[RyanW]

Then you also get people like Jack Benny. I've heard those that know the violin can tell the difference in a bad violinist (which is just unpleasant to listen to) and a good violinist hamming it up (like Mister Benny). He probably wasn't good enough to make it rich just playing the violin -- though he did get his start as a violinist in vaudeville -- but turning it into a comedy prop was what started his path to stardom.