Song Critiques: How to Take A Punch to the Gut
By Dave Byers | October 1, 2007
As writers we love to get other people’s opinion of our songs.
Usually we finish a new song, and we’re so proud of it, we want everybody to hear it and get excited too, so they can celebrate our greatness and lavish praise on us of how wonderfully talented we are.
Asking for feedback will usually get you one of two things:
- An honest critique
- A sugar-coated critique
This may seem obvious, but the truth is that many writers never reach their full potential, because they (1) get their feelings hurt from a negative critique; and (2) they wallow in mediocrity because they never got honest, constructive feedback.
Imagine you go outside to grab the newspaper, and your neighbor waves to you and says, “Hi, how are you today?” You would most likely smile and say, “I’m fine,” and continue on your way to grab the newspaper, right?
You don’t say that you’re actually having a bad day because you missed your promotion, you’re concerned about your dad’s health, and your football team just lost their 4th straight game and your afternoon is going down hill faster than your paycheck.
Nope, instead you just sugar-coated your answer.
A real friend might respond to your fake “I’m fine” answer and say, “Hey, how are you REALLY doing? You don’t seem yourself today. Tell me what’s going on.”
It shows they truly care about you, rather than just paying you lip service.
Honest critiques are harder to receive and even harder to give. It means pointing out and acknowledging weaknesses and problem areas in your song.
Don’t Touch My Baby!
It’s never fun listening to someone say there’s a blemish - an imperfection - on your baby, like “she is spoiled” or “he is too fat.” But if they needed to break bad news, they’d point it out to you in a caring manner, so that you could correct the problem.
A common problem with novice writers is that they get too attached to their song. It’s their baby, and it’s beautiful just the way it is. Believe me, I’ve said that with tears in my eyes. I still feel this way when I write a new song I’m really proud of.
But a song is NOT a baby, and if you want it to be as strong and successful as possible, you must seek out honest feedback from qualified, impartial people.
Don’t miss those two key words. Qualified means someone who has some level of knowledge and experience in songwriting. You wouldn’t ask your car mechanic if he thought your chorus was too long. Impartial means someone who is not emotionally tied to you. You should NEVER ask your close friends and family to critique you because they love you and don’t want to hurt your feelings.
Watch out for feedback like:
- Oh what a nice song!
- Wow, that’s really good. You’re talented!
- That song is so sweet!
It may do wonders for your ego, but it gives you nothing to work with. Nothing to improve. It’s sugar-coated.
Remember, too much sugar will rot your teeth!
When a good critiquer sees things that don’t seem right, or has suggestions or alternative ideas, they will let you know caring way. Instead of saying, “Your song stinks!” they might say, “I think you could work on this section, or this, etc.”
When I critique songs, I try to give the writer a few options, because as writers we all get tunnel vision. Usually, my feedback consists of comments like:
- I don’t think your title is focused enough to stand out from the crowd.
- The intro is really long. Why not shorten it?
- You changed rhyme scheme in mid-verse. Won’t that confuse the listener?
- Your chorus needs to lift more. It sounds too much like the rest of the song.
- You should refine your storyline to simplify it down. Don’t go off in too many directions.
- Try using more descriptive language in the verse. Paint me an intimate portrait; don’t just tell me about it.
Sometimes I get specific ideas and will suggest a different type of verse or storyline and make specific suggestions.
NOTE: In the rare event you look at a song and see nothing that you can point to and suggest, you’d be best saying, “I took an honest look at your song and really have no suggestions. It seems very good as it is, and I really don’t have any input for you differently.”
If someone tells you your song doesn’t sound right, chances are it may hit many others secretly feel that way too. Consider their opinion carefully and then decide if you agree with it.
SongwriterToolbox Tip: Print up the responses you get and think them over for a couple days before you make any final decisions.
When getting feedback, have an open mind, thank them for taking their time and being a friend enough to give you their honest opinion, carefully consider their opinion, and then decide on your changes after having seen the alternatives.
It’s not the critiquer’s job to rewrite your song. True, they may get an idea and pass it on to you. But don’t think that just because someone pointed out an error for you that they should also fix it. That’s your job, and more importantly your decision to decide if it was an error, or perhaps just a beauty mark. J
It’s your song, make it a good one.
(3 votes, average: 4.33 out of 5)
Loading ...About the Author
Dave is the founder of WritingSongs.com and the Christian Songwriters Organization. He has been writing songs since 1979. His book Songwriting Fundamentals is full of helpful hints for both new and seasoned songwriters. Visit Author's Website.
Last 5 posts by Dave Byers
- Privacy And Disclosure Policies - October 27th, 2007
- Sitemap - October 27th, 2007
- Frequently Asked Questions - October 27th, 2007
- Members - October 27th, 2007
- Legal - October 27th, 2007
Email Notification
Enter your email address below to be notified of new entries to this blog. For your protection, a verification email will be sent to you. Check your inbox.
Related Entries
- No Related Posts
