Quote:


People in the grown up world, particularly song writers, accept and grow from criticism given with the right spirit and in the right way.



Hi Jeff,

I don't take any offense from your observations (not do I mean any). I only meant to offer a counterpoint to your point.

I agree with much of what you say. I went back and listened to Noel's song with your observations in mind, and I think you suggested some things that would be useful. The guitars do compete with the vocals, for example. But that gets into the realm of fine tuning. Most of the people on this forum HAVEN'T published 100 songs. Refinement of any craft happens by degree, and what is CONSTRUCTIVE criticism (notice I didn't say VALID criticism) varies at different points in the learning curve.

I don't agree with the mentality that Every kid gets an A on his report in order to avoid hurting anybody's feelings... in order to improve people DO need valid input, not false praise. Yet, even in a harsh and competitive environment we don't judge the undergrad by the same standards that we judge the professional. We judge the student by the skills he is expected to have mastered at his level. Most of the people in this forum are hobbyists, making music mostly for personal enjoyment, and that should be considered when offering strategies for improvement.

Regarding the topic of giving criticism in the right spirit:
It could probably be argued that starting out with the phrase "I was not exactly blown away by this song" was unnecessarily insulting, and not consistent with the goal of offering constructive criticism. Likewise the comments about crap and sow's ears. But people have different thresholds for that sort of thing. Noel's responses have all been quite gracious, so I must assume he's OK with your critique. Bottom line, the helpful stuff would have been just as helpful without the other statements.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ey71h8ep047758h/AAC12jNM0Hz9Q8zsh5iDeqNHa?dl=0