Resource: Rick Beato - What Makes This Song Great?
I am out in Anaheim California this week for the NAMM Show and the SCSBOA Conference. While sitting in a Starbucks yesterday morning I noticed one of my all-time favorite YouTube personalities walk in - Rick Beato. If you don’t already know Rick, he is an incredible musician who makes all types of YouTube videos that focus on music, including interviews, tutorials, and more. My favorite series of videos though is his What Makes This Song Great? series. In the series, Rick breaks down some of rock and roll’s greatest hits (115 of them) and really analyzes every aspect of the song - from the melody, to the harmony, to the rhythms and lyrics. These videos are REALLY good and Rick is a gifted educator. Here is the playlist that includes ALL of his WMIG videos:
In each of the videos, Rick usually provides an historical background of the song, the band, the producers on the album, and of course, the song that he is focusing on. He also usually gives LOTS of really interesting details on the specific gear and the techniques that the various musicians used to create the sound(s) on the song. I LOVE this aspect of his videos - you really get the “inside” info on some of the most iconic songs. As an example, one of my favorite of his videos is the “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” video. Check this out:
I also love how he plays sections of the song, immediately stops the recording and explains exactly how they did it. I don’t care if you’re a fan of the band or not, Rick’s insights are SO good. One of my favorite aspects of his videos is that he magically has access to the individual stems from the songs, so he can solo each specific part to describe what is going on. He also brings in guests to show how other instruments in the song are used to create the iconic sounds and effects.
Another one of my all-time favorite What Makes This Song Great videos is Episode 81: Stevie Wonder’s Superstition. This is an incredible track and the amount of layering and producing that went into creating it is one of many reasons that Stevie Wonder is such an incredible musician. Check out the episode:
In terms of using this resource with your students, I think this playlist is PERFECT for any teacher interested in teaching Modern Band as well as music production and music technology. It is a FREE resource that I think would take teachers hours and hours to reproduce on their own. I strongly suggest checking out the videos, watching the ones that interest you, and if you think that all of the content is appropriate and relevant for your students, DEFINITELY integrating his videos into your curriculum.
If you are interested in supporting Rick’s work and learning more from him, you can check out some of his paid resources, including his amazing Ear Training Program, his amazing Music Theory textbook, and you can even join the Beato Club which is an exclusive membership that gives you access to various extra perks while supporting his YouTube channel.
I hope you’ll check out his videos and share them with your students. I am certain that you’ll both enjoy them..
A grainy photo of Rick & I at the Hilton Starbucks - NAMM 2024