Distinguishing Between Musical Engagement: Listener vs Musician

There is a distinction between engaging with music as a listener and engaging as a musician. Listeners experience music through recordings or interpretations, comparing various performances for their preferred sound. Musicians, on the other hand, approach music by analyzing scores and making interpretations themselves, even if they do not play regularly. True musicians engage directly with the music, re-creating or manipulating it in their minds. This distinction highlights the nature of the relationship individuals have with music and what it means to be a musician or a music lover.