michaelhanson
Funny that you say that Danny, I actually trust your engineering skills immensely.
I, however, feel that way all of the time. I find myself rarely commenting on production as well, music (art) being such a subjective medium. I find it hard to critique songs, lyrics and production, even within our own band. I find myself only pointing out the things that I feel are obvious, as well. If it is a song that either Reece or Sean have written, I always defer to them to make the final decisions on their creations. As a group, we have all fallen into the trap from time to time, that we should have spoken up more about something that we thought, wasn't quite right.
That is why this songs forum is soooooo valuable to all of us. It helps immensely to have other ears hear what we have been working on for months and have, maybe become to accustom to hearing critically.
I'm glad somebody does...lol! Thanks Mike. :)
Truth be told, some people don't want to hear opinions. They can get defensive. We have all experienced this, myself included. But I think some of the defensive stuff is due to how someone decides to tell you their feelings. The important thing is tactfulness as well as respect, as we are, in my opinion, commenting on "someone's child". (as I like to refer to songs.) Hmm, there's a sentence gone wrong...lol...I think you get what I'm saying. :)
I really think the key is treading softly, yet you have to be honest and also open-minded. There was a time on here where some of the posters would just speak out in ways that were like a king on a throne barking at people. Those types ruin it for people and make others not want to post. We don't need to walk on eggshells, but we don't need to annihilate someone to the point where they may not want to post a song ever again.
Now as a group, you have to handle things a little differently. And where the issue can be there, you're never in front of each other physically. Text can get lost so easily man....it's just unreal as you know. Add in someone from another country that may have different ways of saying things to where there, it's common...here we take offense...and bang, instant issue. Always try your best to communicate with your band mates. Sometimes we may need to bend a little and allow, other times....well, you have to tell it like it is while always being respectful and you should be ok.
I find in my real original band, I only comment on something the guys offer that has little to no value. Like if they decide to put a power jam right in the middle of a pop song, in some situations, I don't think it is the right move for the song. I love that they play their butts off...but for me, it has to be about the song. Then again, here's the reverse....if you have a hook that can draw people in, who's to say you can't do a 4 bar power jam in a pop song? it's less predictable, even if I may think it's not the right move. See, there we go again with "subjectivity." LOL! There is no right or wrong....other than to comment on something that might be blatantly obvious. :)