wendellfiddler
Well-known member
I think this is a really good question that reaches far into the depths of people's identities and communities. Being a person who has been a part of many musical communities, some of which are instrument focused and some of which are musical style focused, I've seen a lot of attitudes go by me. For example: Banjo player, bluegrass xxx, chromatic harmonica xxx, etc, old-timey xxxx, jazz xxxx, and Ukulele xxx. Some people relate to themselves as musicians playing different instruments and styles (like me), others identify with the community (sometimes I do). But I will say that when it comes to playing music in a group or forming a band, I prefer to play with musicians who are playing on a variety of instruments rather than folks who are mainly identified with one instrument as a community or a specific style. I find the former to be a bit more flexible & usually better educated in music. Not that there's anything wrong with identifying with a community or an instrument. I'm a fan of Lyle Ritz and Toots Thielemans (the great chromatic harmonica player) - both of whom are musical giants on their respective instruments - are multi-instrumentalists as well - and have made successful "forays" into a wide variety of musical styles with a wide variety of band mates. My idea of life well-spent.
Doug Tanner
Doug Tanner