I still have problem calling myself guitarist

I see nothing ridiculous in that at all weā€™re all guitarists here. The label doesnā€™t say anything other than we regularly play a guitar.

Now if I were to think of myself as ā€œRock Godā€ then I might consider that ridiculous :wink:

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Rock God @Notter, has a ring to it. I like it.

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Yes I prefer the username after Rock God

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Been struggling with that one too. Do i call myself guitarist, or rather someone who fumbles around with a guitar.
Now i know that i should call myself a guitarist, or at least a not so old geezer who plays the guitar.
Thank you @GreenRider and @TheMadman_tobyjenner for these insights. Theyā€™ve helped me a lot today.
From now on, if anyone asks, iā€™m a guitarist (because thatā€™s who iā€™d like to be).

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Tom and @GrytPipe - a couple of thoughts:

In college I had an undergraduate, lower-division economics professor who addressed the lecture hall as ā€œeconomistsā€. That was powerful in that it caused me to think as if I were an economist as I studied. No, I never became a professional economist, but I did take several more econ courses.

The word ā€œguitaristā€ is defined in several sources as a person who plays guitar. So by definition, all of us in this community are guitarists! Iā€™m uncomfortable calling myself simply a guitarist, but my friends are very aware that I am a beginner guitarist! :rofl:

Judi

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Do you want a label, if so ā€˜Guitaristā€™ is possibly better than many others?

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This happens in other areas tooā€¦ I run to keep fit and if you join any social media forum/group related to running youā€™ll find people wrestling with the same quandary (except there itā€™s generally that they think theyā€™re too slow to be a runner).
To come back guitars, I currently say Iā€™m learning guitar (I only recently began again). Iā€™ll call myself a guitarist once thereā€™s at least one song that Iā€™m confident I can play through (not necessarily perfectly). I feel thatā€™s a fair compromise. Iā€™m not waiting until I can reel off hundreds of songs and improvise at will or anything like that but a little more ability than I have right now

Only if you have a problem with it. It would be a compliment if someone else called you that.

I do get the question. I believe itā€™s called the impostor phenomenon.

Think of what you dreamed of being / doing in the years before you picked up the guitar. Iā€™m guessing you are now doing things you only once dreamed of doing. Being a guitarist is likely to be one of those things.

Well at the end of a lesson or mudule Justin says ā€œcongratulations you can now call yourself guitarist, this is a big thingā€ (last after the decimal point I doubt what heā€™s saying exactly),ā€¦so if your teacher says is it so,ā€¦you must of course have seen those lessons,ā€¦otherwise I just call you flute players or something elseā€¦

Well bye iā€™m going to play guitar again ā€¦ no idea what you want to call me if i doing that???,i don`t care as long you donā€™t call me a piano or tennis player, because that would be weirdā€¦

:upside_down_face:

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Iā€™ve played piano for over 30 years and I donā€™t call myself a pianist, though maybe I should. It almost seems like someone who plays piano for a living is the definition of a pianist. But Iā€™m wrong about most things.

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Interesting question there. I donā€™t know how much oneā€™s own first language makes, but if I tried to define myself in English, I wouldnā€™t call myself a guitarist. To me that word has a context of professionalism, referring to someone who plays the guitar for a living or at least performs publicly on a regular basis.

I wouldnā€™t call myself a chef either, even though I can prepare certain types of food.

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We is one!

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Itā€™s a fair point and often in English saying that you are something implies that it might be your occupation (assuming there was no other context in the sentence). Iā€™d say that if you say you play guitar then people would likely assume it was a hobby, but if you say youā€™re a guitarist they are more likely to ask if you play in a band or something.

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I think Iā€™ll never call my self a guitarist :woman_shrugging: and thatā€™s how it is! But @iguitaryou ā€¦I still remember your sounding
like flamenco performance you posted a while ago and what I have to say is: do you mind if I call you a guitarist? :blush:

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I am with you here, guitarist in my head plays in a band in front of others more or less professionally as in making money out of it, the rest like me are guitar players :wink:

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We can assign as much inner meaning to the term we like.

I prefer to see a guitarist as someone who is actually able to play a guitar. If I see myself as a guitarist, I am far more likely to become one than if I see myself as ā€œnot a guitaristā€.

Self visualize, people!:grin::guitar:

Maybe the in-between guitar player and guitarist is the guitast

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I agree. But if you do call yourself a guitarist and youā€™re at your home or a guitar is around, donā€™t be surprised if someone asks you to play something.

The approach I like to take, is Iā€™ve got a smaller than normal guitar, so Iā€™ll hold that and say ā€œI play a little guitarā€ even though I can play somewhere in the intermediate-advanced level. =

In sales training, you learn to not set expectations too high for your customers, or audience. Surprise them, by being humble. As an audience member, acquaintance, or customer, which would you prefer? Question answered.

Well this sale rep (iā€™m not btw) doesnā€™t advertise. Only here, where I am already known.
:sunglasses: