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+---- Thread: CRITICISM - AND WHO GIVES IT AND WHEN (/Thread-CRITICISM-AND-WHO-GIVES-IT-AND-WHEN)
CRITICISM - AND WHO GIVES IT AND WHEN - Chello - 04-11-2026
CRITICISM - AND WHO GIVES IT AND WHEN
This may be a dangerous subject, but I'll bring it up anyway.
My brother always said that if there's something you don't like, you shouldn't comment on it.
I've always followed his rule, except if someone asks for criticism, and then I insist on giving it constructively, but try to be as friendly as possible.
If I don't like the music at all, I refrain from commenting on it, even if a comment is wanted.
I've been subjected to criticism of all kinds over the years, and as long as the critic can do it better than me, I accept it.
My brother was my best critic, even though his criticism was often negative - I knew he was right.
When he was very positive on the rare occasion, I also knew that I was really doing well.
He was often a listener when I played, and he was always engaged by rhythm and harmonies, but had a distinct sense for simple ballads with simple harmonies, while I have always had a tendency for complex rhythms and complex harmonies.
His criticism taught me to calm down, and to mix simplicity with complexity.
I believe that most people's performances can be improved by using more melodic harmonization and making the bass and drums more prominent - the latter is almost always done poorly.
RE: CRITICISM - AND WHO GIVES IT AND WHEN - welsh wizard - 04-12-2026
good advice
RE: CRITICISM - AND WHO GIVES IT AND WHEN - whitecolin1 - 04-13-2026
i totally agree, however my experience is their are people who go out the way to criticise others work, question the method and achievement and for the most part dont acknowledge the content.
Fortunatly on this forum this is rare, and the content is great and diverse, Ive learned so much about style creation by you no who and now im learning how to use my Pc from Hugh lol.
More people contribute on this platform than any other
RE: CRITICISM - AND WHO GIVES IT AND WHEN - Graham UK - 04-13-2026
To criticise...I belive should be done in a private message, because openly the writen words could be taken in wrong text and be misunderstood.
RE: CRITICISM - AND WHO GIVES IT AND WHEN - Chello - 04-13-2026
(04-13-2026, 10:49 AM)whitecolin1 Wrote: i totally agree, however my experience is their are people who go out the way to criticise others work, question the method and achievement and for the most part dont acknowledge the content.
Fortunatly on this forum this is rare, and the content is great and diverse, Ive learned so much about style creation by you no who and now im learning how to use my Pc from Hugh lol.
More people contribute on this platform than any other
⚖Colin
Agreed - and critics of the type you mention are perhaps the worst of them all.
There have been a few examples here in the forum, but I have done what I can to put their message to rest.
Thanks for your praise of me and Hugh; he is a goldmine for any forum.
RE: CRITICISM - AND WHO GIVES IT AND WHEN - Chello - 04-13-2026
(04-13-2026, 01:09 PM)Graham UK Wrote: To criticise...I belive should be done in a private message, because openly the writen words could be taken in wrong text and be misunderstood.
⚅Graham
Thanks for your wise comment.
Criticism given in a private message is a sure way to minimize the chance of misunderstandings.
RE: CRITICISM - AND WHO GIVES IT AND WHEN - Hugh Wallington - 04-13-2026
I presume that with regard to criticism you are talking about music that is put up. There are other Forums where one has to specify what sort of criticism one wants eg. constructive criticism welcomed; I am looking for words of encouragement; please be kind but help me etc. .. and no option just to leave this blank. In other words, they put music up with the expectation that somebody who knows more about music than they do will give them a few hints on how to improve their playing; or that their music teacher will just give them a pat on the back and say “Well done!”.
Thing is, music is a commodity that is impossible to analyse, and people like to listen to different types of music for different reasons. So asking for or making comments is flawed from the word go!
My feeling about putting up music is that the person playing it must have felt a sense of achievement, either because they have put together what they reckon is an amazing sound; or it’s because they have succeeded in reading all those dots and created something worth listening to. Even recording a piece right through without a mistake is an achievement! They then want to share their excitement with others and not just keep it to themselves. If they have enjoyed creating the music, perhaps others will get that excitement too by listening to it.
It’s all about the music!
Hugh
RE: CRITICISM - AND WHO GIVES IT AND WHEN - Chello - 04-13-2026
(04-13-2026, 06:04 PM)Hugh Wallington Wrote: I presume that with regard to criticism you are talking about music that is put up. There are other Forums where one has to specify what sort of criticism one wants eg. constructive criticism welcomed; I am looking for words of encouragement; please be kind but help me etc. .. and no option just to leave this blank. In other words, they put music up with the expectation that somebody who knows more about music than they do will give them a few hints on how to improve their playing; or that their music teacher will just give them a pat on the back and say “Well done!”.
Thing is, music is a commodity that is impossible to analyse, and people like to listen to different types of music for different reasons. So asking for or making comments is flawed from the word go!
My feeling about putting up music is that the person playing it must have felt a sense of achievement, either because they have put together what they reckon is an amazing sound; or it’s because they have succeeded in reading all those dots and created something worth listening to. Even recording a piece right through without a mistake is an achievement! They then want to share their excitement with others and not just keep it to themselves. If they have enjoyed creating the music, perhaps others will get that excitement too by listening to it.
It’s all about the music!
Hugh
⚖Hugh
Thanks for your interesting perspective on the topic.
The essence of making music and sharing this with others is to engage them (positively) - there is always someone who likes YOUR way of making music, no matter what.
Also - it is almost impossible to play something perfectly without mistakes, and being overly focused on perfectionism most often ends up with the music becoming robotic and losing its empathy and dynamics.
My best performances are all done without any rehearsal and directly - without exception.
Real music is the engagement of the moment, something improvisation is a good example of.
Music that is played slavishly from sheets has a tendency to become static, because most sheets are greatly simplified.
However, it is of great importance to what extent the performer possesses technical and musical abilities.