Just sounds like more insecurity to me...

I don't know where the trepidation comes from. What was the last decent posted song that got any flack? Who, exactly, has been singled out and slammed here for posting a tune, lately?

You know, in all my time of coming here, the only thing I can remember ever getting lambasted is when someone that tries to come off as a real 'pro' and expert in all things posts examples that were radically different in ability than you would have gathered from their written word.

Since then, many members have posted, and not one of them gets anything other than a pat on the back, a 'well done', and occasionally, a little well meant advice about how to have a go at making it better next time...

Anyone scared of that? Didn't think so... So why the aversion to ILLUSTRATING what you are talking about..?

Look, lots of folk 'talking the talk'. No shortage of that here. But many of the points, for one thing, make little sense without an example. And quite a few have, let's just say, well developed senses of their own abilities. But without an example, just how much stock can you put in their advice and opinions...?

If someone advises you about equipment, playing techniques, arranger operation, etc., wouldn't you like to be able to hear for yourself whether they actually have this so-called knowledge right? I'll also add that just about every other arranger forum DOES have PLENTY of people that post music examples. This is NOT some universal trend. Just here, for some reason...

If other forum's members can summon up the testicular fortitude to display their abilities, warts and all, why are we so testosteronely challenged here?

Maybe it's just that a whole lot of strutting might have to be dialed back (another of our differences with other forums) if you actually had to illustrate it... A ten year old kid could come here and offer seemingly 'expert' advice and we would be none the wiser. And a sixty year old One Finger chord player that just bought his first PSR could do the same. Without some way of finding out whether they can back up what they say, it kind of makes ALL the posts here an exercise in futility.

Unless you actually AGREE with the poster, that is... It basically makes this a WRITER'S forum, not a musicians. Because music is how musicians communicate... They PLAY music, not write about it (that's a critic's job!).

BTW, I know the dig wasn't personal, but for the record, my postings (mostly at Roland-arranger) have ranged from entirely arranger play, live no edits, to original music that the arranger has participated in the orchestrations, to arranger live play that only uses the drums, to SMF's that have all but the B&D muted, to more full arrangements. These are just SOME of the ways you can use an arranger, and I wanted to illustrate them. The singing? Well, I hope most can get past that! On a singer's forum, you'd hope they could get past the PLAYING...!

But there's a LOT of opinion and advice offered here at SZ. In fact, other than to just kibbutz, I come here to LEARN, and trying to do that involves a certain degree of having to find out whether the advice offered is coming from someone I can respect, at least musically. Without playing examples, who do you listen to? The one who crows the most, or the one who's posted examples illustrate they ARE talking from experience?

And, in the meantime, of course, PLENTY of members have posted music here with nary a bad word or destructive comment... So WHY are we using this as an excuse?

Why SHOULD SZ be the ONLY arranger forum where (at least SOME of) it's members are AFRAID to post?