Musician

乐手 (Musician) is a person who participates in musical performances and recordings by playing musical instruments, electronic devices, or other sound-producing means. This term encompasses soloists, band members, orchestral 乐手, backing musicians, studio 乐手, and electronic music performers; specific credits typically further specify contributions such as guitar, piano, drums, or programming.

A “session musician” is hired to perform for a specific recording or performance and does not necessarily appear as the main artist; a permanent band member, however, may also be the main artist. Who is credited on the cover and who actually performs are distinct pieces of information; a “featured artist” may also be an instrumentalist. In modern production, “performance” is not limited to traditional instruments. Synthesizer programming, drum machines, samplers, modular systems, and digital controllers can all generate performable musical parts; however, whether purely editorial work, sound design, or engineering operations are credited as “musician” depends on the credit system. Even when “programming” is listed alone, context must be considered to determine whether it refers to musical programming or software development.

乐手 may contribute improvised melodies and passages but does not automatically gain compositional credit solely for performing; conversely, a composer may not participate in the final recording. Performance, composition, and recording production are overlapping yet distinct roles.

Large ensembles are often credited collectively as an orchestra or by section, with the full list provided separately in a program booklet or union records. If a database lists only “musician” and omits the instrument, important information is lost; if the original source does not specify an instrument, one should not make assumptions based on auditory perception.