Chops, Tone, or Writing?

[sinner]

How many spend as much time developing their Writing Skills as they do building Chops or Chasing Tone?

What's more important to you--
Chops
Tone
Writing

Why?


Practice is necessary to grow, and Tone can inspire you, but for me it's the Writing that is most important.

Why? For me, I am not interesting in having amazing Chops and my Tone is already better than I am as a player (with just a nice Tele, LP, and Tweed Fender, ZenDrive, Landgraff).

I also do not cover songs or want to do Jazz (anymore). I just wanna write some Rock Songs. I need just enough Chops and Tone to Communicate the Song.

What's your story?

[gls500]

It's all about the song for me.

[Bankston]

Writing gives me the most satisfaction.

[object47]

fearlessness.

[gainiac]

For me chops and tone are vehicles to be employed via writing.

[gainiac]

Tone is useless in a vacuum. Every piece deserves a treatment.

[Powerpopfan]

If I had to pick one to the exclusion of the others, it would be writing.

Besides being what interests me the most, writers get paid in perpetuity for what they have created. Players have to play to get paid.

[derekd]

Writing is fun, but I aspire to be the best player I can be. Improved tone will follow my increased playing ability.

[Rick N Boogie]

I'd like to believe I'm working on my chops while composing, or at least comming up with cool riffs, but since I've spent a couple of years chasing tone, that's how I voted. The thing is though, that during that quest for the perfect tone, I was also working on both writing skills, and my playing technique, so it's a win-win.

[rob2001]

I picked writing, but at some point I like to have the right tone and the right chops for the song. Many times i'll write, and then have to practice my ass off to get my chops up to the level I expected. It all fits together.

[Rufus]

Well if I could choose any of the above to excel at, it would definitely be writing. Best, easiest road to succeed in the music business, IMO (not that I would know from personal experience).

But the fact is, I am not, and never will be, a great songwriter. I just don't have what it takes. And while I'm sure I could improve my writing ability by studying composition or engaging in other similar endeavors, my writing would still likely never exceed "slightly less than terrible." So instead I just work on developing musical versatility in the hopes that it will come in handy at jam sessions.

[gixxerrock]

Originally Posted by shihanderek

Writing is fun, but I aspire to be the best player I can be. Improved tone will follow my increased playing ability.

Agree with this. Tone is part of chops. Writing is a way to find my voice, build a vocabulary which is also part of chops for me.

[Bryan T]

Originally Posted by gainiac

For me chops and tone are vehicles to be employed via writing.

That's where I am. I certainly focus on my technique and my sound, but (hopefully!) in service of the music I'm making.

Choosing between the three doesn't really make a lot of sense to me.

[Donn Rowe]

Writing for me...playing is just a vehical for writing and its what I've worked on the most since I started as a kid. As a player I'm pretty average and I'm OK with that

[teletran1175]

It's something more primal to me than just writing.
Something more like expression. Chops, tone and writing are a means to that end.