The Art of the Song Critique

One of the best feedback tools is learning the art of the critique: how to examine a song and how to accept critique from other writers.

This art is invaluable to rewriting our best. It’s not that you have to listen to everyone and make all the changes suggested, it’s that you need to listen to the point of view of the critique without getting defensive – and only making any changes because it makes sense to you … as you realize the suggestions make your song better.

One of the best articles I’ve seen on the subject: Ten Things Your Mother Won’t Tell You About Your Songwriting.

No doubt about it. Our songs are our “babies”, and we think: “You’re gonna attack my baby!?” But rarely has there been a critic that does so to take personal jabs at another.

When I give a critique I say, “This is just my 2 cents. Take whatever suggestions that ring true to your heart and leave the rest.” I want them to know my evaluation of the song is clinical. I’ll be sure to include praise for what the song does best, in my opinion.

Learn to take suggestions and ask for clarifications. You’ll need a ‘thicker skin’ in this department.

I’ll specifically address the art of critiquing worship songs.

Types of Critiquing

The old saying is that you have to learn to crawl before you can learn to walk.

It’s good to get feedback about our songs so we can eventually learn to walk. But, there’s the whole gamut of getting pats on the back from your mother/friends/family to receiving suggestions that tear you down. Neither of these provide the information necessary for you to become a better writer …

You need feedback that’s designed to help take your song to the finish line AND show you how to be a better writer.

If you want to become a dedicated congregational songwriter, you have to ‘cut to the chase’ and take on serious critique and learn to be a better writer so you can cross that finish line.

But where do you find this information? You’ll find it right here in the paragraphs to follow.

It’s so amazing to me. There are massive opinions out there, as you might expect. With so many points of view, it’s tough to know which methods are effective. There are so many writers who know their hearts and what seems to work for them. And there are many writers who have good intentions and experience.

Some writers have figured out how to receive critique, but not give it. They pass on encouragement, but not necessarily specifics. Not every writer has the know-how to give good feedback.

The main problem with seeking feedback from so many different sources when wanting to learn how to write for congregations is the plethora of opinion on exactly what writing for congregations is.

You need constant professional songwriting feedback in order to grow. It’s not that the professional viewpoint should be the only feedback, it’s that the professional viewpoint is the only type that allows you to grow as a writer.

This type of top-level critique and feedback speeds up the learning curve drastically.

Is there a single source of information designed to critique and build congregational worship songs? Yes.

I’ve spent a large amount of time and gathered tons of material and opinions toward the goal of creating a critique form tailored especially for the worship songwriter.

I’ve distilled many facets of song creation criteria down to the specifics we need to know. All, I humbly believe, we need to know. And nothing more.

The definition of congregational songwriting is found in this form. Many of the evaluation questions in the form come from this book. But the ideas in the form are expanded, with questions not found in this book.

The Proverbs 27:17 Song Critique Method

My experience with critiquing comes from multiple online writer forums, songwriting contests, live and internet songwriting review panels, local and national worship leaders, and personal feedback from songwriting veterans and professional artist management.

I’ve created an approach, taken from my own insights and experience to create a direct way to build a good congregational song. Rather than tear a person’s baby down and make them feel like crap, it’s a method where the songwriter can see the satisfying conclusion of making their song work.

It’s a way to assess your songs and to learn crafting from the process of purposeful critiquing.

It’s based on the model of Proverbs 27:17:

As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another

This form is highly focused the type of lyric and music writing needed for congregations. You’ll quickly sharpen your core skills:

Lyric writing,
melody creation and evaluation,
the prosody of music, and
the viability for songs in the church environment

All elements of great songs. You’ll evaluate your own as well as the creations of other dedicated worship songwriters.

I base this song evaluation and critique form on 5 critical song areas:

Substance
Structure
Melody
Prosody
Viability

The following are only a few of the questions and evaluations inside the 5 critical areas:

Substance
- intended use
- the power of one idea
- the story aspect
- the central emotion
- scriptural accuracy
- Structure
- strong start criteria
- song form
- rhyme
- poetic devices
- sound repetition
- memorable title
- building to a payoff
- word economy
- Melody
- singability
- the range
- the repetition
- the rhythm with the spoken cadence
- the shape (visual structure)
- the “cry”
- Prosody
- First, do the lyric and melody belong together?
- Is it conversational?
- Is the intended emotion conveyed?
- Is it singable?
- Viability
- Can the chorus stand alone?
- Which ideas or images need expansion?
- Is the song easy to sing by the untrained masses?
- Would you characterize the song as congregational? What are your comments?
- Are the lyrics from the heart?
- Does the song have commercial value?

You’ll find the full and updated form on this page. Thanks for reading and please enjoy.

About Steve Cass

Steve Cass is a veteran songwriter and worship leader. He founded the label Solid Walnut Music and distributed their albums to Christian radio stations in over 15 countries. He is the Founder of the Arizona Worship Songwriters Association, and is married to Lisa with grown children David and Christy.

The following is a repost of an article that first appeared on the now-defunct christiansongwritingtips.com website.

As the writer alludes to with the title, you’re gonna receive feedback from your mom and friends that aren’t going to make you a better songwriter. Are you ready to take your songs to the next level? Please visit https://songs4god.net/how-to-be-a-worship-songwriter.

Thanks,

Steve

by Shawn McGlaughlin

In the world of songwriting, there’s one person who you can always count on to love everything you do: Mom. She’s your biggest fan. She’ll play your CD for the delivery guy, and he’ll like it, too. How could he not?

Moms are good at that, and that’s one thing we can count on them for. Support. If we don’t press in and strive for criticism instead of just praise, though, we’ll never become anything more than hobbyists.

So while the world is getting ready to honor Mothers for everything they do (*hat tip* and happy Mother’s Day!), we’re going to help them out. Today, we’re going to talk about the things that they won’t tell you.

Here are ten hard truths that you won’t hear from your loving mother.

1. “You don’t have a hook.”
Writing a song without a hook is like going fishing without one. Sure, you can do the work, but you aren’t going to get results. It’s important to remember that’s exactly what we’re doing when we write a song. We’re fishing for people’s attention. The hook is what wraps a song up in a single line and makes it memorable. It tells your listeners what you’re trying to say. Without the hook, you’re not going to catch them. They won’t even bite.

2. “What is this even about?”
Dove award nominated singer-songwriter Russ Lee once told me that a well-crafted song isn’t just about having a strong hook, but the entire song needs to be written around that hook. A great song is written like a wagon wheel: Your hook is the hub in the middle, and every line needs to connect (relate) to that hook in some way. All too often in amateurland, the verses just go off on a tangent that has nothing to do with the central thought of the song.

3. “This is just too wordy.”
For crying out loud, it’s not a poem. This isn’t a novel. We’re not writing a thesaurus here. Keep it short, and don’t use twenty mediocre words when six strong ones will do.

4. “Who even talks like this?”
Some songwriters use their song as a chance to show off their vocabulary, twisting and turning their words to be cute. Others get lazy and invert their words to force a rhyme, settling on a lyric when there’s a better one to be found. If you’re not writing like you speak, your listeners aren’t going to listen for long.

5. “Your song’s too long.”
Because it is. Try to wrap it up in under four minutes. 4:30 at the very most, if it’s really driving something home well.

6. “It’s trite and cliche.”
This is definitely one that your momma won’t tell you, but it’s one that a lot of people need to hear. The fact is, nobody needs to rehash something that’s been done over and over again if they’re presenting it in the exact same way. When you write a song, it needs to bring something fresh to the table. There’s nothing new under the sun, and you can speak about the same topics, but you need to shine fresh light on the topic. Bring a new perspective.

7. “It’s amorphous.”
Or maybe “There’s absolutely no structure here.” There’s a reason that over 80% of the popular songs on the radio are in VCVCBC format: It’s because that’s what works. If you aren’t sticking close to commonly-accepted convention, people have to think about how you’re presenting your song. If they’re spending energy focusing on HOW you’re saying it, they’re not listening to WHAT you’re saying… and the content is the most important part.

8. “It’s confusing.”
She also won’t tell you, “It’s too deep.” Some songwriters try to cram five ideas into one song, and that’s too many. Two ideas is one too many. It’s easy: One idea can be multiple possible songs if you present it differently, but one song can only ever be one idea.

9. “It’s a filler song.”
In the 60’s, nobody complained about this. You had to have an album full of songs, and only a few of them had to be smash hits. Ultimately, they had to buy the entire album if they wanted one song. With digital downloads overtaking the music industry, EVERY song has to be good now. If they don’t like it, they won’t buy it. If they don’t listen to it, it’s wasted energy. It might as well hit the cutting room floor.

10. “My opinion doesn’t count.”
Everybody’s mother thinks their kids hung the moon. Every church body thinks their local songwriter is a star. What really matters is seeking criticism, not praise. It’s the tough words, the qualified people who tell you what doesn’t work and how to fix it, that will ultimately make you better at your craft. If you’re not getting better, you’re not becoming more effective, even in a Kingdom economy. And if we’re not being effective, then why are we doing this?

In the end, we’re usually not writing for our mother. We’re writing to make a difference in the world, so we need to hear the things that make a difference.

Besides, our mother’s guaranteed to love our work either way. 🙂