My favorite YouTube channels are about music appreciation
1. Ryan and George are Lost in Vegas. (Link)
These 2 guys are R&B and hip-hop enthusiasts who have discovered rock and metal. Their followers submit songs for them to do reaction videos and they have amassed a million followers who tune in to see their commentary. It’s like a play-by-play for songs you know. Despite not being musicians themselves, you only need to see a few videos to realize they have innate musicality and perceptive ears. But the best part of these videos is how enthusiastic and endearing they are. It’s easy to see why they have become popular enough to quit their day jobs. I’ve been watching them for a couple of years and it’s cool to watch their palette widen and see what songs they will give their highest honor…”playlist!”
While I dig so many of their videos, including their breakdowns of Rush, Rage Against the Machine, Van Halen, and Metallica songs their’s nothing like watching them lose their minds over a song that you also love. They do plenty of hip-hop and even country songs.
Here are some of my favorites:
- Alice in Chains: Rooster (Link)
- Chris Stapleton: Tennessee Whiskey (Link)
- Black Sabbath: War Pigs (Link)
And here’s a more recent one with their higher production backdrop…and is a great way to wade into the brilliance of Tool’s recent album which I’ve raved about before.:
- Tool: Pneuma (Link)
2. Rick Beato’s Everything Music channel (Link)
Rick is a producer and multi-instrumentalist who represents the opposite end of Ryan and George’s amateur appreciation. Rick will dive into music theory and teach you what makes certain songs great. Everything from ear training to detailed top 20 lists. If you are a big music fan, music nerd, or musician this channel could keep you busy enough to displace Netflix. His home studio is ridiculous and he can sidestep getting blocked by music labels since he can easily just demonstrate the music being discussed on his own.
A great place to start: “What Makes This Song Great?” series (Link)
Here’s a look at his other playlists. His son Dylan has perfect pitch and gets his own playlist full of his own party tricks.
