Everything you need to know about musicians

It is difficult to imagine life without music - it surrounds a person, penetrates the soul, has a serious impact on the emotional state of people. Many believe that it is intended only to brighten up leisure, however, in most musical compositions there is a sense and a certain educational moment.

The musician’s work is multifaceted, and it may seem that it’s very simple - play yourself in full pleasure. But contrary to popular belief, a person who is professionally engaged in music has to face serious difficulties in the course of building a career.

Scientists believe that music was born at the same time as humanity. The flute is considered one of the oldest instruments, it was found during archaeological excavations near the sculptures, whose age is 40-45 thousand years. At the initial stage of the emergence of society, music was more of an applied character, was used to conduct rituals and religious rites. Over time, it became more complicated, and the ancient Greeks actively used polyphony - only professionally trained musicians could perform compositions at that time.

During excavations in Mesopotamia, the first song recorded on an clay tablet was discovered - it used the thirds and the Pythagorean system. Obviously, they were composed of a person who was well versed in this matter. In the Middle Ages in Europe, musicians could be found both in the Catholic Church and in secular society.All further history is associated with the active development of music, the emergence of the latest trends, instruments and methods of performance. musical works. In the Enlightenment, people enjoyed classical music, represented by instrumental concerts, operas or symphonies.

Many people love music, but not everyone can be called musicians. In theory, the definition of “musician” can be applied to anyone who plays music, plays a musical instrument, composes motives, or performs songs. Musicians can be lovers and professionals. For the former, music is a commandment of the soul; they perform it for themselves or for a limited circle of close people, for the latter, they are a source of livelihood.

In modern society, the importance of music is great. On the one hand, every tune is first of all entertainment. Today there is no shortage of music on radio and TV, and concerts are held in every city. At the same time, music always carried out some educational tasks and contributed to the development of various ideological attitudes. That is why the profession of a musician is distinguished by increased responsibility. In fact, in the hands of a professional is a real weapon that can control not only the mood of people, but also their ideas.

Like any other profession, a musical specialty has its advantages and disadvantages. Let's get started with the benefits. The most important of them is a wide demand. Most of the events necessarily involve musical accompaniment. This means that with a portfolio and speaking experience, regular employment will be guaranteed.

The driving force of creative personalities has always been and remains universal recognition. A person who has achieved success gains popularity, he becomes famous, he has numerous fans and this brings him great inner satisfaction. No less pleasant emotions cause interaction with people of similar interests. In their circle, he feels comfortable, draws a source of inspiration and exchanges useful experiences he needs for professional development.

Successful musicians constantly go on tour, which can be held in various parts of the world. Thanks to this, they learn more about life, unusual traditions and customs of other nationalities, get a chance to see different countries and famous architectural monuments with their own eyes. Such an opportunity is unlikely to leave a creative person indifferent.

And, of course, a very significant advantage is cash reward. A successful musician can have quite impressive fees, even street performers with a good repertoire and with the ability to get a good monthly income, not to mention pop artists, whose incomes are estimated in hundreds of thousands of rubles.

Despite all the attractiveness and romance of this profession, not every musician becomes popular. The vain attempts of many novice performers to break into the top charts quite often lead to depression, for many years of training and the search for their audience seem useless to them. Desperate, such people abandon their dreams, abandon creativity and lose the meaning of life.

However, and famous people in the music industry also have something to worry about - any fame comes. To achieve consistently high incomes, it is not enough to declare oneself well and try to occupy a particular niche on the musical Olympus - the speed with which listeners forget the names of idols is lightning fast.The only thing that can save musicians from oblivion is round-the-clock, hard, exhausting work, constant rehearsals and endless “ches”.

There are several musical specialties.

• An instrumentalist artist. This person flawlessly owns one or another musical instrument, he knows all the chords and techniques. His responsibilities include the reproduction of existing songs. This category includes drummers, pianists, accordionists, guitarists, cellists and other instrumentalists.
• Vocalists they use their voice in the work to convey the author’s musical design. These people have perfect hearing, they can sing both solo and as part of a group or choir, they play music like a capello or with musical accompaniment.
• At the base of musical creativity are composers, it is they who compose new musical works. If there were no composers, then there would be no music, and musicians in general.
• Conductors they manage the choir or orchestra through the movement of the fingers and facial expressions - they dictate to the performers their own vision of the thought that the composer put into his work.
• Arrangers Adapt works to the requirements of modern musical trends. They create compositions that may differ slightly from the original version.
• It should be noted that such a category of musicians as music critics. Their tasks include expert evaluation of songs, symphonies, operas and other works, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses. Musical critics through their work contribute to the popularization and development of musical trends in society.
• Enumerating the modern types of music professions, one cannot but mention a relatively new specialty - DJ. This category includes creative personalities who are able to create modern compositions using tracks in different styles and complementing them with possible sound effects.
• Music teachers To a certain extent, it can also be attributed to this profession, since it is from them that all the skills, abilities and knowledge that future musicians receive to carry out their main activity will depend.

Due to the fact that the concept of “musician” in itself is rather a common one, uniting people of different specializations, it is difficult to single out any specific duties that would correspond to all representatives of this profession.

Generally speaking, the tasks of musicians include:

• creation of new musical works;
• performance of music - it can be both music of one’s own composition and other composers;
• participation in concert programs.

In most cases, the requirements for music professions are determined by their place of work. Among the general professional skills are:

• the presence of music education;
• well-developed musical ear;
• skills in performing vocal compositions;
• possession of musical instruments;
• ability to compose musical compositions.

The main quality of any professional musician is talent. Nowadays, there are situations when talented musicians strive to take the position of a leading instrumentalist or performer, believing that they have all the qualities necessary for this. However, not every one of them realizes that, first of all, talent should be supplemented by the uniqueness of the sound of a voice or instrument - this will help to stand out from a huge number of other performers and declare oneself as a person.This means that for a successful concert activity it is important that the musician has his own individual perception of the world, consisting of bright and colorful pictures of the world that he is able to share.

A musician is an emotional, sensitive person, prone to empathy. Through music, he can express his personal attitude to a particular situation, tell a fascinating story so that it can evoke the same feelings in the public. Creative people are usually quite unpredictable, so it is difficult to make any general requirements for them. However, in this profession, perseverance, a high degree of organization and determination will help a person to gain recognition.

Mandatory personal characteristics include the ability to find a common language with people around them, to go in contact with them. Musicians should be charismatic - these people are always in sight, spectators and fans are watching them, therefore, the ability to properly present themselves and developed communication skills will make them much closer to the desired success. Another requirement that is usually presented to musicians is an attractive appearance.

Usually the development of music professions takes many years and begins in childhood. Of course, there are exceptions - these include people without special education who begin acquaintance with music at a young age. But, as a rule, there are only a few of them, and only the most gifted of them can count on success. In all other cases, real musicians pass from the amateur category to a professional cohort only if they are accompanied by study and hard work throughout their lives.

To become a musician, at a young age you should enter a children's music school or a children's art school. Institutions of the first type specialize exclusively in the musical direction, and in the second, lessons and master classes in dance and theater are additionally held. In children's musical educational institutions they teach to play musical instruments, choral and solo vocals, as well as conducting. Usually, children aged 6-7 years are accepted to music schools, although there are classes for older children. Studying lasts from 3 to 8 years, depending on the chosen direction, while, like in a regular school, there are also translated exams, tests and other tests confirming the acquisition of musical skills. Upon graduation, the young musician is issued a certificate of further education.

At the next stage of training, future musicians and composers receive specialized secondary education - it can be a music school or art college. The total period of study is 4 years, at the end a diploma is issued indicating the qualifications awarded. And finally, the final stage of the entire training cycle is higher education - musicians receive their future at the conservatory, academy or specialized universities. The program takes about 5 years, at the end of the university the musician is considered a professional.

The salary of a musician depends on the sphere in which he works. In fact, there are a lot of places where a representative of the musical profession can find a job - from kindergartens to popular music groups. Another question is that any ambitious performer dreams of giving solo concerts at major venues.

Most often, musicians are employed in one of the following places:

• musical educational institutions;
• cultural institutions;
• conservatories and theaters;
• film studios;
• restaurants
• production centers;
• companies in the entertainment industry.

It should be noted that almost all musicians have irregular working hours. For example, performers performing at city venues usually work on weekends and holidays, and their working day often lasts 10 hours, but on weekdays they are practically not involved. Or music groups performing in clubs and restaurants - their main occupation is in the evening and at night, while during the day they relax. The period from Friday evening to Sunday is most in demand among them.

The question of the salary of musicians cannot be given a definite answer. The fact is that today, for example, there are pianists, one of which can develop 15-20 thousand rubles, and the other - 100 thousand. And the problem in this case is not even that one of them is talented, and the other is not; they can be equally professional masters of their craft, just one was a little luckier than the other. This is precisely the main difficulty of any music profession - to be at the right time in the right place, get into the right stream and find your listener. If we talk about the average cohort of musicians with a permanent job in an entertainment or cultural institution, they earn about 20-30 thousand rubles a month.

When it comes to musicians as representatives of the profession, one cannot ignore those who earn money on city streets. Most often they have a higher musical education, perfect hearing and good performance technique. They were forced to perform on the street by the small salary they receive at their main place of work. No matter how strange it may sound, but most of the musicians playing in transitions earn much more money than, for example, in a conservatory or a small orchestra.

However, and here the variation in wages is great - one musician can earn 100 thousand rubles a month, and another - 3 times less. The total amount is affected by a huge number of factors. First of all, it is the cross-country ability, as well as the repertoire. If a musician performs all the time in one and the same place, performing the same music, then these melodies “become boring” to the audience over time and this leads to a decrease in income.

If it seems to you that it does not work out with the profession of a musician, here are three interesting facts.

• The famous Austrian pianist Wittgenstein lost his arm during the First World War. Nevertheless, he was able to return to concert performances and reach the pinnacles of professional excellence, performing compositions with one left.
• Beethoven did not always feel inspired. Therefore, before starting to compose melodies, he always bowed his head in a tub of ice-cold water - this technique became a habit for him, and the composer could not refuse it until the very last days of his life.
• Once a young man came to the head of the Milan Conservatory and asked to listen to his works. The verdict of the examiners was harsh: "You better abandon the thought of music." It was Giuseppe Verdi.