Somebody keeps voting 1 star "terrible" on every "show and tell" post i make.. Why?

[H165]

Posted a reply over there on your thread.

[FrankHudson]

As with all such things, you may already know much of what I'm about to say. KevWind and some others have already made some suggestions on recording quality/techniques.

Useful feedback is very hard to come by, as you are finding out. One thing I get the sense of with Show and Tell here is that the expectation seems to be for positive comments only. Obviously a simple one star rating doesn't tell you much, but it might be due to that. Also, with non-best-loved recording stars being the majority here, there's the living in glass houses/don't throw stones aspect. In my example, I have a below-average and unattractive singing voice which I have to work around, and that should make me hesitant to comment on singing performances. Your post here letting us know that you want it straight has smoked out a few people who otherwise would have not commented or included any "try this instead of that" suggestions.

It's also hard for me to say why you don't get more listens. I get very few listens for what I've posted too, and my best guess is that's because I'm not that long-time on the AGP, but it also may be because what I do (which actually varies quite a bit, intentionally) may not be apparently attractive to the folks who visit Show and Tell or the AGP.

I've taken the time from my busy production schedule to listen to your things today. I liked Wicked Game the best, because you got to dip down to the bottom of your range a bit and I read that as commitment and emotion in your presentation. Like a lot of art, it's personal taste, but I had no problem with your enunciation, but then many of my personal favorite singers are not elocution teachers. If anything it added a bit of emotional flavor again. You seem on-pitch to me and your voice has a pleasant quality. Your acoustic guitar playing is clean and effective. You have these opportunities to go to another level:

Song acting. that's my own term, but you're picking some emotional material, and so figuring out how to convey that emotion effectively would make things work better. Two of the singers you're covering (Young and Waits) are technically shakey, but work that song/acting thing heavily. Waits does it so much (while not being a great technical singer) that it turns off some listeners (while of course attracting others for the same thing).

Original material or original covers. This is another will attract some and repel others (there's a pattern here...). Nothing you're doing is off the beaten track song-choice-wise, nor are we hearing these songs in a new light that lets us see them "your way" much. This is another reason why Wicked Game worked best for me. Without the famous electric guitar hook or full falsetto chorus, it sounded like something I hadn't heard before, a different aspect in the song. Your voice is good, your guitar accompaniment is just fine, but it's not so freaky good that you can count on it attracting strangers to listen to you for the novelty factor or vocal or guitar gymnastics. The tough part of implementing this is that original material (or even original takes on familiar songs) will also keep some from listening.

Someone has also mentioned, in so many words, one of my credos "All artists fail." A great many of my favorite artists never were highly successful, and even the most successful artists are ignored by the majority of the people on this planet, and disliked actively by some. When folks like me (also not successful) offer suggestions we may not be right. One rule of feedback is that it's usually noticing something that's really there, but the suggestions they give to "fix" that may not be the only or even the best way to fix things.

[TBman]

Don't pay any attention to that. Just play, record and enjoy the feedback you get.

All my stuff stinks, but everyone plays along and says that it's good which encourages me to keep playing and try to get better. If I paid attention to the "stars" my tunes got or didn't get I'd go nuts,

[Silly Moustache]

Hi Marc,

I've just read this, and have just listened to ALL of your published videos.

The way I look at the AGF is to look at "Today on the AGF". I rarely go to a specific subject.

I was not aware of the Voting method on Show & Tell, so perhaps I should do that on some of my YouTube vids. I have not voted on yours.

So, anyway, Here is my comment on your videos (and I'm not holding back, because I'm impressed by your potential.

1. Old Man, Heart Of Gold and Needle and Damage done:

That Seagull is not nice to listen to when flatpicked (strummed) and your voice is (again) not being used as well as I believe you can - in fact you soud a bit bored. (remember singing and playing is about entertaining your audience - yeah I know Neil young isn't exactly entertaining).

2. Vincent: This is where that Seagull works as a finger picker. Your voice is still reserved, but I hear some emotion in the singing - Fine ...but more emotion for such an emotional song.

Singing is a "performance" just like acting. "Sell" your story.

3. Heart of Saturday night: Fine. Enjoyable, although look back at my comments about using your voice to its full potential.
NOTE: Please don't try to sing like Tom - that way lies madness and a permanently sore throat!

4. Wicked Game, I confess I didn't listen to the guitar part which is just that simple three chord progression repeated throughout, and the Seagull was ....OK, but it does have it's tonal limitations.

I've already given you my comments on the vocals, and I'm looking forward to your revised version of this!

Marc, you certainly choose challenging songs to sng. Well done, but I've taken a lot of my Wednesday afternoon studying you because I think you are worth it.

Keep at it, and let us see your improvements because you can and will become a really good performer.

Best,
Ol' Andy.

[Johnny K]

Originally Posted by Murphy Slaw

If you are going to risk absurdity, you must be willing to accept the consequences.

I'm gonna put this on a T-shirt.

[Blueshoes]

Marc
I just watched several of your videos. I thoroughly enjoyed them all. You do a great job with guitar and voice , don’t let the criticisms without comments stop you. Keep up the good work and know there are those who believe you are doing quite well.

[Slothead56]

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

I immediately think Boss Vic Koss from the movie, That Thing You Do, when the P.A. doesn't work in Pittsburgh:
"Alright! Who did I forget to pay?!?"


Bob

One of my favorite movies of all time. I bet I’ve seen it 25 times....

[Tone Gopher]

Ideas from “Criticism in Your Life” (a real book):

Consider the source of the criticism. Is the critic credible? Is the criticism valid? If so, then accept it and use it to make corrections. If not, let it go.

Don’t make criticism personal, nor take it personally.

G’luck on the path. Enjoy music for life.

Be well,

George

[Gcunplugged]

Some statistics: Of all videos currently listed under Show & Tell:

5 Stars: 1
4 Stars: 8
3 Stars: 12
2 Stars: 20
1 Star: 212
0 Stars: 28,496

I'm in the zero stars bucket, so I guess consider yourself lucky to be on the scoreboard?

I too had never noticed that rating button, and based on the stats above, only 0.07% of us have ever made the 3+ stars list...

GC

[buddyhu]

I liked Wicked Game, but almoat bailed out in the first 15 seconds because of minor (but somewhat annoying) features, especially your difficulty reaching the lowest notes in the opening of the song. But ultimately, I was glad I hung in. I really like your voice. I'd still like to hear what happens if you change the key to a slightly higher one...it sounds like you would still habe a pleasing tone for the highest notes, but hit the lower notes with more volume and energy.

The guitar playing needs some variation, in my opinion. I wanted something different to happen after 3 or 4 progressions through the chords. By the end of the song, it was getting tedious.

I agree with the folks who have talked about your "acting", or performance/stage presence. If you are going to do videos, I'd recommend you identify the character of the singer, and try to embody/manifest this as you sing.

You might try a different camera angle (not sure this is the most flattering angle for you), as well, and used a different background (grey or black would be less distracting; at least get away from the stripes). Also agree with folks who have commented about aspects of the sound recording and guitar's tone. These are Minor production elements that are almost trivial, except they make a difference in how you are perceived (as do clothes, hair style, etc), and they add up. Their cumulative effect diminishes and distracts from the many positives.

All this being said, I think the one star ratings are to be dismissed: I don't understand them, and therfore don't trust them. You have A LOT going for you, and this video has a lot of VERY fine moments. Just keep developing your artistry and presentation. You could be the envy of many people on AGF with additional development and refinement.

[Imbler]

Like many, I didn't know about the star ratings till you posted. When I experimented by clicking on the star, it awards one star unless you do further action.

So I would just assume those one star's are coming from people that approve of your playing, but don't know they have to do more than just click the star.

[Silly Moustache]

I'd rather like to see a response from the Op "the link" now, esp as we have made it obvious that few of us "rate" on the show and tell and some of us have taken the time to respond creatively.

[Sage97]

Read the feedback, learn from them and disregard the stars. Most of us didn’t even know they existed until you mentioned them.

From my perspective, there is nothing technically wrong with your interpretation of Wicked Games. Yours is different than the original. However, take the falsetto and the solo guitar away from the original and you’re left with a very basic 3 chord song. Not wrong or bad, just not as interesting as the original.

[superbitterdave]

Hey Marc

This may have been the most inadvertently imaginative way to get folks to watch a bunch of your posts. Having posted a few songs and felt the anxiety of few views yet some encouraging comments, I know how you feel. The folks that have offered me feedback have been kind, generous, and constructive.

Art is fun and I find this forum has been tremendously supportive of people who share their music from hacks like me to full time pros. So ignore the ratings and move on. I thought the comments on your songs prior to this string were all encouraging (as I read them) but also full of reasonable suggestions.

As for me, I truly enjoyed your performances of Wicked Game and Heart of Saturday Night. Both artists are unique, to say the least, but I enjoyed your take on them. Shawn Colvin does a great cover of Heart of Saturday Night - not sure you could find a greater contrast in voices, but she also proves it’s a great tune.

Keep it up. You rock. Any originals?

Cheers

Dave

[Inyo]

Originally Posted by Imbler

When I experimented by clicking on the star, it awards one star unless you do further action.

No.

Intrigued by this entire discussion, I decided to examine closely the AGF thread-rating/voting process.

Here's what I learned from my own investigatory experimentation:

To vote on/rate a thread here, you must first access the drop down menu that provides the voting options by clicking on the "Rate Thread" (or any amarillo star already present, signifying previous voting activity) at the far upper right of page.

Next, you must physically click on the circle next to one of those amarillo star options, creating a black dot within the circle; note that at this point in the process no vote has yet been registered. After that, you must manually click the Vote Now button--only then is the vote officially sent.

Originally Posted by Imbler

So I would just assume those one star's are coming from people that approve of your playing, but don't know they have to do more than just click the star.

No.

What I learned is that there's nothing automatic or ambiguous about the process. You have to deliberately vote a specific way. Ergo, original poster evaluated the situation correctly--a single star conveys precisely what a voter intended: Terrible.

Addendum--Note that you can detect how many folks have actually voted by hovering the mouse over the amarillo star(s) affixed to a thread.