> Generally a good song can hold up when performed on a single piano or acoustic guitar, and obviously with a singer[1]. The problem here is not you: it's the s

> Generally a good song can hold up when performed on a single piano or acoustic guitar, and obviously with a singer[1]. The problem here is not you: it's the songs [...] using an impressive production to disguise weak songs. I was going to take exception to this and say that a lot of choral music doesn't really fall under this because a soprano line on its own is often not great, but I think instead there's a different point to be made: don't try to take 3-4 parts verbatim out of a larger arrangement and expect it to work. A piano, for example, does not play the same arrangement with just a choir as it would with a choir+orchestra. Similarly, a good 2-part version of a 4-part song with soprano melody[1] is rarely obtained by taking the 'soprano+alto', 'soprano+tenor', or 'soprano+bass' parts of the 4-part, but instead by using 'soprano+alto/tenor/bass' or even 'soprano+all new harmony'. Basically, don't judge a song by how good a 1-2 parts sounds on its own. (Said differently: the important harmony or even the melody can move between singers/instruments throughout the song) [1] Of course, for complex songs the best 2-part version of 4 parts can approach 'S/A/T/B+S/A/T/B' as the melody moves around.