The Best Music Channels On YouTube!
other than medium.com where i blog, the only other platform that i use is youtube. mainly, to learn things. mostly about music. right now, these are my favorite channels.
first, a shout out to @davidbennetpiano. david does a remarkable job of teaching music theory and all things music, simply. he makes videos on the keys, time signatures, chord progressions, and modes of modern songs. in one video he gave the best explanation i’ve found to date on why just 12 notes are used in music. in another video about “just intonation,” he demonstrates how john frusciante tuned his guitar differently for the first few bars of “scar tissue” and in the same video explained that a violinist can “tune” notes on the fly playing with an orchestra, which to me is absolutely mind blowing. for fun, he posted a video that discusses the territories of the u.k. — a great geography lesson! — and where popular british bands hail from. a brit himself and a huge beatles fan, for fun he also has videos where you can name a song based on things like their drum intros and guitar riffs.
for music theory presented in doodles, i tune into @12tone. it’s one of the most inventive channels i’ve come across on youtube. the creator narrates his opinions on music topics against the backdrop of his left hand drawing entertaining doodles on score sheets. it’s brilliant! mostly, he loses me, but his doodles keep me mesmerized and on board long enough for his highly technical and detailed explanations to sink in. he provides commentary on everything, from individual songs to timely, controversial topics.
krystle at @topmusicattorney is my go to for understanding all things legal in the music business. she negotiates label contracts for artists so they understand what they’re signing up for and litigates on their behalf against all the streaming and distributions company shenanigans, exposing the sordid truths about spotify and distrokid, for example. she just reported on the lawsuit against spotify and the “new, scary record deals,” which couldn’t seem to get worse. a badass artist herself, she explains difficult legal ease simply and is dedicated to fighting against the machinations of music titans on behalf of artists.
@CurtissKingTv is my go to for independent DIYers. this man speaks truth: “somebody’s gotta tell the truth and i’m gonna tell it.” he’s taken down his music from streaming platforms and distributors and has gone direct to consumer and is making it work. he just did a video on live nation getting sued by the department of justice for monopoly. he showed a video where scarface advocated for all artists to take down their music from DSPs to end unfair payment practices. i’m with him: joni mitchell and neil young can’t do it alone, it’s gonna take a village.
@AudioUniversity teaches the most complex aspects of mixing and mastering music in the simplest ways. i love that the videos are bite-sized, yet pack a punch. it’s a great way of building your knowledge and applying it quickly — my favorite way of learning. from understanding about equalizers to studio speakers to immersive audio. he does a great job of getting to the heart of understanding about sound in general, which gets to the heart of understanding about music. deeply satisfying to my geeky, technical left brain.
finally is @RickBeato, a jack of all trades and a rocker at heart with a vast history in the music industry. yes, he’s old school and, yes, it’s a dude channel. but he’s a great story teller and he’s landed some phenomenal interviews, such as with joni mitchell, sting, stewart copeland, butch vig, billy corgan, and ted gioia, scholar and thinker extraordinaire, who doesn’t believe that ai will displace quality artists, and that saturation will close out worn out cycles. beato analyzes song attributes in his videos, “what makes this song great,” and the top 10 spotify songs with expertise, fairness, and a little snarkiness. with more than 4.5 million followers, i’ve suggested to him and wish for his channel to become the new mtv platform for curating and promoting up and coming artists, especially in the rock genre, which he and i and so many others sorely miss. bring back music of the people to the people!
in closing, i’d like to share two of my recent, favorite videos.
i don’t know how i missed this one, but in 2014, prince invited kendrick lamar to paisley park and the two of them graced the stage together. i am so happy to know that these two greats performed together and that it was documented so that we could enjoy it for the rest of time.
speaking of prince, this second video i’ve know about for a while. it’s his guitar solo in the tribute to george harrison at the rock n roll hall of fame playing “while my guitar gently weeps” alongside greats tom petty and others. another recording that gives me chills. lately, i can’t stop watching this video. we are very lucky to have witnessed so much greatness in our lifetime.
cheers!
