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Feel vs Chops..which do you prefer or think is more important?
- Thread starter glocke1
- Start date
Presenting chops with feel is something anyone with more from either category should strive toward.
If they don't have enough chops, the feel won't be there.
If they have the feel, they have at least enough chops.
If they don't have enough feel, no amount of chops will save it.
If they have the feel, they have at least enough chops.
If they don't have enough feel, no amount of chops will save it.
To me feel is more important. The only people who care about flashy chops are other musicians imo. Been there done that. Musicians don’t buy merch
Ideally, both and to know where each is appropriate. But if I had to choose:
Lots of chops & not much feel = annoying.
Lots of feel & not much chops = workable.
Lots of chops & not much feel = annoying.
Lots of feel & not much chops = workable.
Can have all the technical ability and talent in the world but if you don’t have feel and don’t when to apply said talent or not, it counts for nothing.
Yes, it will-Not the song perhaps but the performance of it.
If the players are incompetent only they, their moms and girl/boy friends will 'feel ' anything when listening to them.
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'Feel',to some degree, is in the head of the listener(and/or player) anyways...what 'feels' right varies from listener to listener.
And that the player feels god knows what, whilst playing , does not mean , by any means,that this will translate and communicate to anyone else.
And that the player feels god knows what, whilst playing , does not mean , by any means,that this will translate and communicate to anyone else.
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What are (musical) chops?
From the internet.
"Chops: technical ability, to execute music physically and to negotiate chord changes."
"ability to play an instrument as distinct from a persons creative ability"
Meaning and definition of chops :
A musician’s playing technique or ability.
What Are Musical Chops?
"A musician might impress his colleagues and receive compliments on his “chops,” which translates to his ability to play."
Flexibility
A performer able to perform on his instrument with great flexibility has musical chops. It means he has developed to perform passages with great ease and agility."
Finally, chops can refer to general overall musicianship and proficiency. A player that consistently plays over the course of several performances at a high level has good and reliable chops. "Chops" in this sense refers to a general ability to play music in a professional manner without making mistakes, forgetting music, arriving late or causing problems with a performance group."
From the internet.
"Chops: technical ability, to execute music physically and to negotiate chord changes."
"ability to play an instrument as distinct from a persons creative ability"
Meaning and definition of chops :
A musician’s playing technique or ability.
What Are Musical Chops?
"A musician might impress his colleagues and receive compliments on his “chops,” which translates to his ability to play."
Flexibility
A performer able to perform on his instrument with great flexibility has musical chops. It means he has developed to perform passages with great ease and agility."
Finally, chops can refer to general overall musicianship and proficiency. A player that consistently plays over the course of several performances at a high level has good and reliable chops. "Chops" in this sense refers to a general ability to play music in a professional manner without making mistakes, forgetting music, arriving late or causing problems with a performance group."
^^^
Years ago I attended an open jam in a Florida town where the level of play was above average. A kid came in on bass during a switch-out and sounded like a house on fire during his warm up—enough to make me perk up my ears and take notice in a noisy space. I’m thinking to myself, ‘Is this kid the next Jaco or something?’ When the music began, this kid who lit up the place warming up couldn’t find a basic blues groove with an extra hand. Without groove, chops become a novelty act.
Years ago I attended an open jam in a Florida town where the level of play was above average. A kid came in on bass during a switch-out and sounded like a house on fire during his warm up—enough to make me perk up my ears and take notice in a noisy space. I’m thinking to myself, ‘Is this kid the next Jaco or something?’ When the music began, this kid who lit up the place warming up couldn’t find a basic blues groove with an extra hand. Without groove, chops become a novelty act.
This is the OP's intended question, it was not a circular discussion about word definitions.
I think we still have a few TB members who don’t see what ingredients make that Feel.
Let’s simplify some terms.
Feel - as a rhythmic pulse, groove.
Microfeel - as that “before/behind the beat... articulation.
Feeling - it’s what separates us - every musician- from programmed robot playing lots of notes.
Let’s simplify some terms.
Feel - as a rhythmic pulse, groove.
Microfeel - as that “before/behind the beat... articulation.
Feeling - it’s what separates us - every musician- from programmed robot playing lots of notes.
I would like to ask you a question.
What is behind that good “Feel”?
I’ try to paraphrase a cholesterol commercial.
Feel could come from your parents, genes,
Feel could come from what you “eat” as what you are listening to,
Feel could come from somewhere else - we don’t have a good answer about the third cause of good/bad Feel.
Now.
Let’s take a superb Sax player with an excellent sense of Feel and ask the Saxophone player to play some rhythmic groove on the bass.
“But I’ve never played the bass guitar”, says the Sax player.
“I understand but you have an excellent feel sense and superb chops while playing the Sax.”
I think you have got my point.
Let’s take two bass players X and Y.
Both players have the same level of Feel, but
X can play (max) the 16ths at 200BPM, while
Y can play (max) the 16ths at 100BPM.
Which one player, in your opinion, would better dynamically/rhythmically articulate some 16th note groove at 90BPM?
On the one hand, feel might be considered part of being in control of your chops on an emothional as well as practical level. On the other hand, can chops be considered chops if you aren't in control of them?
Just food for thought...
Just food for thought...
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I feel that you are just busting my chops with pedantic self serving nonsense. I feel that you clearly want badly to be correct about something subjective. I think I have pretty good feel for base comments.
Therefore, Charlie Watts.
