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This is a busy place with lots of good music and talented people floating around, so you're probably wondering if there's anything you can do to help your own work get noticed. Lucky for you, there is a way. Actually there are several ways, and we're only too happy to share them with you, because nobody likes seeing that their thread has 40 views but only one comment. So here are a few tips that should help you balance out that proportion a bit:
- Participate, explore the site, and comment on other peoples' work! YC is a collaborative learning environment, not a review dispensing service. If you participate in the community, get to know people, listen to their music and leave your own comments in their threads, you will quickly see a vast improvement in the amount of attention your work gets.
- Be moderate about how many pieces you post at once. In general, keep it to one or even two pieces per day but don't exceed that unless you have a good reason to. Think about it: if you have too many new things, not only are you hogging the spotlight from other composers' work, but you're also making it less likely that time-pressed members will comment on all the new things you post.
- Accept feedback. Comments invite varied opinions. Not everyone will like what you've created, and you need to be prepared to hear their concerns and address them neutrally — if they're commenting on your work, they're trying to help, not insult you, so don't take things too personally. And it works both ways: when you're commenting on the work of your peers, don't be afraid to be honest and thorough with what you liked/disliked about their piece. Just be constructive and friendly and everyone wins.
- Describe your work. When you put something up, give your listeners some information about the piece: techniques you were trying out, what (if any) your intentions were, any anecdotes related to the composition, etc. Providing some context for your piece makes it easier to respond to it intelligently.
- Use accessible files. Be sure your score is a PDF file. To create a PDF of your file, Google CutePDF and download it, it's free. Once installed, this program acts like a printer and you can select it in your print options to create a PDF file of your score.
- Use accessible media. If you use a notation program, simply uploading your Finale or Sibelius file is not sufficient. In Finale's notation software for example, you can create an audio file of your work by going to File -> Save Special -> Save as Audio File. We recommend converting your recording to an MP3 file-type, which delivers good audio quality for the least amount of upload space. Audacity is a free program that will convert your audio file to an MP3, so Google it if you don't have something to convert your audio to MP3.
- Be patient. This last tip is very important. There are a lot of members on YC and it's understandable that it can take some time for people to notice your work, especially if you're brand new. While we try to have some feedback on every thread within 24 hours, sometimes it takes longer. Don't be discouraged: it doesn't mean you suck, it doesn't mean people don't like you, it just means that they haven't had the time to notice or comment on your work yet. Give them some time. And while you're waiting, do everyone a favour and work on all the good things up in the first tip — explore, comment, and participate!
Happy Composing!
-The Reviewer Team
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