Writing an informative and captivating music review can be a challenging task. It is helpful if the reviewer is a musician and understands music theory, musical styles, and the type of music to be reviewed. It is essential for the reviewer to be aware of the target audience for which the music review is intended. Our reviews are targeted to music professionals who have in in-depth understanding and appreciation of music.
We’re looking for a writer that is educated, has an in-depth understanding of music, including music theory, conducting,, and music pedagogy, and a level of musical understanding in all genres of music. Typical readers want to know about the product. They are looking for new ideas for presenting music in concerts and on the football field. They want music that will add diversity to their concert programming. Readers want to know certain things about each piece of music; specifically the level of difficulty, and any unusual demands placed on the different instruments and the appropriateness of the music for performance.
An example of the type of writing we’re looking for:
“Here we have ten minutes of Spanish flavored music that has many dynamic types of shading, and is sprinkled with sustained lines, weaving counter lines, and thick, resonant chords. The contrasts in mood are very well handled. It is a rousing number that exudes rhythmic intensity, and Spanish bravado. This exciting musical composition brings out a sense of adventure, and student will enjoy the brisk tempo and fiery Spanish rhythms.”
We’d like our reviews to be between 500 and 700 words in length (Longer for album reviews)
Style of Writing?
It is best to avoid using terms such as: “you” “your” and “I” in the review. It is assumed that whatever is written is the expressed opinion of the reviewer and if not, than that statement should be quotations. It is also helpful if the reviewer avoids the use of clichés, and generic, non-specific terms such as “interesting,” and accumulates a list of colorful adjectives that can be used to describe the music. The words “appealing” “fascinating” and “exciting” are more suitable that is the word, “interesting.”The following are a few helpful descriptive terms for use in music reviews:
“freshness of sound, absence of musical clichés, colorful work, use of sonorous pedal-points, the crisp and intense combination of….., splashes of percussive color, a deep woody bassoon solo…, leads to a warm, mellow four-part horn chorale, a tender, expressive melody by the oboe.”
What does Exposed Vocals expect?
Exposed Vocals would like to see in-depth analysis of one or two compositions and in some cases, an overview of seven or eight selections
The reviewer should listen to each selection many times to in order to grasp and absorb the many layers of sound and to acquire a deeper understanding of the music. Taking detailed notes about what stands out in the music can be very helpful. Writing a music review is a creative process that is based on the individual opinion and personal tastes of the reviewer. The reviewer must be able to recommend appropriate and usable musical compositions to the reader.
It is of vital importance to stress the positive aspects of the music that is being reviewed. It is a wise policy to select for review only pieces that the reviewer can recommend to the readers. However, some reviews are paid promotions and it is unhelpful to be too critical of music that is being used for promotional purposes. This will be marked as “Sponsored Review” and is designed to help sell a record.
Tips:
- Use a catchy or descriptive title to captivate the attention of the reader and unify the review.
- Avoid using slang or colloquial expressions such as:.
- Man, that was a groovy piece of music! “Awesome to say the least!” “One can really chill out listening to this piece”
- Ask a local editor to peruse and edit the review before submitting it.
- Read many reviews to obtain a sense of style and content.
- Learn about writing and how to improve the presentation.
If you’d like to write for Exposed Vocals or would like us to publish music reviews from artists that are not already on our site, please contact us to get your publication posted. The writer will receive 100% credit for the publication as well as an image and links to your personal blog. You may also submit “Music Related” guest posts that is Original Content only.
