MAB Q&A

I hope we don't start dumping "common human decency" into that "politically correct" bucket!

I used to critique more, but now I am mostly trained by the FAWM ethos that says it is just better to be encouraging.
Many reasons why this approach makes sense:

1.)  We don't know where people are on their songwriting journey, If they want to take it to the next level they will get enough critiques "out there".
2.)  We don't know what "market" they are going for and my tastes don't always match what the writer is trying to do.
3.) we can make suggestions about rhyme scheme, story line, mixing tenses and point of view and all that stuff, but in the end, if the song sounds good, it is good.
4.)  I have found that the writer is normally not that interested in my critiques (ha, ha).  I am just a fellow hack.
5.)  As always, I have found that 90% of all songs (maybe 99%) are just OK (as MAB would say, nothing really wrong with it -- but what is right with it?).
6.)  With production and performance being such a large part of why songs sound good, it is hard to cut through all that and judge a song all the way down to its bare bones. 

I have gotten a lot of useful and in-depth critiques, but I am not easily offended by other people's musical opinions about my songs.  Maybe I was at the beginning, though -- I don't remember.   I still think we can critique and even point out things that are not working, but all in all, being kind and helpful is the best approach (politically correct or not!).

Kevin