Just curious. I've noticed that, in an honest evaluation, the songs posted here range from very good to very bad. Still, most responses are positive or, at the very least, not negative. Hardly ever does anyone point out that a vocal has some serious pitch problems; or that an arrangement or solo is amateurish at best. The question is, is it in the best interest of the performer (for us) to sugarcoat what is obviously a poor performance. What if the spirit is willing but the talent is just not there? If we do choose to offer CONSTRUCTIVE critisism, should we limit it to only those who have career ambitions (and let the "home only" guys slide)? If a person is playing out and can't hear themselves out of tune, should we 1) leave it to their paying public to inform them, 2) politely suggest that they run their vocals through AUTOTUNE (PC software) before posting them, or 3) suggest that they get another vocalist to help them showcase their musical creations. This also applies to instrumentalist who feel the need to showcase their talents when their actual skills dictate otherwise. Of course we want to be supportive, but sending a false message to support a fantasy is not going to help that person shore up his or her weak areas. Normally this would be none of our business except that when you put something out there for public consumption, examination, critique, etc., you've got to be willing to accept all feedback, good or bad, as long as it's offered in a constructive way. I kind of lost my way with this post but you get the idea. What do you think?

chas

Great.... post for sure CGiles ......Now you know why as I stated before in other posts refrain from my HONEST opinion of many of these songs posted as do many many others also Just To Be Nice, you cant learn to get better from being nice it just gives a false sense of security to the performer....You can listen to a terrible song with pitch, tempo, playing problems etc etc & then surprisingly you will see Rave Reviews posted After 35 yrs of performing I think I know what sounds good.
As you can already see that if you post your true feeling people start to pack their bags, take a hissy fit, and run away!

Happy Holiday


[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 11-22-2005).]

We have to be careful with our constructive criticism...not to discourage the performer.
Try and do it in a manner not to hurt one's feelings...The best way I know to do this is privately make a suggestion..

"Privately" might help feelings, but it doesn't help others learn who are reading these posts...honest discussion = education.

I do try to think of something positive to say about the posts, or I say nothing at all. Also, if the song or genre is a type that I don't understand or appreciate I usually won't comment.
To tell the truth if someone is off key or way out of time, I just don't want to take a chance hurting their feelings or making them mad. After all, it's only my opinion and while I'm almost always right, there is a small, mathematical chance that I could be wrong...NAAH!
It's a good topic and good question though. I hope we get some better answers than mine!
DonM

[This message has been edited by Scottyee (edited 11-23-2005).]

Well,
The truth is that in most cases I always have many things to say, both positive and negative. From my experience I learned that it is better to save as much negativity as possible and give advice on how thing could get better.
Turning to composing skills, well, music composing is a process that depends on one's feelings so a composer would get very upset if you tell that him/her that his/her song doesn't worth a penny. Fortunately, I haven't come across such poor song in SZ.

I know I'll be crusified when you hear me sing.

King regards,
George V

Uh Oh..future song post, no feedback = sucks!

Chas....Very good topic....you must remember, not everyone has the same level of hearing the music-vocals of the songs, taken this into account, there is room for leeway with the critique of some songs also taking into account most of the members posting songs or demos are not in the mainstream giging for a living...the ones that do have posted most of their music on their own web-sites for listening in hopes oof getting more work....I think that if one was to listen to these and then listen to what is posted here there will be a difference...yes, you may be correct when you say that it may be a disservice for some folks, but if you've noticed here it's sometimes hard to be "Diplomatic" on a public forum...I think that everyone here deserves the right to be heard and yes, given an honest critique...again a very good topic well presented....thank you
BTW, what is this software you made mention of??
TR

[This message has been edited by Tony Rome (edited 11-22-2005).]

Tony, the software is Antares Autotune, available as either a plugin or standalone. However, I've heard some of your offerings.....trust me, YOU don't need it.

chas

Zuki, not really. Sometimes it's not possible to review everything. I'm just not trying to catch up after having sound card problems, trying to change computers, etc.
Didn't you used to make Omnichords? :} http://www.suzukimusic.co.uk/omnichord/suzuki_omnichord.htm
DonM

[This message has been edited by DonM (edited 11-22-2005).]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by DonM:

Didn't you used to make Omnichords?

Not me. That is in the Musical Instruments Divison. I was on the piano division team at Suzuki.

zuki

I completely agree with DonM here.
Like Don I choose not to comment in several cases, allthough I admit I don't listen to everything posted, sometimes I just missed it or I just had no time..

I won't comment negative on vocals anyway as I am not a good singer myselve.

Fred

Thank you Chas....I was inquiring more to try to learn of the different types of software and programs out there to help me do some things down here where we can't get good musicians to do anything we need to get done here....maybe I should open a studio down here God knows we need one.... I'm trying to learn about software for music
I'll have to give DonM a call, he seems to have a handle on it....very smart and talented for an old man...hehehe
TR

You know, it's a real slippery slope. Some players, particularly working in clubs, restaurants, etc. are really AWFUL...bad changes, bad meter. One of the worst in this area is a friend of mine. He's a trumpet/sax player. His timing is so bad he could never find a job, until he started buying tracks. He now believes and lets everyone know he's the best jazz player in the state. He's a great guy, and has worked at a small restaurant in town for 10 years.

All the real players in the area agree he's awful, but no one will tell him, because they don't want to hurt his feelings. His boastfulness is really wearing thin.

At this point, telling him may hurt his feelings, but he would probably think such comments to be "sour grapes".

The best thing for me to do in this case is to say nothing.

Here, I don't say anything if the music presented is not outstanding, but I understand that such an attitude dosen't help anyone improve.


Like I said, it's a slippery slope.


Russ

Thanks Cgiles for the post,

I think the same thing was going through a lot of peoples minds but no one said it.

I believe what happened here was not a result of people saying their real opinion but rather quite the opposite.

Everyone is afraid to say something negative, but in fact FEELS or THINKS negative towards the performance/person. After a while of hiding behind smiley faces etc, eventually true feelings leek out when they get strong, and that's when it gets ugly.

Much better is to try to FEEL and THINK positive as much as possible, and then to post only HONEST opinions. Sure encouragement is always good, but if there is no honesty, it wontwithstand, and we've seen that.

Rather post a piece of contructive critisism or politely disagree than to fester hatred. If you know someone has made a mistake, explain politely. That's discussion.

As to outright mean comments, they should be dismissed as irrelevant and childish (or mods will help out).

Anyone disagree please?

:-)

Zalman

One of the problems of technology. Anyone thinks they can do music now. OK not anyone. But, you don't know how many peple come up to me and want to know if they can trade CDs with me. They think that they are on equal with me because they've put out a CD too. Granted, they can't tune a guitar, they can't stay in time, and they recorded their CD using Sound recorder in their basement, but by gosh they have a CD, and they feel their product is worthy of a trade with mine. It's a little hard to tell them "I don't want to trade, you are terrible."

What's even worse is people who have spent a lot of money doing a product (even went to Nashville to record) and the studio got them in and out as quick as possible with cookie cutter arrangements that are so pro they're stale. The musicians come in, read the charts, record the album, get paid, and never put so much as an ounce of passion in the singer's project. Then it's really hard to let them know they'll never get there, after all, they know they've just recorded in Nashville!

But, if they actually bother asking me what I think, I give them as honest an opinion as I can. Things like, "you've got some good ideas here, but the song-writing structure need s a little work in these areas." or "I wish your producer had spent a little more time on your vocals. There are some issues in the harmonies in the chorus that should have been fixed." or if it's really really terrible, I pass them along to someone else in our company, LOL.

I think I can actually handle 'good' input/criticism. I think it's how you deliver your comments. "The voice kinda suck", "I can't tell what it is, but the song doesn't sound good" would be a couple of the unacceptable ones.

Although I will have to say- sometimes it depends on who gives the comments too though. I know somebody who pretty much gave me numerous 'suggestions' while she couldn't even get her stuff right. Couldn't even get her syncopation down, but kept correcting everybody else throughout our band practice, to me that's pretty frustrating.

I have just enjoyed listening to each musicians flavor. I have no opinion!

Maybe the American Idols show has it down best. We may need a SIMON account created to which all members can critique a work if a musician asks. The SIMON account would have no members name attached to it. So, no hurt feelings. While we all laugh at that show, its judges etc. it has a worth to build and refine a performer. The singers stand in front of AMERICA on national TV and take the heat and comments to improve their performances and it appears to work well. Humility is a vertue! I know if I performed for my living, I would want to KNOW if I had issues that could be corrected to improve my performances and make more money!

I am not a performer and my love for music and keyboards does not make me a musician. I would NEVER critique someone's work. However, as part of the audience I can say which one I like and which one I do not care for and why.

No one here should be offended in any way shape or form by comments about their work as long as the comments are done tastefully and not in the SIMONS rude way!

Thanks,

-Linda

Good points, Linda. But isn't "SIMON'S rude way" what keeps a huge section of the tv audience coming back every week - he's the real star of the show, eh?

That's why every different country's version of the show has a Simon clone on its panel of judges.

[This message has been edited by renig (edited 11-23-2005).]

I deleted my reply because I changed my mind about what I wanted to say here on this topic.

On a slightly different but related tack…I used to be really uptight when playing in front of a live audience. I came to realise that I was conscious of only the musicians in the audience and was afraid of what they might think. The turning point for me was at a concert when a really dreadful, derivative, heavy metal band had the audience going wild. It made me think about why that was.

I came to the conclusion that the general public are by-and-large totally unmusical. I hadn’t thought that before because it just seems so arrogant. Yet experience since has proved this over and over.

Understanding this allowed me to stop worrying about bum notes and bad timing but concentrate instead on having fun. I’ve found as a result, my music flows much better, has more feeling and I play less mistakes anyway as I’m more relaxed. Hey, and when I do play ‘unusual’ notes people seem to interpret it as being jazzy!

I still demand near perfection when recording and this makes the process painfully slow. I’d love to have the nerve to ‘let go’ in recording as I now do when playing live.

As a musician with a sensitive and critical ear, it still makes me cringe when I hear someone singing out of key, etc. But I also think that actual the soul of the song is what most people hear when listening. I’m constantly surprised at the awful music most listeners will put up with. I guess us fussy people are just a minority which gives hope to those of us who aren’t the most talented

Andy.

Lots of constructive posts right above this one--and lots of creative minds, all of which seem to be in agreement to some degree. That's why I stick around this forum--I'm still learning. I personally always like to read and hear constructive criticism from everyone that takes the time to listen to anything I've posted. And, that criticism is always applied to my performances. It's among the best learning tools we have in the entertainment business. However, when some idiot makes a statement about someone's recording such as "It sucks," no one learns anything and a lot of feathers are ruffled.

The topic of this post was "What are you looking for?" Hopefully, everyone is striving for perfection. And, while this is nearly impossible, perfection is always a worthy goal or anyone in the entertainment business. In the end, there is one person that we all must satisfy--ourselves. It's almost like the guy that walks into the house of ill repute and is not well endowed. When asked by the madam who he expected to please with his somewhat inadequate extremity he smiled and replied, "Me!"

Cheers,

Gary

------------------
Travlin' Easy

[This message has been edited by travlin'easy (edited 11-23-2005).]

I played full time in my 20's. I could sense when I was liked or not, by body language, people leaving in droves, etc. But the most constructive feedback came from a distant cousin who told me I played too "mechanical". It stung at the time, but even after many years I try to remember to not play that way - thanks to someone who relayed it in a positive manner.

Happy Thanksgiving to all........

zuki

I think Don, Gary and Russ have valid points here.

I probably listen to most things posted, not only to listen to the performer but also to what their equipment sounds like and their use of it. You can sometimes find a new way of playing a particular song if you have the same equipment by using a different style, effect or balance etc.

Inevitably, there is a certain percentage of stuff that we dislike, whether it is because the performance, equipment, recording technique or vocal sounds wrong or probably it's just as likely that we would have done things differently ourselves.

I agree that if you think something is good then you say so. However, if you don't think so then you don't say anything unless it is CONSTRUCTIVE criticism and the person has specifically asked for it.

Just becuase I don't like something may be just as much down to the fact that Irish Reggae or Hop Hip Handbag music is not to my taste. - I'm sure many people here like jazz including myself but I have to be careful when gigging that if I start to improvise too much people start to wonder "Where the Tune Went" !!!!

So to everyone who records - Keep up the good work. If anyone is not interested then they dont have to download and listen.

Regards - Keith



[This message has been edited by KFingers (edited 11-23-2005).]

Usually it is not just what you say but how you say it.

And that is true not just with giving an opinion about someone's performance on this and other forums, but replying to topics posted hear and communication in life in general.

AMEN!!!!!Direct and to the point....
TR

The first thing that will turn me off to a vocalist is intonation. The style can be great, the arrangement can be great, but if the singing is out of tune, then it grates on the ears. The voice can be great, but if the accompaniment is not so good, (wrong chords, wrong bass notes), the result is the same. I'm a pianist with many years of experience in all types of music and have accompanied many vocalists. The first thing I tell a singer is to work on intonation. Out of tune singing ruins any performance. Even constructive criticism can bruise some egos, but it's necessary to correct any problems one may have. I have listened to a few songs in this forum that had problems, yet the song was praised with no discussion of what may have been wrong. I agree with most of you in this thread that criticism should not be sugared coated. Many years ago when I learning to play jazz, I would go to jam sessions and being young and just learning, I would make many mistakes. Most of the older musicians would take me aside and tell me what I did wrong and how to fix it. That was greatly appreciated by me. An easily bruised ego has to be put aside in order to learn. Later, Ray

Caprain Russ ... "A slippery slope" INDEED ...

There are a number of factors that come into play:
* we all want to be entertainers, and therefore want people to "like us" and what we do;
* while we SAY we want constructive criticism, it is often difficult to take;
* some folks may be critical because they do not care for the particular genre, and do not look deeper into the quality of the performance (I for one would never attempt to comment on hip-hop/rap etc because I can't get past the 'first level');
I never could take to Robert Goulet's voice, but he certainly could sing ... however, I wasn't going to be listening.
* in some instances, the reviewer may not understand what the performer is trying to achieve; ... etc.
AND, while this form (Internet)of communication is very convenient, it does not allow for nuances in the delivery that could change how the criticism is presented and intended. As 'genesys' said "it's not just what you say ...", but sometimes the written word is not interpreted the way it was meant.

Another interesting issue (to me at least) is how third parties will jump in to 'defend' the performer who may be well accepting some valuable constructive criticism, and then the thread takes on a whole other life of its own.

Recently, there have been some demos on this forum which I thought were 'wanting', but others gave glowing praise ... I starting thinking that perhaps something was happening to my ears ! It's like when Sinatra recorded "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" and people bought into it ... I believe he could have recorded a telephone directory and it would have gotten air time ...

If someone asks for constuctive criticism, they should receive it, but as was said earlier, "your voice sucks" might not qualify,even though the statement may be true ... It might be better if we said "Perhaps you should just do instrumentals" ...
BUT, if good constructive criticism is given, any words in opposition to that criticism should also be constructive ...
AND remember, we ALL have our own opinion, which we are intitled to, even if we disagree with DonM, who is ALMOST always right !!! ...

t.




[This message has been edited by tony mads usa (edited 11-23-2005).]

Thanks Chas,
Yours was one of the few posts here that made people "think". By saying "think" I mean putting constructive thoughts on the table, not just answering a question. Such posts are rare I believe, and that makes them valuable.

I basically agree in most respects with all of the posters in this thread: I see everyone has touched a little aspect of the subject. However what I haven't seen (at least until now), and I would really really really really like to see, is some kind of suggestion on how to establish a universally acceptable method of "judging/critisizing/evaluating" a song, and of course I don't know if any members, experienced or not, (not in number of posts, but in mucisianship) will bother themselves doing that. I feel some of them would like to offer their "knowledge" to others here.

Linda suggested the anonymous "SIMON" account, and this Idea I like very much. Anonymity has some drawbacks, but we may have answer posts like simon1 for the first post, simon2 for the 2nd and so on so we can quarrel among ourselves: "Simon5, I think that the strings are not as bad as you describe, maybe a little reverb would help them", or "I absolutely agree with Simon 10".

This needs courage from the side of the performer, to present a song to a mob of mask-wearing critics, but in the end, and if we cease being "politically correct" for a little while, the performer will get his/her answer/verdict/praise/tomatos and will decide if he/she needs to pay attention to something.

But we have to keep in mind, there is also a thing that we cannot judge here, no matter what.... we can only HEAR the performer here, but not actually SEE him/her playing, the body/face language used, tha aura they project to the audience. All those things can complement a "plain good" performance, and present it in a way that gets the audience hooked, and of course, comes back as customer loyalty/profit/more jobs (gigs if you like). Or the opposite may happen, but nobody here will see it. Nobody will get up from the PC and dance (I think I saw it in a recent post, though) and will not see smiles or frustration on customer's faces. So we cannot judge the "entertainer" side of the performer, only the singing and arrangement. And in that way, our critique will always lack a little.

Anyone here want to be Simon? Yay or Nay?
I would surely participate happily, and of course can accept comments for this post.
Theodore

[This message has been edited by trident (edited 11-23-2005).]

Hi there,

I think as others have said that there is always (with a little thought)a constructive way to offer criticism. (with a little more thought I might even spell the word )

I always try to critique in a such a way that if the boot were on the other foot I would come away feeling that I had learned something about where I went wrong but still feel positive about the experience.

From the other side of the fence though.... it is very difficult posting stuff up to be judged on its relative merits or de-merits. If you have spent time and effort creating something it is often difficult to accept that the end result is not as good as you would like.

Also it is worth bearing in mind that the personality of the artist is also a major factor. Personally when I post stuff I find it really difficult to accept praise and always think that people are just being nice to me because they have known me for years. However if someone is critical I am always ready to believe the criticism as fact and will often over compensate for it.

It is really difficult to strike the right balance with so many factors to consider but ultimately, as in life in general, it is better to be honest AND courtious with just a hint of respectfulness.

Just my thoughts.
Best wishes
Tony

I would venture to say that I find it almost impossible to write down a constrctive criticism, I could talk personally face to face and come away feeling I may have been of some help, but find that no matter how careful I try to write something down, different people get different meanings from it. Its hard to print out something that everyone can agree on..(look at the Bible).....Pose

Diplomacy: The fine art of telling someone to go to hell and making them look forward to the trip.

Being a rank hobbiest in this forum I usually will post only to a safe subject. When it comes to the passions of music and performing SAFE does not come to mind. LOL

I've heard some wonderfull music in this forum and some not so good. I will praise what I feel is a good performance and not respond on the what I feel is mediocre. If I were a good musician I would try to gently guide someone where they need some help. Sadly there are some folks that are nearly beyond help as would be my case.

Jerry

ROFL I did like that!

best wishes
Tony

I don't beleive that anyone here has been given the job of educating other members on their performance skill level. Obviously, some here are much more talented than others. Just because you can afford a quality keyboard does not mean that you will produce quality music. I for one am surprized at what appears to be mediocre talent that is in a professional status. But that just goes to show that the general public is willing to pay for anything.
I think it best if this forum stick to general discussion and does not try to do to much in the way of instructing those who seem to have less talent than others. We all play music (hopefully) because we enjoy it. Even people who are not as talented, still derive a great deal of satisfaction from creating something musical. It is in all our interest to incourage this type of effort no matter how the musician is received by the general public. We are a forum of musicians that should remember that we all started out being less than we are today. I continue to lurk on this forum because of the great discussions related to new keboard technology. I look forward everyday to hearing what another forum member has taken the time to create and share with me on this forum. To give negative feedback to a musician, no matter what the intent, could promote more hostility than I would like to see here. Just my two cents.

Kind regards,

Dennis L. Almond



[This message has been edited by TwoNuts (edited 11-23-2005).]

Boy I really think this is a great thread. I think constructive criticism is a very good thing as long as it really is constructive. We can always learn from a third party but just like getting contradictory critics at a gig you must carefully weigh the opinions and search for the truth that floats to the top. If ten people say the same thing then look closely at working on that. If one person in 100 says something then regard it cautiously.

And you always have to remember there are a lot of celebrity artists who have made their name in many different ways. With some it is their showmanship, others their talented songwriting skills and others ... believe it or not .. their musicianship. If you have all 3 then that is probably not you because you are far too busy with a career to bother visiting us all here But being talented in any or all of those areas warrants you putting yourself out there to try and attract attention.

I'm sure most of us are strong in one or more areas and strengthening those skills is always a plus. The main skill in helping eachother to develop is knowing how to express constructive criticism in print without it reading like a put down. You have all probably read some of the threads recently about perceived conflicts between members which really were about attitudes that were misinterpreted when they were read on the forum.

We can all help eachother improve but that can be done without crushing creative enthusiasm. Simply read through your posting responses a couple of times before actually posting. If you are unsure about something you have expressed you can almost guarantee others are quite likely to misinterpret it themselves as well. Take the time to recompose your response because being misinterpreted is a potentially very bad thing.


[This message has been edited by Nigel (edited 11-25-2005).]

Good point Tony. Many years ago I worked with a vocalist who sang terribly out of tune. Why did I do that you might ask? Because he had such a great stage presence it didn't seem to matter to the audience- they just loved him. Go figure!

We made some recordings at the time and they sounded awful. I guess his personality just didn't carry over into the recording.

The frustrating thing was I knew he could have sung well if he'd had the self-discipline to take lessons or just practice. Like many 'musicians' he was a temperamental type and ran off to Germany with a girl he met on holiday in Spain leaving me with booked gigs I couldn't fulfil Never saw the guy again. Ah the good old days

Boy! Judging by the very insightful and well-articulated responses, it seems this may have been a latent subject that has been stewing in the back of a lot of member's minds. I feel that there is enough thought-provoking material here to provide a guide for most of us as to how to respond (or not respond) to poor quality musical offerings. The keywords seem to be COURTESY and HONESTY (and in some cases, SILENCE)......but not false platitudes. I have personally learned the hard way not to do that. Since some of the posts included some great stories involving personal experience with this subject, I'll share one of mine. Early in our marriage, I made the mistake of praising everything my wife cooked, even if it was awful (which a lot of it was back then). Being a very organized person, she would make notes and comments beside every recipe she tried; things like, "MAKE AGAIN, HE LOVES IT". After gagging over it several more times but not having the courage to tell her, I finally resorted to going into her cookbook, drawing a line through her comments and replacing it with "NO HE DOESN'T, HE HATES IT". After a few dinners consisting of Corn Flakes and skim milk and silence, we both agreed that perhaps honesty really is the best policy. Consequently, I no longer have to eat Brussel Sprouts, Brocolli, Liver, (fill in the blanks). Thanks for the great responses, I think it was cathartic (sp) for all of us...plus, did you notice; for such a long thread, not a single disagreement. Seems like having to think first before responding, brings out the civility in us.

Peace,

chas

I can add my opinion to this topic from a very personal point of view: I have to thank many contributors of this Forum for helping me to correct mistakes I made in my past recordings, like using too much reverb or even playing a wrong note (on a couple of different songs).
In a particular case, the remark about the excess of reverb was made in a rather blunt manner, but at least the poster had the tact to express his appreciation for my playing style, and this helped me a lot to swallow my pride and reply in a civil manner. So, I guess that all depends on the personality of the poster and the tact he/she has and is willing to use.
On a different note, at least in one case I had to give up giving advice to a Forum member, because he was too stubborn to accept even the slightest criticism, so my question in this case would be: are we ready to accept the opinion of other musicians or are we posting songs only to boost our ego?

Cgiles, Loved the story!

Dreamer: I think *most* musicians will post music not for ego, neither for critisism, but in order to share the enthusiasm or to feel 'understood' by the music (which you do mine apparently!). I think SHARING is the key word here. Then when someone deflates that enthusiasm, it's painful.

Suggestion: Post a song a few days after you've played it, so that you are not so attached to it, and can be more objective and open to constructive critisism.

Another point I don't think was mentioned: generally it's pointless to point out a mistake which you 'know' the performer was aware of, but had slipped up on, didn't bother to fix, or pretends isn't there.

Zalmi,
"sharing" is truly a beautiful concept, which implies an "offer" as well. I wish that this concept was more widespread!

So, a question arises to my mind: do we post music because we are willing to offer or to receive? (advice, praise, self-promotion...)

My mother used to say an ounce of praise is worth a ton of criticism.I hope all those who post there music here will continue to so.I for one learn from everything I hear be it good bad or indiferent.There is always a phrase or mabe a lick that I haven't heard before in even the most modest performance.I love to hear people at least try to play create or perform in any kind of musical field.It keeps our art alive.Terry

As a nine year old and a boy soprano I was rejected by a teacher from a school choir in a blunt offhand way with no explanation.
It was five years before I got over being emotionally hurt.
I realise now that the voice stood out over the other children and I was a little over enthusiastic.
An explanation by the teacher would have stopped all the hurt.
Eleven years ago at sixty I decided to perform as I though fit and if I made a fool of myself I only had a few years left to live it down.
I have been having a wow of a time since.
Cousin Ken

As a nine year old and a boy soprano I was rejected by a teacher from a school choir in a blunt offhand way with no explanation.
It was five years before I got over being emotionally hurt.
I realise now that the voice stood out over the other children and I was a little over enthusiastic.
An explanation by the teacher would have stopped all the hurt.
Eleven years ago at sixty I decided to perform as I though fit and if I made a fool of myself I only had a few years left to live it down.
I have been having a wow of a time since.
Cousin Ken