Outside of musicians, the public and mainstream just have an easier time identifying with songs that feature lyrics. Most people need to possess some rudimentar

Outside of musicians, the public and mainstream just have an easier time identifying with songs that feature lyrics. Most people need to possess some rudimentary ability to play an instrument to appreciate and to look closer into individual instrumentalists. Of course an obvious exception is classically minded listeners, but they're sadly relatively rare as well. As a pianist, it's easy for me to rattle off the names of my favorite pianists: Fats Waller, Thelonious Monk, Keith Jarrett, Sviatoslav Richter, etc.