Musician  

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Ludwig van Beethoven

2.   Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music:

• An instrumentalist plays a musical instrument.
• A singer (or vocalist) uses his/her voice as his/her instrument.
• A composer, songwriter and a arranger create musical compositions, songs, and arrangements respectively. These may be transcribed in music notation, performed or recorded.
• A conductor leads a musical ensemble. He or she can simultaneously act as an instrumentalist in the ensemble.
• A recording artist creates recorded music, such as CDs and MP3 files.

3.   Musicians can either be self-taught, or they can learn music from a private instructor or a guru, or through formal education in a conservatory. They can also be an amateur or a professional. A professional musician is usually defined as one who is paid to perform, compose or act in any productive manner related to music, and whose main source of income is from this activity. These professional musicians may:

• work freelance;
• enter into a contract with a studio or record label;
• be employed by a professional ensemble such as a symphony orchestra, a big band or by an institution such as a church or business (such as a jazz club or a bar).