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The Trials And Tribulations of The Unsigned #3: The Sounding Board - An Outside Input

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The song is as finished as it can be, it has music and lyrics and you’ve worked it all out, you’re happy with it, all the parts fit into place like some kind of crazy musical jigsaw and to your ears it sounds ‘right’. Now it needs to find some way to get out there into the real world and out of your head (and bedroom probably), it needs to be heard.

The only way to find out how your song sounds to other people is to just play it. As mentioned in the previous article, I suppose you may not be writing to fulfill a goal of performing your work for others to hear and you may just want to write tracks for yourself that never make it past the ears of anyone apart from your nearest and dearest friends / family members but hopefully most people reading this actually do want to get their music out there for other people to appreciate too.

So, who exactly will hear your song? What will they say about it and how will it sound to others? In the beginning friends / family are definitely a good place to start. Play your music to them and see what they think. Maybe they’ll be suprised by what you’ve written, maybe they’ll be able to give you a different perspective on your work. Maybe you’ll be suprised by what they have to say about your efforts and you might gain a few loyal fans in the process.

Hearing the opinions of others and receiving constructive criticism may help you to pick up on things you can improve or possibly dismiss altogether. You may not always like the views of others, especially seen as your work is probably going to be something that is very personal to you. Afterall, you wrote it and took the time needed in order to create something special. Let’s face it though - if you can’t take constructive criticism then you’re probably trying to get into the wrong business. If someone says they don’t like the song or ‘the line about whatever’ then don’t corner them and get all defensive, ask why they didn’t like it if you can and try to understand exactly where they’re coming from.

As long as criticism is valid it doesn’t need to be dismissed. If someone just rants on in a totally negative way about your song, doesn’t point out anything helpful or seems to be on a clear mission to upset you just forget it and carry on. Negative criticism in fact doesn’t need to exist because usually what people are trying to give to you is their honest opinion which is not a bad thing. Better that than having someone who kisses your ass and tells you you’re a genius. Indeed, the need for praise is needed by most people, sometimes we all need it but too much and it can be the easiest path to take to getting your head shoved up your behind. To be fair, no one really likes a bragger that much anyway and there is a distinct difference between thinking you’ve done really well and thinking you’re it. Try to avoid the glorification/ass-kissing route at all costs, it will only be bad for your reality check later.

Sometimes what you see as being negative points can be useful as long as you can learn from them and become more resilient towards taking things so personally if you are inclined to do so. Also, the word of any one person is certainly not the gospel and in a creative sense (music being an art and all) you are more than entitled to have complete freedom to express yourself in the way you see fit - it’s your vision but it kind of helps if other people like it sometimes too, right?

“I think it’s awful, it was a waste of time, you should just stick to playing the cornet” - my secondary school temp music teachers opinion of the first song I ever attempted to play to her on my guitar in class. Maybe she was right (I’m sure in her mind she thought she was being helpful) but I never thought so. To be honest this comment was maybe a little harsh and could have put me off writing anything else for a whole lifetime if I’d have taken it too personally. I didn’t and for some reason it just made me want to write more and more, I wanted to prove her wrong in a slight way but mostly I really wanted to keep on making up songs. My best friend heard the same song and really liked it, as did other people. I was flattered and I was happy to know that whatever people thought, I could see the positive and that most people were bound to have a different take on my song whether good or bad.

Although it mattered what other people said about my music, it was ultimately down to me to like it. I could take the criticism. I could appreciate that to some people, songs could be kind of the same as marmite - either loved or hated, and that’s always up to them. As long as I liked it, it didn’t matter and the thoughts of other people would just give me a general idea of how my material was being perceived. Sometimes you can be your own worst critic, I know I certainly am and it doesnt matter what other people say. If I don’t feel right about my performance, my practise time, etc, etc, I feel bad, I want to get things right, I want to succeed in fulfilling my own aims with my music. Hopefully my passion and how much I care for my work will shine through to others in the process anyway.

People who really sit and take the time to listen, who know you and who will be honest with you are what you need. Some encouragement and support will go a long way to giving you fresh determination to keep on writing and exploring your own ideas. In the most positive sense, if you write a song and you’re happy with it then that’s the thing that truly matters isn’t it? Whatever anyone else thinks can be taken or left anyway.

So, all in all, you should trust your own instincts, whatever sounds good to you is right but it’s also a good thing to appreciate the views of others and take constructive criticism. Go and gather some opinions and play that song.

Written by Emma Rugg - August 2008
Read more: Guest Columns, Emma Rugg