What keeps you from reviewing more works?

What keeps you from reviewing more works?  This could apply to works reviewed on YCF, YT, discord, Soundcloud or other social media where music is shared.  The poll is public.  Respond to this topic for me to add more options to the list!

Other:

I do drop the occasional review, but for the most part, I don't do a lot of reviewing.

There are a few ostensibly different reasons, but I feel they're connected by a common thread.

That being: I feel that my advice is better spent in discussing music and composition in a more general sense or regarding specific topics like perhaps harmony or melody writing as a concept rather than trying to tell someone how to "fix" or "improve" their piece; I would rather talk about that stuff and feel I'm better at "helping" with that sort of insight that way anyway. To be frank, I also always found those sort of posts more useful than what are often highly subjective grievances with a specific piece, from a specific person.

Another is that I don't like to listen to music analytically most of the time. When I listen to users' music, I mostly just listen to enjoy it. If I do, I'll usually drop a like on their YouTube or whatever and if I don't, I usually just move on. I wouldn't enjoy music if I was always in this "critique mode" and as a person who has an obsessive personality, it would be very easy for me to fall into that.

Most of the regular posters here, I like their music and there really isn't much for me to say beyond "Yeah, this is great". I hope that maybe some of them also enjoy my stuff.

----------------------------

However, I will say there is a final reason, and I know I risk sounding a like narcissistic @$$ by saying it, but I really don't mean to be or think I'm the very best, but it is just fair and honest:

When I started frequenting musicians forums some 20 years ago, I was often frustrated by how the more experienced musicians we all looked up to didn't really give much feedback or help n00bs like myself. However, now that I'm getting to be one of the "old men" with a lot of experience, having made money with it, got into prestigious national programs by the merit of my own work, and now releasing albums with some of the bigger music libraries and did all of this so far coming from a family that couldn't afford to put me in proper music lessons and I was forced to learn most of this stuff on my own over the course of my entire youth and adult life so far...I understand now why many of them weren't so willing to dedicate that kind of time to what essentially amounts to being a free teacher for strangers online.

Over the last five or so years, I've had people send me emails or messages asking to help them make some piece they're working on into their grand vision. The problem with most cases is, at a minimum, I would have to make posts or videos much longer than this, with pictures, custom examples, or recomposing aspects of their piece. In the more extreme cases, which are many, I would essentially have to teach this person how to compose from the ground up. 

I would not just have to teach academic music theory and such, but more importantly, I am pouring in my own perspectives and experience — my life with music — in order to truly help these people grow, and I don't think it is arrogance to feel that that is worth something. The "something" doesn't necessarily have to be money, but in the cases of most, money is all they'd have to offer in exchange.

I chose "not enough time" and "other", and I meant to say sonething about "other" in this post. Something about how I mostly enjoy listening to music posted here, but I'm never clear as to what to say in a review. I don't want to be negative for stuff I do not like. I would like to be useful suggesting solutions that I think would sound better even in pieces I like. I would like to highlight what is really good so that people could see better why a piece of music is succesful. But in the end I listen to a piece and being constructive and positive is just... difficult. Not time-consuming, but just really difficult to articulate. I don't have the technical ability to be helpful offering advice. But I also don't really know how to explain why I like or dislike a posted piece. Then it dawned on me why that is. So I hit the back button and chose "not good at analyzing music" 🙂

For me the main issue is time and effort.

I also have another, the formatting of the sheets and the playback is often suboptimal, especially those using default sound bank. I tend to gravitate towards those with user-friendly sheets and live performances because those are the most effective ways for me to perceive the music works.

edit: btw incorrect enhamonic accidentals are such a turn off

Edited March 12, 20251 yr by PCC

6 hours ago, Giacomo925 said:

I chose "not enough time" and "other", and I meant to say sonething about "other" in this post. Something about how I mostly enjoy listening to music posted here, but I'm never clear as to what to say in a review. I don't want to be negative for stuff I do not like. I would like to be useful suggesting solutions that I think would sound better even in pieces I like. I would like to highlight what is really good so that people could see better why a piece of music is succesful. But in the end I listen to a piece and being constructive and positive is just... difficult. Not time-consuming, but just really difficult to articulate. I don't have the technical ability to be helpful offering advice. But I also don't really know how to explain why I like or dislike a posted piece. Then it dawned on me why that is. So I hit the back button and chose "not good at analyzing music" 🙂

You know, sometimes it's just enough to say "I really liked x!" or "Something about meas. y or timestamp z didn't work for me, but I don't know what it is or how to fix it."  I'm sure people will still appreciate the time you put in to saying that!  Thanks for responding .. I've added three new answers to the poll!

5 hours ago, PeterthePapercomPoser said:

You know, sometimes it's just enough to say "I really liked x!" or "Something about meas. y or timestamp z didn't work for me, but I don't know what it is or how to fix it."  I'm sure people will still appreciate the time you put in to saying that!  Thanks for responding .. I've added three new answers to the poll!

 

Yes!!! one of the main reasons work is posted here, I think it’s safe to say, is for the purpose of feeling accomplished in the work that was done for the compositions. They take a lot of time to do, no matter the skill level or grammatical correctness of it. 
 

it always feels nice to at the bare minimum, be seen / noticed by someone, anyone! 

For me, I chose 

- Not good at analyzing music (because I truly have struggled deeply with this skill since I started with music. I have a hard time even analyzing what it is that I’M writing at times to be clear and honest) 

- Not enough knowledge of existing repertoire…

(Some of you guys can reference music pieces by pulling them from thin air out of your memories lol I’ve listened and attempted to analyze many scores but they always elude me in their name or artist when I need to reference it. I have ADHD so I don’t retain knowledge in terms of specifics unless it’s something I’m actively working on) 

- Afraid to say something that’s wrong

(if it makes any sense, I can *see* what needs to be fixed but have a hard time formulating the correct sentences to *explain* it to someone unless it’s something that I’ve already made a mistake on and corrected, myself.) 

in addition to these, I’m also a sole proprietor business owner. I run a mobile auto repair service and my phone rings off the hook constantly. (I’m sitting in the Walmart parking lot with my phone on DND since it’s outside of my business hours and, for once, I’m not working over time today.. lol so when I get a lull I do try to participate where possible)

Interesting question.
The truth is that, in my case, there is nothing in particular that makes me not to comment more compositions.
One of the peculiarities of this forum is that there are people of all levels. Sometimes works of real professionals are uploaded, even with real orchestras or choirs. What to say there? Nothing. Just whether I like it or not.
Over time, I have started to give importance not only to specific technical issues, but also to whether the work is idiomatic (for the instruments used), if it has a structure, if it is congruent between its parts, etc...
I comment for two reasons: one because I like to listen to other people's stuff, and two because I like to learn from other people's way of composing. In this sense, there are times when things are uploaded without scores and I am less interested in them.

Anyway, I think that it is a social forum, and that there is a great disproportion between people who “demand” even revisions, and then do not comment anything.
I think that part of the training of a composer (amateur or professional) is to listen to as much music as possible and to comment on it.

The opinion about a work (if you like it or not, if you think that the parts do not connect with each other, etc...) is never wrong, because it is personal.

Hi Peter!

For me it's because I have to focus in my own writings. When I compose insanely myself I can't review anything here since it will take some of my creative energy away. Only listening is ok, but to provide feedback I need that same creative power for composing. Reviewing is very helpful for my own composing, but only before or after a huge project. When I complete my Sextet which would be posted soon, I never experience a more ferocious composing like this one, so I cannot bare to waste any creative energy other than finishing it.

Another reason I don't review some members is because they never reply or give reputation points to reviewers, let alone review other members' works (including mine!) themselves. Since I review because I wanna interact with the composer, if there is no interaction I would feel like my review is futile, therefore I won't review them.

Henry

@PeterthePapercomPoser

@Henry Ng Tsz Kiu

I suppose that something like this has been thought of at one time or another, but maybe it doesn't fit the idea of this forum.
But maybe we could use some simple system to value the works, which would be expensive, by means of a scale or something like that. 
And to evaluate general questions like for example:

Rate from 1 to 5 these items about the work:

1) General structure and form.
2) Sense of coherence.
3) Development (contrasts, climax, etc...).
4) Originality

or others

Maybe this stimulates people to participate and it is always a feedback for the one who uploads the composition.
Regardless of the fact that you can comment on whatever you want.

Edited March 19, 20251 yr by Luis Hernández

On 3/15/2025 at 10:30 PM, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu said:

 

Another reason I don't review some members is because they never reply or give reputation points to reviewers,

 

wait what? one can *give* reputation points? I was not aware! how?

3 hours ago, Giacomo925 said:

wait what? one can *give* reputation points? I was not aware! how?

You just give me one by "liking" my post haha😅

I'm late to this topic but i wanted to chime in anyway because the reason i'm late is the same reason i don't review more works. For me it's lack of energy, i feel like that part of my brain that would analyze and give feedback, or even engage with topics like this, is just too tired and i end up not doing it. I selected a few of the options but that's the main thing.

Oh also, an equally big reason is that many (most) of the composers on here are leagues ahead of me so how am i gonna tell them how to improve, y'know?

1 hour ago, user011235 said:

Oh also, an equally big reason is that many (most) of the composers on here are leagues ahead of me so how am i gonna tell them how to improve, y'know?

Haha you don't have to always provide critiques, sometimes you may just name out spots you like or dislike would be great to the composer! Unless you provide "reviews" like "X-C-Lent" without using any thinking, leaving comments will always be great!

Henry

1 hour ago, user011235 said:

For me it's lack of energy, i feel like that part of my brain that would analyze and give feedback, or even engage with topics like this, is just too tired and i end up not doing it. I selected a few of the options but that's the main thing.

For me, I like taking breaks where I don't review for a while because I feel the same way most of the time (only @Henry Ng Tsz Kiu is a reviewing super-musician who reviewed 10's of works at a time without a rest!  LoL!!)  But after a while I do eventually find the energy as I feel like it accrues after long periods of not reviewing.  Besides, you can review as deeply or as casually as you feel like at any given time so it's not always an incredible amount of effort necessary.

1 hour ago, user011235 said:

Oh also, an equally big reason is that many (most) of the composers on here are leagues ahead of me so how am i gonna tell them how to improve, y'know?

Thanks for your response!  I added that option to the poll (although I do have to say that comparing yourself to others this way is not very conducive to improving because regardless of how good you are, there's always likely to be a historical composer, or specific piece which you can consider "leagues ahead of" you and feel discouraged by.  Nobody can be leagues ahead of you being you though.  And your strengths and weaknesses are unique to you and that's what makes you a unique, individual human being and composer.  Did you know that Beethoven considered himself bad at counterpoint in comparison to Bach and Mozart?

2 hours ago, PeterthePapercomPoser said:

only @Henry Ng Tsz Kiu is a reviewing super-musician who reviewed 10's of works at a time without a rest!  LoL!!

LOL I need rest too like these few weeks. I am having Tinnitus all the time and when I was teaching piano and heard high notes played by myself my ears ached for a second. I think I am still recovering from finishing the Sextet as I am continuously sick for at least 1.5 months or so

Henry

@Henry Ng Tsz Kiu @PeterthePapercomPoser Thanks you guys, that's helpful to hear. Peter i didn't know that about beethoven! Wow even he had insecurities

2 hours ago, user011235 said:

Peter i didn't know that about beethoven! Wow even he had insecurities

He was also criticized for not writing very well/idiomatically for voices.  Critics said that he wrote for voices as if they were instruments.  Probably accounts for why he only had one opera!

laziness 

3 minutes ago, Thatguy v2.0 said:

Laziness 

You appear to have to much time on your hands ?

4 minutes ago, FILMSCORE said:

You appear to have to much time on your hands ?

what?

18 hours ago, PeterthePapercomPoser said:

He was also criticized for not writing very well/idiomatically for voices.  Critics said that he wrote for voices as if they were instruments.  Probably accounts for why he only had one opera!

20 hours ago, user011235 said:

Thanks you guys, that's helpful to hear. Peter i didn't know that about beethoven! Wow even he had insecurities

His majestic late quartets are regarded as indecipherable, uncorrected horrors too. Idiotic critics. Sometimes you really don’t have to care what others said towards your music. My C sharp minor Piano Sonata was called random not only once but so what, they don’t Kurt it and I quite don’t care to be honest hahahaha.

6 hours ago, FILMSCORE said:

You appear to have to much time on your hands ?

I think not more than you, he can’t give likes to all the pieces as you do haha.