, but I consider him and many like-artists as first-class musicians in any context you choose. My father played the harmonica and when he thought he was not really a musician for those same reasons, Anthony Prospect taught him, that neither did any of The Beatles. Jimi Hendrix is my favourite guitarist and he did not either, so you are in good company.