Dare I ask for a reason?

[ncc1701]

I got a return on my ragtime piano piece, and it's the first time a return has really taken me by surprise.Liberty RagRAGTIME PIANO INSTRUMENTALS a la Scott Joplin are sought by a prominent LA-based Music Library who has signed and placed many TAXI songs. Solo piano pieces or piano tracks with accompaniment are OK (make sure the piano is the lead instrument). Please do not submit covers--your instrumentals must be originals. NO VOCALS. Great performances are essential. Broadcast quality needed--Great sounding home recordings are just fine. Please submit one to three songs online or per CD. All submissions will be screened on a YES/NO BASIS ONLY -- NO CRITIQUES FROM TAXI. For ground submissions, please enclose a S.A.S.E. if you would like a response. Submissions must be received no later than Dec. 7, 2007.TAXI #Y071207JZI've never needed to ask a screener "why" before. This is a yes-or-no listing. I'm not looking for a full critique, but is it bad form to request a brief reason for not forwarding it? Such as "production" or "performance" or "song structure?"Looking for any advice,Kathleen

[aubreyz]

Kathleen,I'm not at the studio so it's hard to really evaluate the recording quality... but it sounds pretty good to me. Stylistically, it doesn't seem to have exactly the "quirkiness" or energy of the entertainer or maple leaf rag, but it's pretty darn close... My only critique would be that the velocity of the lower last note of the main melody run seems to make that note jump out a little much, but that could be my laptop speakers... and that's a very picky thing anyway.Basically... I'm scratching my head too. Might call on this one just to get an explanation.Aub

[trentoliphant]

I got a return on this one too for my rag.Not Quite Ready RagI did the upload a new track after the deadline. What I had initially was absolutely awful - not even really complete. So if they listen to what is uploaded at the time of the deadline (see this thread - I'm not suprised, but if what I have there now - who knows. (Maybe my production isn't quite good enough)I would be curious to hear the ones that got forwarded.I don't have a clue why yours wouldn't have been forwarded.Trent

[ncc1701]

Yours sounds great to me, Trent. They must have been looking for something really really particular.I want to call TAXI, but I don't want to seem like I'm whining to the screeners, or that I think people can just call for more explanation any time they get a yes-or-no return.How often has anyone else out there given TAXI a call? Once? A few times? On a first-name basis with the receptionist? What's proper in this case?Kathleen

[sgs4u]

well shite kathleen, nice track.It's always sheer speculation why a great or close to great track is not forwarded. As a pianist myself (but no i wouldn't even bother with stride, not my thing at all), I can suggest 2 reasons why you might not have been forwarded. 1) It wasn't the right tempo, or vibe/color that the screener was looking for, or2) It might sound too perfect, a little too-quantized, without much swing to it, or difference in the velocity levels. It makes your piece sound a little computer generated. do I know for sure, of course NOT.Don't worry about it. There are lots of opportunities for pianists. The track might get forwarded and placed for something else. Quote:I got a return on my ragtime piano piece, and it's the first time a return has really taken me by surprise.Liberty RagRAGTIME PIANO INSTRUMENTALS a la Scott Joplin are sought by a prominent LA-based Music Library who has signed and placed many TAXI songs. Solo piano pieces or piano tracks with accompaniment are OK (make sure the piano is the lead instrument). Please do not submit covers--your instrumentals must be originals. NO VOCALS. Great performances are essential. Broadcast quality needed--Great sounding home recordings are just fine. Please submit one to three songs online or per CD. All submissions will be screened on a YES/NO BASIS ONLY -- NO CRITIQUES FROM TAXI. For ground submissions, please enclose a S.A.S.E. if you would like a response. Submissions must be received no later than Dec. 7, 2007.TAXI #Y071207JZI've never needed to ask a screener "why" before. This is a yes-or-no listing. I'm not looking for a full critique, but is it bad form to request a brief reason for not forwarding it? Such as "production" or "performance" or "song structure?"Looking for any advice,Kathleen

[sgs4u]

This piece is also really good, and very well performed. Trent I have a couple of ideas for you. It could well be that your piece suffered the same fate as Kathleen's, for some of the same reasons(#1).1) It wasn't the right tempo or vibe. 2) It sounded too close to the chord pattern of the Entertainer. 3) There are lots of great dynamics in your piece, but there are also a few moments when it sounds a too tentative. Overall, I would hazard a guess that the screeners are looking for really fast stride, the exciting crazy stuff. Then again, I could be completely wrong.Quote:I got a return on this one too for my rag.Not Quite Ready RagI did the upload a new track after the deadline. What I had initially was absolutely awful - not even really complete. So if they listen to what is uploaded at the time of the deadline (see this thread - I'm not suprised, but if what I have there now - who knows. (Maybe my production isn't quite good enough)I would be curious to hear the ones that got forwarded.I don't have a clue why yours wouldn't have been forwarded.Trent

[hummingbird]

Quote:Yours sounds great to me, Trent. They must have been looking for something really really particular.I want to call TAXI, but I don't want to seem like I'm whining to the screeners, or that I think people can just call for more explanation any time they get a yes-or-no return.How often has anyone else out there given TAXI a call? Once? A few times? On a first-name basis with the receptionist? What's proper in this case?KathleenI've been a member for 3.5 and could probably paper my bedroom with my return emails... and I've called Taxi about returns 0 times. I figure, if I submit to a Y/N listing, or to Dispatch, then I know from the outset that I won't know why it's returned if it's returned. I will ask for feedback from my peers on the forum, or submit for a custom critique (or submit to a similar listing that does have critiques), to get the views of a screener. Just my way of doing things.While I appreciate Taxi's customer service, I feel it's not appropriate to be calling to ask why music was returned. If everyone did that they might as well have no Y/N listings.JMHO

[vicky]

hey there...my 2 cents...I've called at least 10 times (I just joined you all online)....but never to ask about critiques....the yes/no listings often say a Taxi screener isn't listening.....also the listing doesn't always describe what they're looking for, exactly...every time I call the person answering takes time to be extremely helpful...however....last year I got a few wrong-ish answers.....No big, big deal...but lets say I would have had all my musicians' release forms already....This forum is by far the helpful..ness...best.....Vicky

[trentoliphant]

Thanks for the kudos Steve and Kathleen. Kathleen, yours was great and the one that I thought was the closest for the listing. (I really like ragtime and have played quite a bit myself)I don't know that I would ever call on a specific listing (I wouldn't rule it out - but that's not really my style). When a listing seems so specific as this one - I would like to know what did get forwarded. All in trying to improve my ability to target the listings.Of course so far I have had to rely on the forum for a critique of my stuff in that all the listings I have submitted to have been no critique (One of these days I need to get a custom critique).Well, on to the next one.

[bmete]

Hi Kathleen,I thought yours was a definite shoe in for a forward. On this subject of Ragtime & Joplin there seems to be a lot of discussion on tempo's of ragtime and tempos of Joplin rags. I have seen some listings that call out a temp ( ex. quarter note = 120 ), sure would have been nice to have the tempo on the listing.Anyway, I thought your piece was great as were many of the others, it would be great if any Taxi's members got forwarded on this one so we could hear were the bar was set.Bob