Why Being an Amateur Musician Is “Still” Amazing

Why are amateurs less encouraged to play music, or to simply, enjoy making art?

There are several reasons behind this and in the last century, it looks like amateur musicians or hobbyists are less inclined to pickup an instrument.

Sometimes picking up an instrument is seen as too difficult or too competitive and is in favour swapped with a different hobby or, in most cases, a sport.

Lots of amateurs and intermediate players want to start bands, but find themselves without a bassist, a drummer or a singer (yeah, you can always find a guitarist though 😅)… but how did we get here?

Before recorded music: from amateur musicians to professional music listeners

Let’s take a big step back, before the dawn of recorded music.

Prior to 1877 (ca.) people would only have access to music through their communities or through travelling musicians that would stop by their towns.

Learning an instrument or just learning music was widely encouraged also for amateurs. A focus on the process of creativity was more important than the finished composition or of an extraordinary execution, seen often in today’s virtuosos.

The possibility of tasting music was not just for the elite but for everyone, however, this changed as soon as radios and vinyls were widely accessible to the public.

There was no need to sit around the piano and tentatively play your favorite tunes, recorded music would do the job for you.

Recorded music was, of course, played by professional musicians creating thus a new standard.

This pushed the amateurs to put their instruments and immerse themselves in the music.

The decline of the amateur musician

With the growing nature of capitalism, music was changing.

Once a true form of art music became a product, mass produced in record plants and then transmitted on radios to be heard all over the world.

So if professional musicians were “producing” great works of art, what’s the point of investing into amateur musicians?

From a label record’s view, amateurs only produce a fraction of the economic value of a professional musician, that’s why they invested all of their capital into professional recording studios and sustaining professional artists.

If we look at these stats from different countries, we can see now why are musicians hard to find and why you can’t seem to find any band members.

amateur musician stats — **(stats from NEA Arts Basic Survey, 2020, UK Music Education data, Australian Music Association, 2022)**.

Today thing’s have changed and even though picking up an instrument isn’t as common as before, smaller communities both offline and online are encouraging people from different social backgrounds to pursue music, even if you don’t become a star. These communities are small but very active although most of the attention is on the professional musicians widely present on social media platforms.

We at Thomann always encourage picking up an instrument and trying something new! We also have a variety of YouTube Channels open to aspiring musicians:

Thomann Music: our main channel dedicated every kind of musician and also every type of instrument!
Thomann’s Guitar & Basses: our dedicated channel for guitarists and bassists, always open to amateur musicians!
Thomann Bedroom Producers: if you’re into music production and synths, go check out our dedicated channel!

The Age of Algorithms and amateur musicians

Sometimes you might have wondered, why can’t I grow on social media as a beginner musician?

Instagram, TikTok and Youtube continuously promote with their algorithms the professional musicians or the most entertaining in terms of engagement and followers.

These platforms aim on keeping users engaged the most to expose them to the highest number of ads.

Of course, watching a few reels isn’t going to do any harm, although the platforms are pursuing the same trend of the record labels in the past: shine light on the pros and leave the rest in the dark.

The implications of seeing less and les amateurs both online and offline negatively impacts our collective culture as a society.

How to overcome your self-doubt when playing an instrument?

Expressing your creativity brings with it a lot of self-doubt and when you only can see the pros, you might start looking around and wonder: what’s the point?

Part of this self-doubt comes from perfectionism. In psychology, perfectionism is strongly linked with creative burnout: people quit hobbies when they feel their work doesn’t measure up to an impossible standard.

The joy of music making slowly fades and instruments start to pick up dust, being left in some old attic before they’re thrown away or sold at some yard sale.

Staying actively engaged with music communities and people who think alike will boost your confidence when you feel like there’s always someone who is better.

Also, institutions, educators and governments should try to focus more on the benefits of enjoying music and supporting communities to foster “being an amateur”.

AI and the future of amateur musicians

Recorded music first raised the bar, social media amplified the spotlight on virtuosos, and now AI takes it a step further by producing tracks that are instant, polished, and often nearly indistinguishable from those made by humans. At every stage, the underlying message to amateurs has been the same: “leave it to the pros… or now, to the machines.”

This mindset fits neatly into today’s “I want it now” culture, where speed and perfection are valued more than human expression. Yet it is precisely the imperfections that make music feel alive.

Enjoying the process and being an amateur should be encouraged just as going to the gym and working out.

The value of art and music is not only in its perfection but in the joy, connection, and humanity it brings.

We don’t expect every jogger to run marathons, or every painter to hang in the Louvre. Then why do the same with music?