I personally feel that there are a zillion different preferences when it comes to music and playing it.
And I also agree that calling other approaches dumb is wrong. I don't feel like
any way is better than any other. It's all what works for you.
However, I do quite frequently see comments disparaging people who DO do covers and calling that dumb. Lots of comments about how "that's not even worth doing" as if doing that makes you
not a musician and I feel that's just as wrong, or mistaken if you prefer.
Look ..... for 45 years I've been primarily a hired gun/session player. Yes I've been in plenty of bands but my specialty has always been hired gun work. And I'm not talking about some I, IV, V blues band. Well .... sometimes .... but also bands doing stuff of a Steely Dan complexity and calling me up without me even knowing who they are and it being a matter of "Hi .... I'm Dan ..... can you do a gig Fri. at 7?"
In a typical week, if I played 7 gigs I might play with 4 different bands.
Now, for guys like me .....
everything is a cover. We go to a gig or the studio and do what the person that hires us wants us to do. Sometimes that involves playing a certain thing they want .... other times they want you to be free and put a lot of your own ideas in.
But regardless .... for session men and hired guns basically everything is a cover and all these guys are seriously good players because you have to be or you don't get hired.
So I personally have said many, many times that I don't believe in rules when it comes to music. Whatever makes you happy is what you should do.
And there are plenty of people who don't see the point of doing anything they didn't write ..... and that's cool ... for them.
But the sneers that people who play covers often get are as off base as the idea that only doing originals is dumb and it seems to be a common thing I hear.
What works for you is great AFAIC and that's what you should do. But i don't think looking down on those of us that do covers for a living is ok either. I do covers AND I have a great time doing it.
I do songs however the hell I feel like doing them so really ..... what's the difference?
And would I rather play 17 originals over and over and over , oh and this month I wrote two new ones so now I can play 19 over and over and over? Hell, I play 5 and 6 nights a week very frequently ..... how boring is that gonna get?
I currently have a songlist of around 550 songs ...... I have a ball and I get better as I play.
And when I want to do an original I do.
So don't be feeling sorry for me or look down on the cover thing ..... I probably have more fun playing music than any of ya'll and I don't find playing covers a burden at all.
What I want to be the best player I can be before I croak and this is one of the very best ways to get there.
One song I gotta cop a super twangy country feel and the next I'm doing Miles Davis .... or Doctor John ....... or prog ..... or reggae .... demands a lot and that's what I want .... to be pushed.
And you guys can write some songs I wanna do!