*giggles*

*licks your nose*

*purrs and licks chipuni's tongue. He then gets on his knees, and licks something else....*

If people just want someone sprinkling happy dust and a circle jerk of positive comments, they can go screw a wood chipper. No need to apologize for taking the time to be thoughtful. In my own humble opinion.

"circle jerk of positive comments"



I have to remember that one....

I probably got it from someone else awhile ago. I'm not usually clever in my insults. xD

Man, this last week, I met some people who confused "Advanced Critique Requested" with "Hagiography Only Please". :P

Yeah -- there may have been some of that.

Oh god (lulz). Sounds like I could have a field day with that.

Frankly, I want people to tell me where my music is going wrong. It's the fastest way for me to grow.

I've heard from two independent people recently, complaining about how I give advice. So... I'm re-finding my way.

Well, just follow a few guidelines with your advice giving. Namely, just make sure the person wants advice in the first place. Most people here don't. At least, they don't want to hear their weaknesses. Instead of tackling them head on, they hide from it in a little world where their every effort is heroic and should be praised.

I'm with you. I want people to tell me this stuff too. I've had it a few times. Really though, the only stuff I can get out of anyone is that my recording quality sucks, which is why I stopped uploading until I get a digi. The rest seems to be fine since I have the "soul" part somewhat.

...just make sure the person wants advice in the first place. Most people here don't. At least, they don't want to hear their weaknesses.

Very good advice, which I'll try to follow more.

If I have a comment about someone's music, I'll look at how they reacted to criticism in the past.

I can't ever recall you being offensive -- and I should remind you that Chip Unicorn dealt with some very touchy people and some very difficult issues in a kind and diplomatic way.

...just in case you forgot.

*hugs you*

Thank you.

Offensive? I don't know... most of your comments I've gotten from you (here and on LJ) have been insightful and meaningful. You're the sort who doesn't say much, but usually says something with meaning.

Unfortunately, some people find being meaningful to be an offense in and of itself. That's part of the reason my circle of close friends is a bit narrow. :(

*hugs you*

Thank you.

If giving advice is offensive to them, then they shouldn't ask for it in the first place!!!
I've never felt offended by anything you've said, they've always helped me!

In the most recent case, it was unsolicited.

But thank you, regardless.

It's usually best to get permission before you criticize.

I was quite irritated when you ignored the things that I took a very great deal of time and energy into making, and praised the things that I made by simply mashing on keys at random ("Blopperdoodle" being the first).

I was also getting quite sick of you over-analyzing everything; you had reached the point where you were hearing things that weren't actually there (or at least never intended)!

But my intolerance of your criticism disappeared when I had actually requested for you to critique.

But I had been intending to increase the complexity of my harmonies for quite some time now. The problem with trying to do this was that it took too much mental power to memorize complex harmonies. (It was difficult enough memorizing the melodies!)

I finally "broke out of my shell" when you praised "More Torture" the way you did. At first, I thought, "What the fuck is this delusional otter talking about? I was just randomly mashing on keys in a demi-drunken state (because the only wine available at the time was merlot [and very bad merlot at that], which is my least-favorite type of wine; it was just too disgusting, that I couldn't drink enough to get properly inebriated)." (I think that I was even lying down on my side when I was playing "More Torture".) I had even named the piece after the fact that I thought it repulsive noise that would offend the ears of anyone listening to it.

But I had eventually realized that I loved that last minute of the piece; it had this melancholy "beauty" to it. I had eventually come to appreciate the entire piece.

And come to think of it, it is very Chopinesque; if Frederick Chopin played jazz, it would sound like "More Torture".

I had actually theorized that my music would sound more like jazz if I became more easy-going. (I probably got that idea from this article.) And interestingly enough, now that my music is far jazzier than it used to be, I'm less high-strung than I used to be. (I used to get so horribly frustrated when I couldn't play Valiontropy Deluxe "perfectly", but now I'm thinking about playing it slightly different each time, and not caring if I make a "mistake".)

But the moral of the story is as follows: Constructive criticism can be painful, but it can help you grow if you heed it.

Personally, I've loved your advice. It's some of the most detailed I've gotten.

*blush* Thank you.