regardless of how technically challenging and chops-dependent a performance is, I can’t imagine one being musically rewarding or effective if the feel is wonky or not rhythmically cohesive.
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Feel vs Chops..which do you prefer or think is more important?
- Thread starter glocke1
- Start date
Not really. And not so easy. have seen it. Have live with it. You maybe right about someone not having or limited chops cant do tricks or intrincated lines. But someone with speed and intrincated lines (Slap & Pop, Tapping, double thump etc etc etc ) with no great feeling will sound dead, lifeless. How you came with the inverse conclusion? If you cant "chop" you cant be good at that. How can you "back off" to feeling someone who has not?
I once saw a Bass player with lots of chops and showoff techniques. Once we had to play just one note or even a chord was awful. You get what you get. Thats life. You choose. Its a balance, speed race and intrincated showoff will hevaier balance towards. Great feeling also. You choose what you like.
Now if you can be like lets say, Eric Jhonson, thats another story.... but thats not the OP question...
There are lots of great bands with bass players who have minimal chops. No great bands where the bass player can't feel a groove.
- Oct 18, 2012
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It depends on your definition of "great chops". For some reason, people equate speed and the number of notes a musician can play in a measure as meaning that they have great chops. This has never impressed me. Being able to play what is right for the song is what having great chops is all about. Knowing when to play more and when to play less is what's important. You can be more of a "feel" player than a technical player but you cannot have great feel without having great chops. You have to be able to play as well as feel, anticipate and play what is right for the song.
I have neither, and I do just fine. Thank you very much.
But then, I play for an audience of one.
Feel, most definitely.
But then, I play for an audience of one.
Feel, most definitely.
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Not everyone has the same kind of chops, nor the same feel.
As a bass guitarist, i'm not the most technical if anything my style of playing is derived (on guitar) from Keith Richards/Izzy Stradlin, Steve jones (sex pistols). I'm pretty simplistic & straight forward rather than being technical like Rhoads or Hendrix although i love their styles & music. & in bass well i just blend a lot of music styles as i'm influenced by Bands such as Thin Lizzy, The Clash, Grandmaster flash, Funkadelic. So i can play heavy handed, or melodic. I tend to stay away from simple root notes cause music I make with my band is meant to have fun & dance along. Bottom line for me, is to handle the groove & have it be solid with the drummer.
You can be the most technically diverse bassist & have amazing chops, but if you can't feel the music & let it do the talking & sway you to dance, i wouldn't bother. Unless again the music genre played needs technical playing.
As a bass guitarist, i'm not the most technical if anything my style of playing is derived (on guitar) from Keith Richards/Izzy Stradlin, Steve jones (sex pistols). I'm pretty simplistic & straight forward rather than being technical like Rhoads or Hendrix although i love their styles & music. & in bass well i just blend a lot of music styles as i'm influenced by Bands such as Thin Lizzy, The Clash, Grandmaster flash, Funkadelic. So i can play heavy handed, or melodic. I tend to stay away from simple root notes cause music I make with my band is meant to have fun & dance along. Bottom line for me, is to handle the groove & have it be solid with the drummer.
You can be the most technically diverse bassist & have amazing chops, but if you can't feel the music & let it do the talking & sway you to dance, i wouldn't bother. Unless again the music genre played needs technical playing.
Your chops have to be good enough that you can play what you need to, with a little "headroom" between what you're playing and what you're capable of playing. If you don't have enough chops, the feel will suffer. Once the chops are "there", then feel is important.
Feel vs Chops..which do you prefer or think is more important?
It's not a 'vs.' thing.
Chops (skills) give you choices and the ability to express yourself freely. That's important.
Feel goes without saying. To me music always feels better if played more competently.
It's not a 'vs.' thing.
Chops (skills) give you choices and the ability to express yourself freely. That's important.
Feel goes without saying. To me music always feels better if played more competently.
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Well, when I hire a musician for shows or studio I pay them. When you're paid you do as you're told, play the part, or you get excused. It's that simple, and the people who are in that business know this.
thank you!
since when did chops only refer to fast and technical playing? i used to hear it used to mean skill.
I agree. I’m not a huge Jaco fan, but he was a very expressive, lyrical player and had more “feel” than most players.
It is a vague word but sometimes music is vague right?
To me it means maybe having a good feel for a song or the type of music in question, but maybe not having the chops to articulate it in great detail...
The drummer in question from my OP was sort of like that, he had a great feel for the pulse of the music we were playing, but wasn't playing it at nearly the technical level that the original artist or others had done or would do.
