Defining a keyboardist and other 'ist' types?

[Phait]

I read a recent thread here and it got me wondering:

 

is there a certain prerequisite you personally think someone needs to meet in order to be a keyboardist? If Person A can read and write music and plays well on a keyboard/piano, yet Person B composes their music just by playing - and does'nt know an A from an E minor.. are they both keyboardists/pianists?

 

Maybe it's a dumb question.. I'm just curious of people's thoughts. I certainly wouldn't consider someone that has their own website say on, GeoCities, that they made with Geocities software.. to be a web designer.

 

I consider myself a guitarist. I've been playing for 7 years and I play moderately well IMHO. But you couldn't ask me to play via musical notation - could not do it.

[Krakit]

I think that anyone can call themselves a "keyboardist".

 

Look at the guy from Flock of Seagulls.

 

 

Carl

[Carlito]

I consider myself a guitarist. I've been playing for 7 years and I play moderately well IMHO. But you couldn't ask me to play via musical notation - could not do it.

Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder don't play via musical notation.

 

I played in a band where I was the only one who could read music. But the other members were much better players than I was. And they still are.

[Misnomer]

Paul McCartney can't read music, but I don't think anyone would object to him being called a guitarist or pianist.

 

I think anyone who plays is an "-ist." After that there are just different types and levels.