Musicianship vs. creativity?

[deeaa*]

Does it have to be mutually exclusive?

I have always feared it might be, and that is the main reason I have steered away from learning most any theory at all.

As you may have noticed, I can be very very prolific if I want to be. I play the guitar like a few times a month but still I make a lot of songs, and I always felt there's few things easier than making songs. Just pick a scale or a chord to base it on, zone out, come up with a vocal melody idea, play something to support it and spice it up with some guitar riffs, and you have a song. Nothing easier. If I had the time, I could churn out a song a day if needed, or more.

BUT it seems to me the more you know theory, play, or concentrate on it, the less prolific you become.

Case in point I just did this jazzy song with this great professional musician, a bassist...it's here in the last post, still missing another guitar:
http://www.thefret.net/showthread.ph...-DeeAa-s-tunes

The song was based on a riff I have now and then played, and we had our yearly training session a few months back with Whobody and I decided to make a song out of it, so we played it over a few times, I made vocals for it, and it become one of the half a dozen new songs we made that night. Then I spent an hour maybe recording it and writing lyrics. Not like a huge time-consuming effort.

BUT this bassist...well he's REALLY pro with music...I spent hours with him explaining theory and whatnot, chord analysis of the song and we changed some accents on my guitar and some chords/riffs a bit more simple...hours. It did turn out better no doubt, and in the end he recorded this killer bass track for it - direct to DI too, no FX or anything, not even a compressor...this guy's playing is level like a brick wall and he doesn't need ANY FX or amps even to sound great with just a bass to a D/I box is fine...because he plays like 8 hours daily I guess.

So fine...but the point is...he's a superb player and knows so much about music and how to build chords and make weird and interesting harmonies and uses notes I'd never think of...BUT...
To my knowledge he has never composed a song. Sure, bass parts for songs in great numbers...but never original music at all. Not one song.

How's that possible? Is he just too self-aware or what? It seems to me, maybe, when he's supposed to make some music, it just becomes an endless search for the best notes possible and weird time signatures or whatever, and it's never good enough.

Much like with this song of mine...he would have wanted to play it hours and hours, and over several days I believe, and come up with more and more options and ways to approach it and different, interesting guitar chords etc...why? I must agree, it did become better with his suggestions, but isn't there a line somewhere after which it becomes just...too much.

No, I think I prefer to churn out a song in a few minutes when the mood hits, and not spend aeons on perfecting it.

What say you?

[piebaldpython***]

Doesn't have to be mutually exclusive. The goal for you and your bassist is to MAKE music. Your version is to make NEW music/lyrics/songs. His version is to PERFECT/augment something that was already created.

IMHO, it's just different sides of similar coins.

[oldtomfoolery]

Does it have to be mutually exclusive?

I have always feared it might be, and that is the main reason I have steered away from learning most any theory at all.

What say you?

Honestly, from the rest of your post, you seem to be using music theory more than most music theorists! Theory is not based on rules. They are simply labels for things we here, so we can recall them easier. If you determine that you are going to play a G chord and expect a certain sound, play it, and get that result, congrats! Music theory brother! Don't be afraid of it, it will just expand your musical vocabulary and give you more freedom to say what you want because you'll have much more options to choose from. It's called "circumstantial freedom" and a major part of philosophy.

Dot forget that jimmy page was a hell of a reader and a studio guy. Hendrix's father was a jazz saxophonist, Wes Montgomery didn't read music, but that doesnt mean that he didn't know a crapload about chord tones and tensions.