A few days ago Tibbie wrote in a reply to my "Full Nagahara" thread, that I could be considered more an amateur than a student. Se was very kind in telling me this. At the moment I smiled and enjoyed the idea a lot, but I let it pass without commenting.

No doubt it kept ringing in my subconscious, as a strong doubt emerged today. I used to call myself a student, but I do not follow a strict program or, more important, I do not sit for any periodic examination. Just the thrice a year student concerts, but the public is quite benevolent, to say the least.

In Spanish we have a few additional definitions for this state of things, such as pupil (in its equivalent to "alumno") and it would be the most applicable in my case -in Spanish. Here I would say the equivalent to "I am a pupil of Mrs.xxx"

But pupil have I not seen anymore since the distant years I began learning English. And those years are more than half a century away now, so maybe the word self-extinguished.

For the relationship between a master who teaches a student that she/he has chosen for her/his merits we would use "discípulo" But its equivalent "disciple" in English has mostly a religious meaning as I understand it. And my teacher is very good and with very high level, but not a master.

So I am left in a personality definition crisis. What am I really?

I have begun to call myself an amateur and I like this new status. It could even be a higher category.

But I am not sure I do belong to it right now.

Jose,
Such good thoughts. So many of the terms you mention are seldom used and when they are their definitions have changed somewhat. Like the word 'gay' used to only mean happy and free spirited; but now is almost only associated and attributed to a sexual preference in your life style.

Professional is another word with no meaning anymore. A professional musician was thought to be a really good musician. But there are so many politics involved in music now that some really bad musicians get hired for pay. They are now professionals beccause they get paid, but by no means are they 'professional quality'.

Amateur is anyone who is playing for fun. If you play a lot and you are playing music as a hobby (whether you get money or not) you are an amateur. You might study with a teacher, you might not. But the I think the key is are you making a living or doing it as a hobby because you like it?

Student. If you are taking lessons from Mrs. xxx you are her student. You can be a 'student' no matter what your level as long as you take a lesson, or study with someone. Even professionals can be students of Mrs. xxx. But 'student level' is someone who is still learning basic skills; scales, fingerings, articulations, transposition, styles, etc.

Diciple in todays world would be used in a very limited fashion. A diciple in the music world would be someone who was only interested in one method. An example might be someone who only read books, and studied etudes written by James Galway and no one else. Only payed the same pieces Galway played. Only used the techniques purported by James Galway.

In your situation, knowing as much as you do. I would say you are an amateur musician whois a student of Mrs. xxx.

-john

Thank you. Very clear. Just a question, what happened with the old(?) word "pupil"?

I was taught English with things like this:

"I am the teacher, you are the pupil" (but I was a kid at that time)