Honestly... Do Instrumentalists Have It Harder?
Hello hello to everyone reading this! I hope that you have had a wonderful week! I am not writing to you from an airport this week, which honestly is kind of nice! This week’s post is a continuation of the debate of who has it harder. Instrumentalists or Vocalists? Please remember I am a vocalist, so I happen to have more insight on the vocalist perspective, therefore if I leave anything important out please feel free to leave me a comment or message and I will make sure to answer you and add that point in!
So before I get into this post, I would like to give credit where credit is due. I would like to thank all of my friends who gave me points to talk about in these two previous posts! Without you guys, I believe that I would have skipped some important points or not seen points from a different perspective. Most of my friends that replied to me stated that they believed that being an instrumentalist is more difficult than being a vocalist. The points that they brought up when informing me on their side of things are extremely valid and now I see why they believe this!
Let us start off with the fact that instrumentalists are not born with their instrument! Instrumentalists need to learn how to use something that is not a part of them, so which keys do I press to be able to create this note or how much air do I need to put through my instrument (if it requires it) to make sure that I do not go flat. On top of learning how to use “a new limb”, I guess is the best way to put it, they need to learn how to play with other instrumentalists and coordinate how they are going to bring a piece to life. I am not saying that vocalists do not need to learn how to work with instrumentalists or other vocalists because we do have choirs and do need to work with instrumentalists for various types of music, but when it is an instrumental piece they are at a disadvantage. Singers are lucky in the sense that we have words and are able to act or dance to bring a piece to life. Instrumentalists can do this to a certain extent, but they have to find different ways to convey the message or emotion to their audience, it's not like they can just tell them with the words in their songs or pieces.
Not only do instrumentalists have to handle equipment that is not a part of their own body, but they also have to think about the maintenance of the equipment. They need to make sure that their instrument is always in top shape, that they have reeds, mallets, and mouthpieces that are not broken and are not too new so that it is not uncomfortable for the instrumentalist to play on (or at least to my understanding). If the instrument is bent it can change the sound of the instrument or even make it unplayable. At that point, maintenance would be required, which depending on the instrument and what needs to be done can be $100 or more. If a new instrument needs to be bought, the prices vary but for the most part, are high in price. Especially if you are buying a professional grade instrument.
An instrumentalist’s prep time before performing is a little more extensive because unlike a vocalist which can sing basically anywhere, instrumentalists have to put their instrument together, then warm-up. This takes more time and effort than we give instrumentalists credit for. Apparently, weather conditions can also affect playing which I can not give too much information about from an instrumentalist perspective, but it was a point that was told to me without much explanation. So please, INSTRUMENTALISTS EXPLAIN!!! Bring me into your world and tell me about these secrets! Finally, another point that was made to me was that instrumental techniques can cause health issues, such as tendonitis. Honestly, the thing that I am most jealous about when it comes to instrumentalists when it comes to the performance aspects is that, with the exception of pianists, instrumentalists get to use sheet music.
Next week, I will be giving an overall opinion to this debate and talking about the struggles that both sides share that both vocalists and instrumentalists may overlook. If you find that I have missed a point on either side PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not be afraid to let me know! I hope to hear comments from the readers!!! I will see you next week!