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

[J-Mags]

Agreed. IME the most common definition of "chops" is speed and/or other technical prowess that is well above average -- e.g. Jaco, Geddy -- rather than that necessary to execute rock/pop standards.

Paul McCartney is rightfully revered for his musicianship, but shouldn't be classified as a "chops" bassist (unless you want to stretch and say "creative chops"). And that's a good thing: "chops playing" would be inappropriate for Beatles tunes. My point isn't that McCartney's bass lines are simple (they're not), but only that they don't fall under "chops playing".



With that in mind: feel first, always. If there's no feel, then there's no point -- that is, if music is the goal, and not genital-flaunting.

Let's skip McCartney and go right to some kinds of punk rock, or 80s Dusty Hill (I guess you'd need the odd turnaround for that). There are some kinds of music where all you need to do, chops wise, is to hit quarter or eighth notes on the root with timing and assurance. You need feel to play that music, but it would distort any reasonable definition of "chops" to say that you needed chops. You could literally be having the guitar player explain to you, "play this string on this fret, then you play that string on that fret, until the roots of all of the song's four chords have been covered. If you play your four notes with the proper feel, the music will sound good.

Try to reverse that with chops, and you can't do it. There is no amount of chops that will make the music feel good if you've got no feel. It doesn't matter if you're playing bebop and you know every chord on earth.

Think about playing with a drummer. If the drummer has just the right timing to their kick and snare hits, you will want to keep coming back, even if their repertoire is confined by limited skills. They might not be the right drummer for a specific job, but you will want to come back and play with "feel" drummer. A drummer with no feel will give you a headache, period, no matter what their "chops" may be, sometimes even if they keep tolerable time.

 

[StatesideRambler]

a very good example, chops can be practiced feel and groove no, you either have it or you dont

Based on decades of experience (yep, I'm still an old guy) I disagree. Without question, there are people who will never become fluid in their playing, no matter how much effort they invest. OTOH patient practice with guidance by a teacher who "gets it" can move many players to feel and convey emotion in what they're playing. The reward is worth the effort.

"... people saying: “It can’t be done,” are always being interrupted by somebody doing it." — Puck (Dec. 1902 issue)

 

[socialleper]

What is "good" in both is a little subjective, don't you think? That makes it hard to say.

If you have groove but no chops, that groove will never be realized. If you have chops and no groove your music will feel sterile and lifeless.
The most important thing is to have chops and groove that works for the music you are trying to create. If you don't understand the feel of a style or the technique to execute the style, you are going nowhere.

 

[Fuzzbass]

If you have groove but no chops, that groove will never be realized.

Disagree. The common definition of "chops" is not "adequate" technique, but "above average" or even "virtuoso" technique. Guys like Duck Dunn, Dusty Hill, even Paul McCartney are known for their feel, and especially in McCartney's case, their creativity. OTOH Geddy, Jaco, Victor: chops bassists (with feel, otherwise they wouldn't be so renowned).

Now if you are referring to a genre like progressive jazz fusion, then yeah, chops/speed are pretty much required. But there's a whole bunch of great music that merely requires feel and not chops.

 

[EatS1stBassist]

I try to put feeling into my (1) chop!!

 

[socialleper]

Guys like Duck Dunn, Dusty Hill, even Paul McCartney are known for their feel, and especially in McCartney's case, their creativity.

Then that goes back to the relativistic nature of what "good" means. Did McCartney have "feel"? Relative to what? Did Dunn have chops? Relative to what?
Then it all starts coming down to opinion, which always makes discussions like this tough. However, the OP didn't ask for a objective ruling about who has what, but merely what in our opinions is more important.
My opinion is that what makes a great player that I want to hear, is when their chops align with their feel, and then the sum of that connects with me emotionally. For me, one isn't more important than the other.

 

[SteveCS]

Based on decades of experience (yep, I'm still an old guy) I disagree. Without question, there are people who will never become fluid in their playing, no matter how much effort they invest. OTOH patient practice with guidance by a teacher who "gets it" can move many players to feel and convey emotion in what they're playing. The reward is worth the effort.

"... people saying: “It can’t be done,” are always being interrupted by somebody doing it." — Puck (Dec. 1902 issue)

Good post! I think there is some confusion around what is meant by feel. Most players can, within the constraints of their technique, express the 'emotion of the day' in their playing. But music is rarely about expressing how the musician is feeling...

More often its about expressing the emotional intent of the music. And most of the time that will not align with our own state of mind. For some definitions of 'feel' this alignment is essential to put in a convincing performance - catch them on a good day and get blown away. Catch them on a bad day... Night after night, perfect alignment is unlikely to happen by chance. Maybe that's what drives the pure 'feelers' off the rails - trying by whatwver means to maintain the 'necessary' state of mind by fighting their own...

In a performance we have to leave our personal feelings in the dressing room and become slaves to the music. To present the emotions of the music we have to transcend our own - that requires intimacy with the music (not just the bass line), the mental technique to set our own feelings aside and the physical techniques necessary to actually execute. IMHO, that total three-sided package represents 'chops' - and like any triangle, it loses it's strength the minute one of the corners is removed.

 

[Ron Berenato]

This discussion reminds me of Mick Ralph's guitar licks at the end of "Feel like making' love". Technically simple but full of feeling and soul. I go with feeling over technique, but it's great to have both.

 

[48thStreetCustom]

Feel, all day long. I’m sick of seeing musicians trying to impress me. Prog, jamband, math rock... I’m done with them all.

 

[Skybone]

Feel vs. Chops?

Both are equally important in a bass player. If you don't have feel, then no amount of chops will help you "get it".

 

[chadds]

Feel. Muddy Waters said, “I’ll play one note and make your beer go flat.”

But you know the answer. Three notes played with meaning gets the whole room jumping. That arpeggio you practiced that only ten people in the world can play? You know the answer.
Ever hear a symphonic orchestra that was just meh and another playing same piece where you wanted to “whoop?”

 

[BassGuyFL]

You need a certain amount of chops to be able to play but I see plenty of people with tons of chops and no feel. Also people can have tons of feeling and not need a bunch of chops

Something I've noticed a lot recently that IMHO there's a difference in playing bass and playing things ON a bass. I follow a bunch of players on social media from pros to amateurs and I see a lot of people doing some neat tricks but is it really playing "bass"? There's people doing a lot of crazy slapping and tapping, there's a guy that owns a Dingwall and every Darkglass panel made and plays nothing but Periphery covers, guys doing a lot of intricate chordal compositions with a lot of watery reverb etc.

But here's what I don't see them playing. Gigs. If all you want to do is just sit and play stuff at home for your own amusement that's great. But I don't know if I would hire the Dingwall guy to come cover for me if I needed a sub for my tribute band or my 80s band or my country band.

On the flipside there's a guy I follow who plays for a well-known and much-maligned new country band. I don't know how well he slaps or taps but his Instagram is full of him playing for huge audiences and TV shows.