Cap'n
I partly agree with your first statement, but would qualify that with 'it depends on who the musician is'. You are not entitled to describe what many of us do and think and work at as 'claptrap', and to advise somebody who has asked for advice on something they are writing 'DON'T' strikes me as being somewhat arrogant and certainly unhelpful.
You may learn more by playing (I only have your word for that), but I have met plenty of people who play and sing a great deal and know nothing - they usually punctuate their conversation with 'that's claptrap'.
Jim Carroll