musician or programming wizard?

[beats me]

I wanted to see how many people on here consider themselves musicians, programmers, or both.

Personally I started by playing piano, then guitar, and then bass by default. It seems a lot of people that program say they can't play an instrument and by that I think they mean they can't jam with a band or improvise well, but I don't think anybody that programs can't play anything at all.

So what do you consider yourself? Have you noticed your musicianship sliding away the more you work with DAWs? Any arguments that one is more valid than the other?

My irony is almost everything I write now is synth based but I am way more comfortable playing guitar or bass in a live situation. This is probably because I don't find keyboard very entertaining to play live and it's not a very forgiving instrument if you are even slightly off.

Thoughts?

[Tarekith]

I'd say I'm even split. Started out playing the guitar, spent years honing my DAW chops and audio engineering skills, recently began teaching myself to play the piano as well.

Well rounded skill set for me

[sweetjesus]

tarekith has been living an alternate version of my life by that one line description

except i got a few piano lessons when i was 9.

[Tarekith]

I didn't start the guitar until I was 16, I'm a late starter.

[benlowther]

I make all my music within Ableton, sometimes without even touching my midi keyboard! And when I do use it's all one finger action!

I do know basic theory (I had too for my music production course) but practical and traditional music skills...I have none!

[taaloopa]

musician - freelance percussionist working with various types of music - performer & teacher. Fairly new to Ableton ( loving it ) & recently started using it for multi percussion live loop sampling.

[Idonotlikebroccoli]

60% tech and 40% musician or something I guess. I need the musician percentage higher though, as being a tech-head doesn't give that much results. I just end up tweaking and tweaking and tweaking because it gets me hooked.

[nebulae]

I'm more a producer than a musician, but mainly because I'm too lazy to hone my guitar skills which have been stagnant since I was in college.

[jeskola]

not sure i could call myself a musician as i cant play any instrument, though i have a basic understanding of music theory. so i guess it would be producer?!

[Mr Man]

Play guitar myself and ive been wandering about these midi guitars! Has anyone used one? Can you control/play vsts with them and how well if at all can they translate things like fret slides / note lengths / velocitys and pitch bending. . Am i just dreaming?

I wish my parents had forced me piano lessons when young cos its so much harder to give the time later in life

[Mr Man]

So i fell like a musician / programer exactly like that with a wall between us.

[leedsquietman]

Musician first - playing guitar, bass and keyboards for 20 years. PLayed in a dozen bands or so, mostly rock, a memorable stint at uni playing bass in a grunge band and playing funky keys for a rock and soul outfit where Prince was a leading influence. Got into programming sequencers and drum machines and samplers etc in the mid 90s.

Started 4 track recordings 18 years ago, gained experience with that and mixers and engineering, had an 8 track reel to reel about 10 years ago and have experienc with DAT and ADAT. Only been into computer recording since 2002 but was programming synths and MIDI stuff for years. While I believe in my skills in producing, mixing, engineering etc, I still regard myself as a musician first and foremost. Knowing the nuances of an instrument really helps when it comes to capturing it's sound and mixing.

I do demo recordings for local rock bands and have my own music projects in psychedelic rock and electronica to keep me busy, Live 6 is a really important tool in what I do.