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The differences between musicians and pianists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a musician and a pianist. Additionally, a musician has an average salary of $57,257, which is higher than the $53,479 average annual salary of a pianist.
The top three skills for a musician include live performances, keyboard and music theory. The most important skills for a pianist are piano performance, chamber music, and classical music.
| Musician | Pianist | |
| Yearly salary | $57,257 | $53,479 |
| Hourly rate | $27.53 | $25.71 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 103 | 99 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A musician specializes in performing or producing music through different mediums. Most of their responsibilities will revolve around practicing to develop their skills and enhance their performance, receiving training from experts to monitor progress and identify weaknesses to improve. There are also instances when a musician must interact and engage with the public, appear in shows, and participate in various competitions. Furthermore, a musician needs to maintain a healthy relationship with fans while continuously improving skills and releasing good music.
A Pianist accompanies symphonies and orchestras, and plays piano music for theater productions, church services, and for special events and locations. They must be able to read, write, and edit musical notation quickly and correctly.
Musicians and pianists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Musician | Pianist | |
| Average salary | $57,257 | $53,479 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $127,000 | Between $25,000 And $113,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Buena Park, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Sanford Health | SUNY Geneseo |
| Best paying industry | Media | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a musician and a pianist in terms of educational background:
| Musician | Pianist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Music | Music |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between musicians' and pianists' demographics:
| Musician | Pianist | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 80.4% Female, 19.6% | Male, 50.5% Female, 49.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 5.4% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 5.5% White, 65.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |