Guide to Writing Critiques

Need help writing critiques? It’s not that hard really… Anyone can do it! For your convenience, here are a few things that may help you get on your way:

Before writing any critique to a song, always listen to the whole way through. Please don’t judge a song by the first few seconds, or even it’s first minute; there may be unexpected changes up ahead that you don’t see coming, there may be instrumental outbursts that you won’t catch when you’re skipping through it. A groove often requires patience to settle in to, particularly when dealing with a type of music you haven’t experienced before… which is not uncommon occurrence on this site! It’s encouraged to always listen to the whole song before judging it. If you don’t get the feel of the song right away, listen to it a second time, or even more. Be patient, absorb the music.

When critiquing, remember, it’s important to explain yourself. Simply saying such as: “this is good :)”, “rock on!”, or “I like it” – is not enough. Though simple appreciation may be somewhat helpful for an artist, it would mean a lot more to know where the appreciation comes from. For instance, saying: “I like this song, that bass lick totally does it for me!” or “It’s good, but the vocals aren’t all that”. That’s ten times more interesting already… However… still short, and a tad incomplete… It would be much nicer if you could share your personal expertise to help an artist improve - even if you haven’t created any music yourself, you surely know what you like to hear, right?

Listen to the production value of a song. Do you have any suggestions of how to improve the audio quality of the individual instruments, the mix, or the mastering? Please share them!
Listen closely to the structure of a song. What can you say about the composition? How does it build up, how do the individual parts work together? What does the soundscape do to you, what images and feelings are invoked, how does the groove make you feel? Keep in mind though that not all songs are aimed at a large pop audience, and most artists probably have a good reason for doing the song the way they’re doing it, so always keep an open mind. But do not hesitate to share it if you come across any alarmingly disturbing elements in your listening experience; likewise, in the opposite direction of possibilities.
Listen closely to the instrumental and vocal performance. There must be something you can say about that. Even if it’s mere praise - but even then, if you are interested in an artist’s technique, feel free to ask about it. How often do you get the chance to ask a musician you admire for tips/tricks? Take advantage!

Don’t be too specific. It’s not very insightful saying: “you missed a note at 2:32”, however, if you find that an artist has structurally problems, it would be of great help to offer a suggestion for improvement: “I can hear you like speed soloing, but you may want to practice your timing first.” Or, if you have experience, going further; advising on specific things to practice, artists to study, or whatever may have helped you. Share your experience.

One last thing: keep it clean! There are many ways of expressing your distaste, however, name-calling, venom spewing, and other childish behavior are not effective, and not permitted.

Anything else you can think of is most welcome. Feel free to take a personal interest in an artist. Ask about their gear, recording methods, ambitions and music projects. Everybody loves to get critiques to their songs, and it figures - as do you. Write an informative critique and chances are likely you will be returned the favor. But, please, stay honest in your opinions and observations, don’t merely sing praise in the hope of receiving the same back — it does not work that way.

Remember, BandAMP’s strength is it’s community; the interaction between music lovers from all over the world, and we love to have you here!

[written by PuppetXeno]