emeraldsoul
jsg
When I am teaching composition, I always ask my students questions BEFORE commenting, questions such as "What are you trying to accomplish in this passage?" or "Are you aware that the voice-leading of your inner voice at measure 42 in the second beat tends to weaken the dissonance you created in the upper voices?", or at measure 73, when the rhythm changes abruptly, are you sure the transition is smooth and convincing enough for you? I don't offer criticism until I understand the composer's objective, and whether I think I can help them achieve it.
You could do something like this here, very easily. But no one here is paying you. You have to do it just to be helpful.
jsg
Very specific criticism from people who know a lot about composition (because they've written a lot of music on a professional level of craft) can be useful, particularly if they are sympathetic to the composer. But amateur criticism just doesn't hold any weight for me because it's like, tell me something I don't already know.
I'll put aside excoriating you at length for pomposity, in order to suggest you listen to the works of Dan Cumpian. If you can possibly tolerate other genres, try Yoropal, Walt Collins, anything touched by Daryl. I could name many others. I don't know what feeds your musical soul, but some of the amateurs here are better than others and some are quite good indeed.
Why can't you take some joy in the music of amateurs?
jsg
Everyone has an opinion. For me, writing music is not about pleasing other people (apart from whether somebody is paying me to write, that's a different matter). I follow my own vision, my own aesthetic and I build and improve my craft by hearing my own miscalculations and things that bother my ear. If a composer doesn't trust his own ear, forget it, he'll never be a good composer.
By all means, keep following your own vision . . . but then why commit anything you've written to mp3 or .wav - why share any of it ever?
Like you, many of us here write music to please ourselves, primarily, but we don't denigrate the sharing of it, and we encourage others who are on the same imperfect journey.
jsg
I restrain myself from criticizing the works of others either because I have no affinity for the style they're working in or simply because I don't want to listen to such music and my criticism would be worthless to that composer.
Fair enough, that makes sense, except your criticism could have value on a technical level, if not on a musical one.
jsg
I am probably on the wrong forum. Although I've gotten a lot of very positive comments over the years, I'd be better off finding a forum more focused on my genre, nobody's at fault, just not the best place for me...
No, here's where you are really wrong - this forum is
exactly the right forum for you - because possibly you will reflect and learn something on the nature of sharing. Plus there are plenty of classicos around here.
Jerry, you are talented in music and in words, and I hope you stay, and more importantly, share your wisdom and gifts with others. AND comment of the works of others along the way. Hence, "forum."
If not, you risk continually driving down a one-way street to your own echo chamber.
-Tom
Thank you Tom for your thoughtful reply. Through the years I've given much help to people needing it on the Sonar forum. Many have been marked helpful, I am much more helpful in terms of helping people use Sonar than I am offering comments about music. And it's not that I don't have sympathy for amateurs, I was an amateur myself once. And I realize that some gifted amateurs can produce excellent music, I did a job a few months ago for a retired doctor who loves composing, he created some really wonderful duets for violin and cello that I produced for him. What I don't have much time for is poorly written or poorly produced music and styles that simply don't provoke meaning in me. Right now on my desk are recordings and scores of Mahler's 6th symphony, Bach's Brandenburg concertos, and Samuel Barber's magnificent piano concerto. That tells you something about my tastes. If I am out and about driving, at a party, eating in a cafe or restaurant, etc. I enjoy lots of different kinds of music, everything from rock n roll, to jazz to bluegrass (love that!) to music from India. But in my office when I actually am intently listening to music (meaning I am doing nothing but listening) I only listen to classical music, it's where my heart and mind are, I have a passion for it.
I actually had never thought of leaving this forum until some guy named Mr. Bull went to the trouble of telling me he won't listen my work if I don't listen to his, or others music. Why did he have to tell me that? Could he simply have not listened and leave it at that? No, he had to project his annoyance and tell me of his "policy". I don't care about his policy. I have 16 waking hours in a day and I am not going to spend it listening to every piece on any forum. There's not enough time. At the risk of appearing pompous or elitist or whatever, I am being honest about why, and what kind, of music I listen to. One composer once said, "the more I love music, the less music I love". Call it snobbery, elitism or arrogance if you wish, but what it really comes down to is very sensitive ears, a deep appreciation of harmonics and a love of the intricacies, subtleties and wide expressive range of the best music. I choose my influences carefully.
Jerry
www.jerrygerber.com