For many of us, giving feedback on someone else’s song is a tricky task. How much should we say? Should we show support or be critical?

Firstly, you need to establish which component you are expected to give feedback on. It could be the song itself (eg songwriting), or the recording (eg producing), or the performance of the singer. It could be a general element, such as “the overall sound”, or a specific element such as “the cymbal sound”.

Then, listen to the song with this criteria in mind. Listen out for both what works and what doesn’t work. For example, if your task is to help determine if the performance of the vocalist is strong enough, don’t just listen out for flat notes but also take stock of the sections of the song where the performance is good. Most situations aren’t black and white and the answer might be “keep the vocalist but get him in to re-record the bridge”.

Now, comes the time when the song is over and your friend is looking at you expectedly. A little psychology won’t hurt. Start by stating what you think is the strongest aspect of the song, whether it is part of the criteria you have been asked to critique or not.

For example, maybe you’ve just heard a bad production of a good song and you were ask to comment on the production. Well, start by saying it is a good song. By pointing out the strength of the track, you will then give a benchmark against which you are offering a critique of the other elements.

This brings us to the second thing you say, which should be the specific critique of the element(s) you have been asked to consider. In our example, if you were asked to consider the production, you would be saying “the production lets the song down, it’s a shame because this song has got hit potential”.

Then dig one step deeper. OK, so the production sucks. But it won’t help the producer much to say that. Pick out specific aspects of the production, such as the drums, the synths sounds, the guitar sound, the instruments used, the effects used and so on. An overall track might sound bad but individual elements might be good. Never forget to state what works; a critique should be both positive and negative, as it is about telling the person what works and what doesn’t.

Then, finish your critique by re-expressing what is the best element of the song, as stated at the start of your critique.

Related articles: