The harder profession Actor or Musician

[col craddock]

A journeyman actor must learn a part maybe hundreds of lines plus stage direction incorporating sound and visual commands and reproduce all of this in front of a live audience throughout the duration of a play 2 maybe3 hours entirely from memory.

A journeyman orchestrial musician at a performance has the music -ie the script- in front of them at all times (not like learning lines then!!!) and in case that is not enough there is also a conductor to keep the entire musical piece on track

which profession earns its money one or the other ,both or neither....what do you think?......

[jno]

I should think actors are after more than money; they want recognition, and they get it if they are any good. Nobody ever remembers the face of the guy who played third violin. More is required of actors (though I am not disparaging the need for musicians to have skill) because they have more to gain.

[terambulan]

Musicians spend their lives perfecting their art whereas acting doesn't require so much dedication. It all depends on charisma of both as to whom will earn the most. ie Jamie Cullam or Hugh Grant?

[Rosetta]

Musicians, it takes years and years of practice to get to performance standards.
Nor does fame equal skill

[sherlockian]

Musicians train for years to get to a standard of playing professionally - acting is a talent that falls randomly and cannot always be learned. If a musician goes wrong, everyone can hear it - if an actor goes wrong, they can fluff a line and make something up, and very few people will know!
Both professions however take enormous dedication and hard work, and yet they only get a fraction of the salary a professional sportsman can earn in a week!

[saxy_jag]

Both. Everything you said about the actor is true, and his work involves even more than that. I've worked with enough of them to know that. But there is more to being a musician than just reading music and playing an instrument.

At my limited level, I don't only have to play the notes in front of me. I have to play them at the same dynamic, same time and in the same style as every other sax player in my section, and often other sections. And we all have to play in the dynamic, time and style that the conductor wants - every time we play it. And then sometimes I get asked to go and sit in with another band. I'm lucky to get one run-through before the gig, when I have to fit in instantly with the rest of the band and how they're playing.

Pro musicians do all this and more, ten times over.

Both professions earn their money. The sad fact is that neither earns what they deserve, half the time.

[saxy_jag]

I forgot to mention, specifically, the idea of learning parts. A top class, concert soloist is expected to play from memory, every note. Perfectly. Because there will always be someone in the audience who knows when he gets it wrong, and he can be guaranteed the orchestra will know.

[col craddock]

Many thanks to one and all,some interesting and informative points.
I was thinking particulary of live theatre as opposed to film acting Although I have never done any film work I feel it cant really be that difficult. You dont learn the whole script in one go just the particular scene and you can get it wrong as many times as you like, just retake it until the director is happy-yes I appreciate theres more to than that'''

However on a stage, where I do have some experience, I stand by my original post.I am as much in awe of the props people>After all if the actor fluffs a line chances are noone in the audience will notice but if a telephone doesnt ring when its meant to.......well, out there in the seats they 're bound to notice.

Points made about musicians years of dedication I certainly take on board the point about solists learning and honing the piece to perfection.

One thing is shared by both the actor and the musician and that is the sheer joy of taking a curtain call to the applause of a delighted and happy audience.

[saxy_jag]

One thing I do know, Col, having worked with musicians (all types of music) and stage actors, is that both work extremely hard in different ways.

I've had encores, rather than curtain calls, and only then as part of a larger band, but it is a great feeling when it happens, as is a hearty round of applause when I've played a solo.