Just curious. I've noticed that, in an honest evaluation, the songs posted here range from very good to very bad. Still, most responses are positive or, at the very least, not negative. Hardly ever does anyone point out that a vocal has some serious pitch problems; or that an arrangement or solo is amateurish at best. The question is, is it in the best interest of the performer (for us) to sugarcoat what is obviously a poor performance. What if the spirit is willing but the talent is just not there? If we do choose to offer CONSTRUCTIVE critisism, should we limit it to only those who have career ambitions (and let the "home only" guys slide)? If a person is playing out and can't hear themselves out of tune, should we 1) leave it to their paying public to inform them, 2) politely suggest that they run their vocals through AUTOTUNE (PC software) before posting them, or 3) suggest that they get another vocalist to help them showcase their musical creations. This also applies to instrumentalist who feel the need to showcase their talents when their actual skills dictate otherwise. Of course we want to be supportive, but sending a false message to support a fantasy is not going to help that person shore up his or her weak areas. Normally this would be none of our business except that when you put something out there for public consumption, examination, critique, etc., you've got to be willing to accept all feedback, good or bad, as long as it's offered in a constructive way. I kind of lost my way with this post but you get the idea. What do you think?

chas

Great.... post for sure CGiles ......Now you know why as I stated before in other posts refrain from my HONEST opinion of many of these songs posted as do many many others also Just To Be Nice, you cant learn to get better from being nice it just gives a false sense of security to the performer....You can listen to a terrible song with pitch, tempo, playing problems etc etc & then surprisingly you will see Rave Reviews posted After 35 yrs of performing I think I know what sounds good.
As you can already see that if you post your true feeling people start to pack their bags, take a hissy fit, and run away!

Happy Holiday


[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 11-22-2005).]

We have to be careful with our constructive criticism...not to discourage the performer.
Try and do it in a manner not to hurt one's feelings...The best way I know to do this is privately make a suggestion..

"Privately" might help feelings, but it doesn't help others learn who are reading these posts...honest discussion = education.

I do try to think of something positive to say about the posts, or I say nothing at all. Also, if the song or genre is a type that I don't understand or appreciate I usually won't comment.
To tell the truth if someone is off key or way out of time, I just don't want to take a chance hurting their feelings or making them mad. After all, it's only my opinion and while I'm almost always right, there is a small, mathematical chance that I could be wrong...NAAH!
It's a good topic and good question though. I hope we get some better answers than mine!
DonM

[This message has been edited by Scottyee (edited 11-23-2005).]

Well,
The truth is that in most cases I always have many things to say, both positive and negative. From my experience I learned that it is better to save as much negativity as possible and give advice on how thing could get better.
Turning to composing skills, well, music composing is a process that depends on one's feelings so a composer would get very upset if you tell that him/her that his/her song doesn't worth a penny. Fortunately, I haven't come across such poor song in SZ.

I know I'll be crusified when you hear me sing.

King regards,
George V

Uh Oh..future song post, no feedback = sucks!

Chas....Very good topic....you must remember, not everyone has the same level of hearing the music-vocals of the songs, taken this into account, there is room for leeway with the critique of some songs also taking into account most of the members posting songs or demos are not in the mainstream giging for a living...the ones that do have posted most of their music on their own web-sites for listening in hopes oof getting more work....I think that if one was to listen to these and then listen to what is posted here there will be a difference...yes, you may be correct when you say that it may be a disservice for some folks, but if you've noticed here it's sometimes hard to be "Diplomatic" on a public forum...I think that everyone here deserves the right to be heard and yes, given an honest critique...again a very good topic well presented....thank you
BTW, what is this software you made mention of??
TR

[This message has been edited by Tony Rome (edited 11-22-2005).]

Tony, the software is Antares Autotune, available as either a plugin or standalone. However, I've heard some of your offerings.....trust me, YOU don't need it.

chas