Chris Bonds seems to have come in for more than his share of criticism for
posting his formula.  I, for one, appreciated his attempt.

True, evaluating music is a subjective thing.  But Chris' suggestions *are*
subjective - there's no way to construe them as algorithms to be plugged
into a machine.  I think it is perfectly reasonable, and even sometimes
useful, to try to break down one's aesthetic thought processes into smaller
component parts without denying the nature of the process itself.

More to the point:  I believe it can be of use in deciding whether a work
one hears for the first time will continue to be of worth over the long
haul.  If one is aware of the elements of subjective evaluation, then one
can apply them deliberately, free of the passion of the moment.

If you ask yourself some of these simple(r) questions, you may find that
the answers provide a strong indication of how likely you are to find that
the work will still speak to you after it becomes familiar and the novelty
phase is past.  And that could mean making some good monetary decisions,
for those of us on limited CD budgets.

This also works for pieces that may bore or repel you at first hearing.
It may help you to see if there is something that will pull you in over
the long naul.

Of course, you must be prepared to be totally honest with yourself.
Otherwise it will be a useless exercise.

Steve Bacher