Critique Music if You Are Not a Musician

Just because you aren't a musician doesn't mean you can't express an honest critique of music. If you're a fan of a certain type of music, there's a good chance you're very knowledgeable about that genre; and even if you aren't a fan of that type of music, you can certainly say what you like or dislike about it.

All critiques represent the opinion of one individual, no more, no less. But to be a fair, honest, and knowledgeable critic will set you apart - and you don't even need to play an instrument to qualify.

Steps

  1. Decide what sort of music you'll offer critiques on. You don't have to pigeonhole yourself, but you do need to make a set of parameters for yourself: Will you critique classical music? Rock and roll? Jazz? Folk? Metal? There are some bloggers who have "listening blogs" - they listen to a variety of music, post links to it, and then comment on it. They don't have a set type of music they listen to. There are others who are known for being classical music critics, rock critics, and so on. All you have to do is say what you intend to critique: Rock? Jazz? Film scores? Everything?
  2. Form an opinion before saying it out loud. Refrain from talking off the top of your head as you listen. Your critique might change as you get deeper into the recording. Wait until you have listened carefully to the entire recording, and think about it. Once you've let the ideas percolate a bit, you'll be better able to articulate them.
  3. Refrain from presenting yourself as an expert on playing techniques. Since you aren't a musician yourself, it's probably best if you make sure you frame any reference to the musician's skill or talent as your opinion, only. Those who would like to disqualify your opinion because you aren't a musician will pounce on statements like "he's not that good a player." Instead, use phrases like, "Personally, I like the way Van Halen plays better, but this guy does as well as he can."
  4. Use your knowledge of similar music. Draw comparisons between bands or musical styles when you hear the similarities. Doing this can help illustrate your opinion for people unfamiliar with the new act you're discussing. For example: "My Chemical Romance channels Queen's 'A Night at the Opera' all through its epic 'The Black Parade.' Listeners to both will hear similarities throughout - while Queen's style is a bit smoother and more eclectic, MCR's heavier, more abrasive drums make for good over-the-top fun."
  5. Do your homework. Read other music reviews. Find out if the music you're listening to "sounds like" anything else - when several different reviewers draw a comparison like the above, it might be helpful to listen to that record too. Playing an instrument may qualify you to discuss tone, or embouchure or Do Natural Harmonics techniques, but the only qualification you need to critique is familiarity with the music - and being familiar with other, similar stuff is half that battle.
  6. Trust your own memory. Perhaps you saw something obscure once that comes to mind when you hear this music. See if you can contact the band to ask about it. For example: The aforementioned album, "The Black Parade" contains a song called "Sleep." In it, a part of the lyric mentions "...all the good guys and the bad guys, all the monsters that I've been..." One critique remembered a line from a song in a movie from many years earlier, "All the good guys and the bad guys that I've been... all the devils that disturbed me, and the angels that defeated them somehow come together in me now." Later, Gerard Way confirmed that he had taken great inspiration from Phantom of the Paradise - the movie in which the song appeared.
  7. Encourage others to discuss the music with you. This is the most fun of all. It's fun to Become a Music Therapist with your friends. The best way to do it is to never say "That sucks" or to allow others to say it. Instead, head off fights by saying, "Whoa, whoa - wait. It doesn't suck. You may not like it. I may not like it. But somebody likes it, and it's disrespectful to anyone here who might like it to say that. Instead, let's just say "That's not my cup of tea" or "Not my taste" when we don't like something." Or perhaps just agree. Either is completely valid.
  8. Recommend your favorites to everyone. That's how word about good music spreads! If you've done your homework, when your friend comes in and tells you he wants to listen to something like Yellowcard, but he's bored with all of his Yellowcard albums, ask him to try Breaking Benjamin. If you like Daughtry, but you've listened to that album 500 times already, try Three Doors Down, or Fuel, or Matchbox 20. Pass the good music vibes around!

Tips

  • Avoid reminding everyone that you aren't an instrumentalist yourself every time you discuss music. Once you've told your readers or listeners that you aren't a musician, don't preface everything you say with that statement again.
  • The only way you really get into trouble critiquing music without being a musician is when you act like you know everything, and it turns out that you don't really know. Saying stuff like, "You should really tune your guitar once in a while" is okay if the guitar is obviously out of tune. But you look like a fool if it turns out the guitarist has purposely "down-tuned," or used a special tuning.
  • Be sure to point out originality when you hear it - saying "There's no one else like them" is a very cool thing!

Warnings

  • Avoid rating high albums that are already overrated. Most of the time, there are other less known albums that are worth more than them.

Things You'll Need

  • Music selection
  • Blog or other form of critiquing

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