Giving an opinion on someone else’s performance

Curious subject turned up this week. My friend’s son has started a band, and the son has asked me if I’d tell him if their first song is “any good”. Now, he hasn’t asked if or how it could be any better; I take it he’s hoping that it is better than, well, what? And there’s my problem.

This crops up quite a bit. I get asked whether or not someone’s performance is any good. Sometimes it’s someone on stage, or practising a song, or doing some piano. If I read between the lines, when they ask “was I any good?”, they could be asking one of three things:

• I’m not very confident. Can you reinforce the confidence I do have by pointing out the positives in my performance, and suggesting how I might improve on the negatives, making my performance even better?
• I’m pretty confident. Can you compare my performance with my peers, as I hope I am up there with the best of them, possibly the most talented of my peers?
• I’m really confident, possibly slightly arrogant. Can you compare my performance with professionals, as I reckon I have the talent to be a professional?

So, which do I go for? Currently, I put a bit of NLP in there, and normally if they’re asking me, I probably know them a fair bit already. Usually it’s the first or the second; it’s rare that someone who fits into the third category needs (wants?) to ask if they could compete in the professional arena. But I reckon that’s exactly what I’m being asked this time.

Well, back to the original issue; what should I tell this lad? He’s 17, he’s into Muse (and the song sounds a lot like Pearl Jam), and in comparison to everything, it fits in at the good end of “My First Band”. There’s good structure (if a bit repetitive), reasonable lyrics that don’t sound too sixth-form, reasonable melody. There’s no dynamics; the song is start-loud-stop. There’s no bridge, just verse-chorus.

It’s what the best band at school would sound like. I know what he wants to hear is that it’s above that, it’s into the level where he might consider music as a career.

So, with that in mind, what do I do? Do I still point out the positives, and phrase the negatives as “and hear’s what you could do even better”, without referring to a comparison? Do I give my honest professional-comparison opinion as above, and suggest more experience before making a career decision?

~ by Mat on Saturday, 7th July, 2007.