Let's Talk About Criticism.

Let's talk about criticism and the different kinds you may encounter as a musician.

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[iplaylespauls]

Gear companies should really publish their skill level requirements so that we all know and don't accidentally buy something we aren't good enough for. You must be this good to buy.

[EricBadderMusic]

Wel said man. Everyone needs to support others. We’re all just trying to improve and it’s all about helping others out! This is supposed to be fun. No competition in music. That’s the beauty of it

[DrewKane]

1:09 - "I could care less" means you care. The correct phrase is "I couldn't care less". Saying that you could care less proves that you care. Logic, Fluff. Logic.

[DadRockAndGuitars]

Well said. I love this quote: “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

Constructive criticism from those that care about you and are in the arena as well is great. Sometimes they can see what you can't while you're in the middle of it. Consider what they are saying, and even then you don't have to do it if it doesn't make sense for you. Ignore the arm chair quarterbacks that can't be bothered to even show up to the game.

[OliverAmberg]

I once played in a band that released an album that was not very well received by some fans. I received and still receive many bad reactions and hate mails even to this day. After I got fired from that band, that negative criticism affected my life much more than it should have. I lost my confidence and even the joy of music. I took many years to "recover". Today I don't give a shit about negative comments and criticts. I have a small circle of people who give me inputs that I really appreciated. All those internet warriors who spread hate, never achieved anything.

[NickHillMakesMusic]

This is good to talk about. It’s fine as a bunch of dudes (primarily) to get these types of conversations out in the open.

Criticism, as you stated can be good. Most here, on the internet, is exactly as you say it… a fear of someone else’s success.

Thing is, a high tide raises all ships. Success for anyone in the community is good for us all.

F the Haters, F all the haters, machines within!

[axeslinger]

I remember playing a show with this indie band that was signed back in 2003-04 and one of their people actually went out of their way to go on our message board and say “your band sucks - you sound like Alice In Chains and Tool.” It was one of the best compliments ever received.

[MikeFoerster]

Thank you for this, on one of my videos I was attacked for making a mistake with something I was showing, now 2 seconds later I did correct the mistake and say that I made it, but it gave this person a reason to tell me how much better they are than me in about 5 paragraphs. It burned me so bad that I went down a huge rabbit hole finding information on this person, it was easy since they had put their website on their YouTube channel. I was going to do a long form video on why people shouldn't call out other people when finding out information about them is quite easy. Ended up not doing the video, but it still bugs me today, but your quote that you used, really made it clear now. Thanks again.

[CarcPazu]

As a guy who has released 3 full length albums, I can tell you that being ignored hurts a lot more than being criticized.

[JordanSeal]

Man, if you're not good enough for a Fractal, then I probably need to return every piece of gear I own. Maybe I can keep a tuner... a lone headstock tuner, with no guitar to tune.

But really, thanks for sharing these great insights. They remind me of some constructive criticism I received from a close friend. My earliest posts (of music, videos, whatever) usually included an apology to people who might see my post but weren't interested in it (or, worse, were annoyed by or didn't like my stuff). My friend told me to stop doing that for several reasons. Three stand out in my mind.

(1) I was offering an apology that was unsolicited. It wasn't for anyone or in response to anything specific. A preemptive, unsolicited apology seems less like an "apology" and more like code for "I'm embarrassed by my work." Who wants to listen to/watch something that the creator doesn't like? I was discouraging people from checking out my work, and maybe even preparing them to dislike it.

(2) It was bogus for me to devote time/attention to non-fans when there were people (like him) in the world who liked my work. He said I should use my time/energy to build better, stronger relationships with people who like, respect, and/or support you, rather than wasting it on people who you've identified by one shared trait: that they aren't interested or don't like your work.

(3) He painted a vivid picture of the kind of person who I was apologizing to. The person who isn't interested in what I do, or even dislikes it, but when they see it, they don't keep scrolling. They stop and engage with something that they know they dislike or don't care about. Did I really think I could please or appease that person with an apology? That's not going to make them like me; if anything, it will make them dislike me even more.

[toddbrous_untwist]

Hey Fluff!

First off, I want to thank you for all of your amazing videos. I love the content you create, and I've learned a TON from you. Your reviews are super helpful and educational, and your sense of humor is brilliant. You are a truly fantastic content creator, a great musician, and you bring a huge amount of insight and value to the world.

When it comes to dealing with the haters and the criticism... the people who are criticizing you are a waste of oxygen. I agree with you. Ignore them. They are toxic, and they are unfortunately quite sad people. Nobody wants them in the room. I can imagine that it's sometimes hard to deal with, but please don't forget that there are people out here who support you and want to see you succeed.

Now, I'm pretty sure this is off topic... but when it comes to "giving" feedback... and trying to help people improve... one of the things that's worked incredibly well for me is to use a formula written by Professor Frances Frei, from the Harvard Business School. She writes in her book, "Unleashed: The unapologetic Leader's Guide to Empowering Everyone Around You", about a method of giving proper feedback. In a nutshell, "the right ratio of positive to constructive [feedback] is at least 5:1. For every unit of constructive advice you decide to hand out, the recipient should ideally receive five units of positive reinforcement." That basically means that... for feedback to work... we need to offer it in a ratio of 5 pieces of "you are doing these things really well, so please keep doing them" to 1 piece of "this is what you need to work on". When leaders stick to that ratio, the feedback tends to work.


Anyway... I dont know if that helps or not. I just thought I'd put it out there. Thanks again for everything you do!

Best,
-Todd
ps. Lmk if you or anyone else here has any suggestions for online guitar lessons for a beginner? Yesterday was my birthday, and I'm treating myself to some lessons.

[jameslugo]

You’re a good dude brotha. The anonymity of social media has created a world of hatred. But most people are decent.

[timoratus_music]

We released an album the other week and it got TRASHED on the review site Angry Metal Guy, but being that it had a comments section I made an account and posted that I was so glad they took the time to review (even though they hated it) and tried to explain my goal with it a bit more.

Long story short, I had a bunch of people message me or reply to my comment in great ways! Nice comments too that congratulated me on being humble and taking it so well. As well as the ones that said since I reacted so well they gave it a more honest listen and really enjoyed it!

All in all, when someone hates your work just try and be humble and appreciative that they took their valuable time and gave it a chance! Lord knows it stung at first because I put over a year into the album and it was a big undertaking for me. But, because of that harsh review and how I responded in the comments I had a ton of people who would never know the album existed and listen to it and judge for themselves!

Be humble, and be thankful. Even for the hate.

[commontimeproductions]

Thanks Fluff! I am so happy that we found you through plap! These candid videos are some of my favourite that you make. The topics you cover are really important to so many of us that have a hard time with these things. It wasn't until the last 3 months that I started really owning my small business. Your course in Warren's home marketing course was great. Sam and I are very lucky to be a part of this great community of people. You rock Fluff!

[blb]

Thank-you for such timely advice, Fluff. As a retired therapist with university students, I encountered situations where the students were very sensitive to any kind of external criticism, which then led to increased internal criticism, what we called, "Imposter Syndrome", or "I'm a fraud, and it is only a matter of time before I'm found out..." This was particularly true among students from the creative arts department (i.e. music, and visual arts). We tried to teach the students that they could be their own benchmark, or in scientific terms they could be their own control group, with the emphasis on progress, rather than perfection (being perfect is the enemy of being good). Now that I am retired and have taken up the hobby of building electric guitars, I have encountered that same thing; I have to learn to look at the difference between my first guitar, and the next one, rather than whether or not it is as good as a PRS, or Fender or whatever. Is my current guitar project better than when I first started a couple of years ago? I think so, but I completely understand the reaction of not being, "good enough" by some standard set by someone else; it hits me, too. Thanks for the encouragement.

[jeffreya-bomb]

One of my favorite things I learned from playing shows w/ musical idols and bands I look up to is how often they are super cool and along the "we're all trying to achieve the same thing" mentality. Nobody is above anyone else and in the end, it's about the music and the vibe.

[terrylstarks]

Fluff, I really like your attitude about everything but especially this. Your giving out incredible advice to everyone, not just content providers.
I think constructive criticism requires a lot of thought whereas bagging on someone requires no thought just a big mouth and low I.Q.
Thanks for everything you

[markgueren]

1000% agree!! I have a tiny little channel. I know how difficult it is to be a content creator/ musician… I certainly never criticize anyone for what they do.. if I don’t like or don’t agree I just don’t watch… or I watch with a grain of salt…I still love the old saying “ I’d you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say anything”…. Thanks for your work and Inspiring me to create my little channel!!

[sentfrombeyond]

Great video, and great point. As someone who's begun to release some home recording out on various social media platforms, there is lots of hate out there. I love getting constructive feedback, but there are people who just live to tear you down and see you fail. I appreciate that I am not alone, and that even the heavy hitters feel it too. Thanks for this !

[TheBlindAndTheBeautiful]

Brother don't let the haters get to you. I am a Helix guy personally, and that comes from an absolutely terrible experience I had with Fractle Audio's team basically treating me like I didn't matter. I'm blind and they just basically said "Too bad bro figure it out we don't need to do anything to help you". That being said I get why people would use the AXFX and I say if it works for you then you do you boo boo! Last time I checked having (Insert particular gear here) did not get you where you are being a musician did. Just like for myself. No peace of gear got me to produce a television show intro song it was me as a musician first. Stay strong and keep the music going my guy