Welcome back to part 2 of song written’s series about giving and receiving song critiques. In case you missed it, you can read part 1 here.

Giving critiques is a delicate art. In this post I’ll be laying out some suggestions for giving respectful, helpful critiques that your fellow songwriters will really appreciate.

Feel free to share this post with members of your songwriting group, online forum, etc.

1.

Try to understand what the songwriter’s trying to accomplish with her song or lyric. Listen deeply–or, in the case of a lyric, read deeply. Let the mood of the song wash over you. Fully experience everything it has to offer.

When you’re critiquing another songwriter’s work, it helps to understand what the songwriter’s intentions were. What kind of song is this? What’s the musical genre? What’s the overall mood? The goals of a blues song are much different from the goals of an ambient track, so critiques of each are bound to be different too.

2.

Consider what kind of feedback the songwriter’s looking for. Does she want you to really dig into the tune and point out all its weak points? Or is she just looking for applause and encouragement?

The songwriter might also ask for feedback about specific parts of her song. For example, I often tell other songwriters that I’m not looking for comments on the sound quality of my recording–all I want is critique on the song itself and my performance of it.

If you don’t know what kind of feedback the songwriter wants from you, ask.

3.

Offer praise for anything you like about the song. If something about the song excites you, share your enthusiasm! The songwriter will thrive on your energy.

Try to highlight specifically what turns you on about the song. Maybe it’s just a single line of the verse 2 lyric. Or maybe you love the chorus melody. Maybe you love the contrast between the verse and lyric sections. The more specific you are about which part of the song you like, the more useful your critique becomes to the songwriter.

If you have any ideas about how to make the song’s good qualities even better, go ahead and share them.

4.

NOTE: If the songwriter asked for a “soft” critique with lots of encouragement and praise, skip this step or be very very sensitive about it.

Point out any flaws in the song, and offer any possible solutions. What’s weak here? What needs work? Suggestions can range from small tweaks to major renovations.

Again, be as clear and specific as you can. “The middle part of the song sounds bad; you should fix it” is much less helpful than “the transition between the second chorus and the bridge sounds a little awkward; you might want to practice that to smooth it out.”

Don’t be afraid to have a complex opinion. Maybe you absolutely love a guitar riff from the song, but you think it’s repeated a little too often.

Again, while giving a critique it’s helpful to consider the songwriter’s intentions (see step 1, above). Don’t blame the songwriter for failing to accomplish something that she wasn’t trying to accomplish!

In other words, don’t fault a country song for not being packed intro to outro with thrash metal riffs.

5.

Discuss. If you’re giving this critique in a group, feel free to say whether you agree with the comments that previous critiquers have made.

Be respectful, of course, and explain why you do or do not agree. Build on previous comments or offer contrasting viewpoints.

Don’t be afraid to say something like “yeah, I agree with Jerry; I think the guitar riff is cool but it’s repeated a little too often. Maybe try some variations?” Even just agreeing with a previous comment is a valid contribution to a discussion.

In Conclusion

If you can give thoughtful, helpful, specific song critiques, you’ll find yourself welcomed by songwriting circles and online forums that value those qualities. This’ll put you in a great position to share your insights and learn volumes from your fellow songsters.

Now that we’ve covered how to give a song critique, we’re ready to take a look at what parts of a song you could target in your critique. That’s coming up in part 3–stay tuned.