Feel vs Chops..which do you prefer or think is more important?

[glocke1]

I realize there isn't an easy way to answer this, but give the choice between a chops player and a guy without amazing chops but great feel, I'll take the feel player any day.

I had a chance to play with a drummer recently who is touring with a national act, and it was really one of the more interesting experiences I've had recently.

Biggest thing I noticed about the guy is that his playing style was not technical at all, it seemed very simple and rudimentary to me but he did enough stuff to keep it interesting.

The groove we had going on was really something else as well, it's rare that I lock into a drummer the way he and I locked into each other. Lots of other guys I play with are more technical in their playing, which I think sometimes makes for a lesser groove.

 

[40Hz]

They’re both critical. And in some genres (prog, metal) technical prowess is more important to the music than it is in other genres such as blues for example. But I’d personally assign more weight to feel than technical ability - provided an appropriate level of technical ability is present. And by that I mean the individual is able to play in tune and on time, is comfortable following unplanned changes in a live performance, and has some proficiency with the usual skills such as transposing on the fly and basic music theory.

But yeah…if I had to pick one I’d definitely say feel is more important - to me.

But that’s me. YMMV.

 

[FrenchBassQC]

For me it is the feel. I like to lock the groove with the drummer, the feel to the piece of music and the rest of the band and for the attendance.

 

[JRA]

the choice between a chops player and a guy without amazing chops but great feel, I'll take the feel player any day.

me too!

 

[mongo2]

Feel.

Always.

 

[BassChuck]

Perhaps I'll be the odd one out here, but I'll have to say that without chops, you probably aren't going to be able to present what you feel. That and the player who doesn't have good chops, but has a great feel, probably is limited to a very small scope of styles.
If I was was hiring a bass player for a bass, I'd take the guy with chops. You can always tell them to dial back the extra notes, but a player with limited chops can't be told to 'busy it up' with any success. And... a sterile bass line can always be covered up with other things in the arrangement.
If the comment is, 'what about solos', well, there are probably more successful recordings of music without bass solos that with.
Obviously the successful player needs both, so separating them is merely an exercise in discussion, and really this topic is the 'chicken or egg' of bass playing.

 

[FirewalZ]

IMO, chops only matter to the extent of being able to play what you hear in your head. If you mentally hearing a line or groove that you can't really play, than work on that.

 

[Spectrum]

Feel. A feel player with minimal chops may be "boring" but in a mix he's fine. A chops player with no feel may be "exciting" but he ruins the listening experience.

As for drummers, I used to go to jazz jams, and got to play with a several different drummers in one evening many times. There was one guy who used to show up who liked to play a lot of fancy ornamental stuff but his feel was for ***t, he didn't really listen to what the bassist or anyone else was doing, and had trouble keeping a constant tempo. Solo he sounded kind of cool, but play bass with him just once and you didn't want to get paired up with him again. Worse was the fact that he would "get into the music", close his eyes and imagine he had feel, which was usually when his timekeeping would fall off the wagon. Some of the other jazz drummers were just super easy to lock into a groove with by comparison.

 

[40Hz]

As for drummers

This.

I can usually tell within five to ten minutes if working with any given drummer is going to be heaven or hell. And I think most TBers here could do the same.

Drummers are like vocalists. No way to hide it if somethings lacking. And it shows pretty quickly if it turns out they don’t have it.

 

[Scoops]

Actually, I think you need a blend of both.

I've put in my time practicing my scales, arpeggio's, and all the other things that set a firm foundation for my playing. (Chops)
Once the foundation is in place, the feel falls into place.

 

[Bassbeater]

I realize there isn't an easy way to answer this, but give the choice between a chops player and a guy without amazing chops but great feel, I'll take the feel player any day.

It seems like "feel" basically means "timing".
"Chops" basically meaning scale knowledge and implementation.
Chops are great to have, but they are meaningless if they are without feel.

 

[Joe Nerve]

Feel first, always... then chops, used wisely.

In the past year I've learned lots of tunes I never would have even heard or listened to, if I weren't getting paid to play them. What I'm discovering is that there are a lot of bassists out there these days that really know how to get a balance of chops and feel going. Most of em are playing country music, too. The new R&R, IMO.

For some reason this song really jumped out at me... if you listen closely (to the whole song), this guy can play, but never gets carried away. He stays totally in the mix throughout. He also builds as the song goes on. This is the kind of bass line writing I work towards. And FWIW, the playing in my FAIK video (in my sig) was intentionally self indulgent. I never play that way.



PS. I LOVE playing this song.

 

[Whousedtoplay]

The question is incorrect from the get-go.
To show/indicate that “feel” one must (!) have enough technique!
Without excellent technique your feel at that moment means nothing (!).
The question is improper!

P.S. Acquiring chops has better directions (through hard work), when acquiring that “feel” has more nebulous opinions.
In short.
Knowing/having that “feel” helps faster achieve your goal.

 

[Bassbeater]

That's a pop tune IMO. Putting 'country' in the song title and singing about catfish and crickets doesn't make it a country song. It's a well written and produced pop song, and the bass line is good, but I think it's masquerading as country to target a specific audience.

 

[Whousedtoplay]

It seems like "feel" basically means "timing".
"Chops" basically meaning scale knowledge and implementation.
Chops are great to have, but they are meaningless if they are without feel.

Sorry but your description doesn’t go far enough for me.
Tens of thousands of various bass players play that boring “Root-5th” pattern - just 2(two) notes, but all those bass musicians sound slightly different.
It’s because of “chops”.
As Avishai said, “There are million ways to play that quarter note “.

 

[soulman969]

Feel and timing.

 

[interp]

They are both important, but to me feel is more important. Witness Mohini Dey, a player with jaw dropping chops and very little feel. (Just my opinion, MD fans, please do not attack.)

 

[Whousedtoplay]

I would like to continue with my premise that “chops” are not scales.
Let’s look at that quarter note.
Immediately, I see it as minimum four 16ths while I am trying to articulate it based on my/required “feel”.
Sometimes, I need that quarter note be “2/16ths and 1/32 long”, sometimes I need to incorporate even the 64th(what) for my “feel”.
Next, I need to be technical enough to repeat the same articulation several times, or be able to switch my next quarter note’s articulation to something different. And I am talking about just a quarter note played as Root.
Here is my question.
If I need to articulate the quarter note as “two 16ths, one 32nd, and one 64th” long, what level of “chops” should I have?
P.S. And I have not said anything about “playing behind/before the beat...” or dynamics.

 

[ThinCrappyTone]

I prefer just chops and no feel

 

[gln1955]

Lack of chops won't kill a song.

Lack of feel will.