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Treasure View Drop Down
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Points: 298 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: Your reviewing style
    Posted: June 24 2008 at 16:11
The way I see it, there are two reviewing styles:
 
The Listener
 
The man who has been listening to records his entire life and considers himself (usually) to be knowledge in music. They usually are. Their reviews tend to observe the bigger picture.
 
 
The Player
 
This reviewer is a appreciater and player of music. They observe the smaller things into heavy detail.
 
What kind are you?
 
 
I can safely say, I am the player. I play drums and have been for many years. My reviews tend to look at the smaller aspects of the music I'm reviewing.


Edited by Treasure - June 24 2008 at 16:12

http://www.last.fm/user/YertGuy
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russellk View Drop Down
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Points: 782 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 24 2008 at 16:43
I disagree. I'm a player (bassist, singer) but I try to review albums for the bigger picture. Above all else, I remind myself that someone might buy (or not buy) the album as a result of my review, so I try to give them as much help as possible.

Though I will look at details if they help the reader understand the point I'm trying to make. And sometimes I get carried away ...
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1800iareyay View Drop Down
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Points: 2492 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 24 2008 at 20:23
I HATE it when people review from the standpoint of "Oh, I'm a musician/have a music degree so here's a breakdown of every note." Plenty of musicians and music majors can approach an album from "how does this make me feel," but there will always be that handful that has to remind you at every turn that they know more about the makeup of the music therefore they somehow know how it affects you more than you do. I play trumpet and piano (or at least I did), but I never listen to rock to be impressed; I listen for the escape that it's supposed to be. Ergo, what little theory knowledge I have never comes into play, nor should it.

In short, no one needs to know and no one really cares if someone hit a G# that should have been a G. No one.
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The Quiet One View Drop Down
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Points: 15745 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 24 2008 at 20:32
I thought there were much more categories

From their I must be "The Listener", somehow
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Luke. J View Drop Down
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Points: 380 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 25 2008 at 00:06
Although I am a player, I do not think I make a total mess of detailed descriptions of chord progression or time signatures. What matters in the end is the sound of it all. For the ones with a knowledge in music they might be able to imagine what it sounds like, yet the other ones could not care less. Also, you only get the theory without the feeling. Better use adjectives how e.g. the guitar playing, the singer's voice or the mood of a song/album is. That gives a much better impression of the music Smile
 
So, I think I am something in between the styles. Interesting observation by you, though.
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Certif1ed View Drop Down
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Points: 7559 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 25 2008 at 03:18
Originally posted by 1800iareyay 1800iareyay wrote:

I HATE it when people review from the standpoint of "Oh, I'm a musician/have a music degree so here's a breakdown of every note." (...)  Ergo, what little theory knowledge I have never comes into play, nor should it.
 
In a nutshell, when you see someone doing a breakdown, you don't really understand what they're getting at, because of your level of musical knowledge - and to you, it just looks like showing off, so it irritates you.
 
When I do a breakdown in a review, it's because I'm really getting into the music, living it as if I wrote it myself, and relishing every perfect moment, cringing at the "bloopers" (we all make them), and just doing what I enjoy doing with no sense of an audience.
 
It's a spontaneous thing - I always review in real time, and prefer to review complex music I've never heard before (like Gentle Giant's "Free Hand" and "Aquiring the Taste", for example). Such complex music needs a breakdown in order to appreciate the finer points (of which there are very many).
 
What I HATE in a review is gushiness and repetition of "Wow, dude, like, the guitar is sooo cooool" - which tells me nothing about the music except that the reviewer really likes it.
 
Why does the reviewer like it?
 
What is going to tempt me in to listen to it in the first place?
 
Certainly not some guy going "OhmyGhod this is so amazing" - I find that annoying to read.

 
 
Originally posted by 1800iareyay 1800iareyay wrote:


In short, no one needs to know and no one really cares if someone hit a G# that should have been a G. No one.
 
WRONG!!! Big%20smile
 
I have perfect pitch, and I am not alone. A wrong note can cause deep offence to some musically-minded people - and it can be an indication of poor musicianship. That sort of stuff matters to a lot of Proggers (but not everyone, of course - it'd be a dull old world if we were all the same).
 
I'm still trying to perfect and refine my reviewing style - I know my background makes my reviews come across in a different way to my intentions - but the kind PMs I get from time to time tell me that I'm getting some of it right.
The important thing is not to stop questioning.
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MikeEnRegalia View Drop Down
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Points: 21156 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 25 2008 at 03:59
Originally posted by Treasure Treasure wrote:

 
I can safely say, I am the player. I play drums and have been for many years. My reviews tend to look at the smaller aspects of the music I'm reviewing.


I'm a little bit of both. I tend to look at the whole picture, but being a guitarist and having played in a band of course occasionally I notice things that the average listener wouldn't.

BTW: I noticed your signature image ... try adjusting the "Offset" Parameter (possibly to a negative value) to improve the vertical alignment of the text.Smile
Recently listened to:
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Petrovsk Mizinski View Drop Down
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Points: 25210 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 12 2008 at 04:56
Originally posted by Certif1ed Certif1ed wrote:

Originally posted by 1800iareyay 1800iareyay wrote:

I HATE it when people review from the standpoint of "Oh, I'm a musician/have a music degree so here's a breakdown of every note." (...)  Ergo, what little theory knowledge I have never comes into play, nor should it.
 
In a nutshell, when you see someone doing a breakdown, you don't really understand what they're getting at, because of your level of musical knowledge - and to you, it just looks like showing off, so it irritates you.
 
When I do a breakdown in a review, it's because I'm really getting into the music, living it as if I wrote it myself, and relishing every perfect moment, cringing at the "bloopers" (we all make them), and just doing what I enjoy doing with no sense of an audience.
 
It's a spontaneous thing - I always review in real time, and prefer to review complex music I've never heard before (like Gentle Giant's "Free Hand" and "Aquiring the Taste", for example). Such complex music needs a breakdown in order to appreciate the finer points (of which there are very many).
 
What I HATE in a review is gushiness and repetition of "Wow, dude, like, the guitar is sooo cooool" - which tells me nothing about the music except that the reviewer really likes it.
 
Why does the reviewer like it?
 
What is going to tempt me in to listen to it in the first place?
 
Certainly not some guy going "OhmyGhod this is so amazing" - I find that annoying to read.

 
 
Originally posted by 1800iareyay 1800iareyay wrote:


In short, no one needs to know and no one really cares if someone hit a G# that should have been a G. No one.
 
WRONG!!! Big%20smile
 
I have perfect pitch, and I am not alone. A wrong note can cause deep offence to some musically-minded people - and it can be an indication of poor musicianship. That sort of stuff matters to a lot of Proggers (but not everyone, of course - it'd be a dull old world if we were all the same).
 
I'm still trying to perfect and refine my reviewing style - I know my background makes my reviews come across in a different way to my intentions - but the kind PMs I get from time to time tell me that I'm getting some of it right.


I'm gonna have to agree with Cert1fied there.
I'm a musician myself, and things like a bung note can indeed irk me.  I don't possess perfect pitch, but I've spent enough time studying and listening to what notes can fit in a certain key/musical context/chord progression to know what will sound right to my ears.
Someone might be improvising something for example, a non musician isn't going to notice a note that was played out of key by accident, but it's going to stick out like a flash light in a dark room to my ears.
So yes, indeed some people will care if there is a note that feel is incorrect in the tonal/theoretical context.


Edited by HughesJB4 - July 12 2008 at 04:58
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Dean View Drop Down
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Points: 37575 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 12 2008 at 06:56
I'm both and neither... then I'm not really much of a reviewer Embarrassed (note to self: must do more) so I have let the music dictate the style of the reviews I have managed to complete, coupled with whatever nostalgia-memories playing the album evoked .
 
From a reader point of view I prefer emotional reviews over technical ones (though they are not without value and can be equally entertaining), I'd rather know how the music affected the listener than to know that the artist used baroque modulation in the 52nd bar (then even that example could be interpreted as an emotional response by the player-reviewer)
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TGM: Orb View Drop Down
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Points: 8052 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 12 2008 at 06:56
Originally posted by Treasure Treasure wrote:

The way I see it, there are two reviewing styles:
 
The Listener
 
The man who has been listening to records his entire life and considers himself (usually) to be knowledge in music. They usually are. Their reviews tend to observe the bigger picture.

The Player
 
This reviewer is a appreciater and player of music. They observe the smaller things into heavy detail.
 


Neither, really. I don't think I know a lot of music, and I haven't been listening for ages, and I tend to go down into detail on reviews, because I'm not truly capable of writing a good short review. I don't play music at a remotely competent level, and I don't really understand theory. I'm getting better (I think) at breaking down music mentally, and I do tend to get annoyed by musical monotony (especially from the bass). I try to explain why I like something, and to understand why I like it, rather than just saying 'good', 'nice', 'great playing' (which I do all too often).

I'd fall more into The Player category, but I don't really fit there either.
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Zargus View Drop Down
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Points: 3491 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 13 2008 at 17:41

Im no doubt the listner, i have not been listening to music my wholelife, but i dont go into detail, i observe the bigger picture. And i dont write long reviews and never read others long ones ither short but good reviews is the best. Allso i dont play any instument or something like that so that might be a reason i yust enjoy listeningt to good music.
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