Beato Book Review

Rick Beato's music theory book "The Beato Book" has gained almost legendary status, But is it all it's said to be?... Let's find out
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[@pj2524]

My mother tried playing Elvis through headphones on her stomach when pregnant with me,now I'm all shook up

[@jorgegera9042]

I see what you did there

[@gkniffen]

Were you born... “In the Ghetto”? 🤔😎

[@pj2524]

@@gkniffen It was a cold grey morn apparently.

[@theartistformerlyknownasje6358]

😂👏

[@tonym2513]

I’m looking around for it because I know you did something here…damned if I see it tho. You slick bastard you.

[@lemmythelion6146]

I reviewed it 2 years ago. I think he just compiled handouts from his classes. You are 100% correct. My assessment is the same

[@ultrium2000]

I also bought the book. I totally agree with you. To me, it is just a complied collection of handouts from his classes. If you are a beginner, do not buy it. Anything that is it, you can just google it and find better information.

[@generalruckus]

Rick "Copyright Strike" Beato.

[@thetribalist6923]

This goes to show how good a teacher like Uncle Ben Eller is. Informative, entertaining, and breaks things down on a level that is easily understood by a variety of skill and experience levels. Thanks for the review KDH. I respect how honest your assessments are.

[@zadtheinhaler]

I especially dig the inclusion of "stepdad speed". For an old dude like me that started as a drummer, it's hella handy.

[@thetribalist6923]

@@zadtheinhaler stepdad speed is one of the truly great innovations in recent music history.

[@NinjaRunningWild]

Rick's got his problems but Ben is just a tool.

[@jjs8426]

Whatchu all think about Shred master Scott?

[@thetribalist6923]

@@NinjaRunningWild I’m a fan of both guys, and wasn’t disparaging Rick, and I respectfully disagree; Ben is far from a tool. He has a relatable sense of humor, and that makes learning easier because it’s more fun. You don’t like his jokes? Fair enough, but he’s always been nice to his fans, myself included, so there’s no need to bash him.

[@tippybooch]

I'm just gonna chill here with my popcorn waiting for Rick to show up

[@tobexdmasterofjej6363]

Man I really enjoy your vids, ngl really helped me through a lot of the lockdown BS Ty man keep it up!

[@replicated]

I think Rick would benefit greatly from having a writer (with music background) piece his references together with context and flow with deeper explanations. I feel that would add tremendous value to his book. I think Rick's videos are great, but as an intermediate, I felt there could have been more than what I could already find on the internet. Great videos though, and I like how much new (to me) music, especially jazz that he has exposed me too.

[@richardlewis1243]

having been a beato stan but somewhat healed up, I did buy it to support the channel the same way I may at some point buy a Levi Clay country picking book. the most useful thing for my guitar growth has just been spending a lot of time with the guitar in my hands, not much works better...no secret formula unfortunately

[@robbirose7032]

@FUCK JOE BIDEN KILL ALL LIBERALS cringe name you sheep

[@nckhed]

@@robbirose7032 Please. ALL of you are sheep.

[@robbirose7032]

@@nckhed sick burn.

[@blacktoothfox677]

EXACTLY... Time on fretboard is the only true currency

[@scottbronder]

This is great. The number of times I've almost given him money for that book I can't even count and it's really hard to find info about this book.

[@martinpaddle]

I love Beato's content (putting aside the rants). Some of his interviews are outright masterclasses, and I can't begin to describe the increase in insight and music appreciation I got from his various breakdowns of songs. But your review of the 'book' is spot on: as you put it, there's little Beato in there

[@MrChopsticktech]

@@creamwobbly Agreed! There is no need to ran every few months about videos being blocked, demonetised etc. Rock takes it personally, and acts like the artists are watching his videos to block him. He's been in the music business for decades, owns the studio, has produced albums yet he plays dumb when he tires to claim fair use. He's got to know a few people in the industry (producers, engineers, lawyers, label executives, managers etc.) and use their input but he prefers to play the victim, claiming Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Fleetwood Mac etc. are blocking him, and he is full of it when he claims that if it wasn't for his 'What Makes This Song Great' videos are the only way to get new listeners/fans to be exposed to those music legends and classic songs.

[@Wizardofgosz]

His rants are the only videos I do like. The rest is bluster.

[@allstopblue5717]

@@creamwobbly Who are these creators who put out videos like Rick’s. Would love to check to them out… would love to see similar creators who have videos similar to “what makes this song great” or even the way Rick goes through current top 10 hits or whatever. The knowledge he imparts in those videos I have not seen from other creators. So please let me know. The book probably sucks. But you have now veared off into criticizing his videos themselves so would love to hear what channels you do like that offer the same experience. Thanks.

[@EbonyPope]

What's the problem with the rants?

[@EbonyPope]

@@MrChopsticktech With that many subs he has definitely an influence on younger listeners. The comment section is full of younger people thanking him for exposing them to new music.

[@kirkwilson6229]

I play guitar, don't read music, and own the book. I found the book incredibly helpful in clarifying and deepening my understanding of music theory, especially building chords and how they relate to scales. I am not, however a beginner as a player, nor was it my first run at theory. I think you are correct about the book not being for beginners. It was developed for college level music students, who tend not to be green. I do feel the book was worth the money for me.

[@modscientist9793]

There are much better sources out there. Music Theory by Tom Kolb is amazing and Serious Guitar by Michael Hoffman..you'll thank me. In fact, you're welcome in advance. Rick's book is not good. I had high hopes for it. But it falls short and flat of it's intended goal and audience.

[@HeadbangoO]

@@modscientist9793 Well, you targeted the wrong audience as well 😜 Kirk says he's not a beginner and these books take you only through a few steps of the very early beginning.

[@modscientist9793]

I posted in here instead of the main thread sorry Kirk. But yeah..not a good book. Some good information inside but there are much better, and I do mean much better resources...if you like it then more power to you. It's so surprising because Rick is a great player and teacher. It didn't even merit me wasting the paper to print my pdf.

[@manuele.itriagom.728]

@@modscientist9793 so what if there are better sources? Doesn't change the fact that it helped him. There are also many, many, MANY, worse sources that he could've stumbled upon. I'm not trying to defend Rick's book, i haven't even read it. But it annoys me that there's always a smartass saying: well, there's better things out there. Sure, there might be better sources, but at the end of the day, the best source is the one that makes you grow and better yourself.

[@modscientist9793]

I agree....if it helps someone out there, it's not entirely useless. It's not an articulate read, and a confusing collection of notes that comes really pretentious. Almost a glorified chord book. That's really what should annoy people that spend their hard earned money. Regardless of how feel. But if we don't share our opinions, the uninitiated will never know. Rick is intelligent and knows his craft but his execution misses the mark.

[@UnvisibleINK]

This basically sums up my feelings on most online music teaching courses. They could be useful but I assume they're mostly pointless. I picked up the Ultimate guitar handbook when I was a teenager and it has everything in it, including information on guitarists, guitars, squillions of chords and all the fundamentals of music theory as well. It was informative but not super useful in the long run. Within ten minutes of looking at the circle of fifths and realising that I could figure out any key signature by starting at C and transposing up a fifth or down a fourth and sharpening or flatting the 7th... that's when I abandoned all motivation to memorize any key signature other than C major. However a good music teacher probably would have been able to outsmart me and push me in ways the theory itself couldn't. In my case was lucky to have a really effing cool guitar teacher outside of school, cause my school music teachers were awful and totally uninspiring. The way I gradually developed my musical understanding was by taking the foundations my guitar teacher gave me and then playing in bands and talking shop and learning what I could from the musicians I was playing with. Musical interactivity makes learning and the motivation for learning much more innate and intuitive. Having a physical in person teacher is always going to be better than prefabricated one size fits all videos and/or pdfs. Working with different bassists who have different aptitudes and tendencies was the biggest crash course in harmonization I've ever experienced. Be good to see more videos of guitarists (or any musicians) advocating learning music theory off an instrumental teacher rather than a course. Cause (notwithstanding access limitations of small towns and rural communities) it seems clearly better to find a guitar or piano teacher locally who is happy to teach anything from campfire songs to the nerdiest jazz harmonisations, and learn your theory that way. It's one thing for a teacher to lay down the law, but when they back it up by jamming with you and making you look a fool, that's when the shit they're talking really sinks in.

[@RomainG6409]

No one should be looking for a "music teacher" anywhere, on line or in real life, but rather for a "guide" ... unfortunately, that is a very rare human kind ...

[@UnvisibleINK]

@@RomainG6409 I get you, but to be honest if you're going to split those semantic hairs then I'd say that a "guide" is preferable to a "teacher" in any discipline, not just music. I don't believe music is more special or mysterious than anything else. I would say that any good and/or effective "teacher" would fit your definition of a "guide".

[@RomainG6409]

@@UnvisibleINK We agree to disagree ;-) and the debate would be far too long I guess. But yes in most artistic (but not only) disciplines this is true (the guide requirement), but not everywhere as some disciplines require only « technical » or « knowledge without spirit » trainings where in that case, any good teacher can do the job indeed. But that is not what we want on music … we want to go beyond the technic that you can learn almost without a teacher these days with all the material you can find on the net for free…

[@johannalvarsson9299]

I say the same to my students as my own teachers to me: If you don`t play an instrument or at least make music yourself (like programming midi), you will probably not get anything anyway. Plus: Learning requires feedback, and that is why interacting with people is vastly superiour to books. You cannot ask a book any questions. Or better said you can, but it might not be able to answer.

[@quintessenceSL]

My biggest critique is that playing music should be joyous, and instructors manage to suck the life out of it. Not everyone intends to be a professional, so teaching them as such is just grindy and stupid.

[@jazznotes3802]

Rick isn’t the greatest teacher, even though he knows music theory to a very high level. The problem with his book (like many others) is it’s just another one that shows you the information without teaching you anything, “like how to actually apply it to you instrument in a step by step manner.” Theoretical Information is next to useless IF you don’t know how to apply it! Anyone can make a book filled with theoretical information and charge £40 or more, considering it’s freely available to all on the internet. But finding a book on how to apply theory to the guitar is very hard to come by.

[@daniellarson3068]

With a name like Jazz Notes, maybe there's a need you can fill that you just identified. I never did like Mel Bay books.

[@MrRafaztar]

I bought the book and thought I was just dumb but this makes me feel slightly better. There are many good books out there

[@rock-mtb-kry]

#metoo

[@mbgmail5911]

You are not dumb. The book is a compilation of stuff for people who already understand the content and how it connects. It does not really explain much at all.

[@MrRafaztar]

@@mbgmail5911 thanks, I have used a resource to keep track of things learned with teachers and other videos

[@noggintube]

I bought it too and simply found it a very dry 'read'. It looks like someone's notes they wrote in class. I've learnt way more off good KZbinrs like Ben Eller or Anyone Can Play Guitar. Rick is no doubt a brain box of music theory, but he's not a good teacher.

[@emilxert]

@@ibanezlaney that’s why he makes the 30 minute videos for them dummies, who want everything being spoon fed to them

[@theyettigaming2754]

Great coverage of this. Thanks for all the honesty and keep it up

[@TiagoLageira]

You should check out his ear training method and what it offers for the price he asks..

[@marcoselmalo4470]

Yes. Review of the ear Training method

[@kamaboko1]

My brother started playing guitar about two years ago. He mentioned the Beato book. I advised him not to get it. Rather, I pointed him to KZbin channels that would show him how to play songs he was interested in knowing how to play. I told him the book would bog him down and kill any interest he has in learning how to play guitar. Rick has a great KZbin channel and I love his "what makes this song great" episodes, but he's so far removed from beginner students. I get the sense that Rick's idea of a beginner student is actually a student with an intermediate level of music theory: they already know the circle of fifths, modes, a number of scales, etc.

[@user-pl7lr5dn8q]

theory is so boring unless u plan on going somewhere its useless no guitarist that matters will rub that in ur face

[@boshi9]

I have a copy of Rick's book and I didn't find it very useful for someone with intermediate level of music theory knowledge either. Once you have the foundational knowledge, there are many much more efficient ways to look up the rest than browsing a poorly organized PDF document, or even better you can figure things out by yourself. Honestly, I couldn't figure out who that book is intended for.

[@johannalvarsson9299]

@@boshi9 It is also useless from an advanced standpoint. Like, how is "you can play this scale over this chord" on it`s own really helpful? There is so much more to music than harmony and scales. It feels like someone telling you: "Here, those are bricks, this is cement, and those are planks. Now you should know how to build a house."

[@89ji76]

“The circle of fifths, modes, a number of scales” can be learned in an afternoon or two. That’s still a beginner.

[@bassesatta9235]

@@johannalvarsson9299 thats not what the book talks about

[@kevincourville1164]

I really want to thank KDH for these reviews and audit videos. They've been more eye opening than any music lesson video and taught me to start paying attention more to the substance in lessons, rather than the pitch.

[@callmejackaroo4723]

Just home from work, eyes & brain are cranky... I thought you thanked him for the adult videos. I was like, dude, I'm sure he was incognito in getting you the wank flicks, & he's probably aware there's some eye opening scenes, but I doubt he wants you to advertise his porn distribution side hustle

[@BOOLsheet]

Basically it’s a giant reference PDF and if you aren’t advanced you won’t understand or be able to read most of it. And if you are advanced you probably don’t need it.

[@ExtremeBassGuitar]

Wow, thanks for the honest review!!

[@thelastchannelonyoutube]

Sounds like Rick put as much thought into the content of the book as he did the cover.

[@jamesstonehouse3448]

Rick's passion is graphic design.

[@John_F898]

@@jamesstonehouse3448ooh!

[@DeefPirmasens]

Well done. Love your videos, mate. Keep up the good work. 👌😊✌️🍀👍🏻

[@STSGuitar16]

Rick saying “I just love trolling people so much” is probably the most troll sentence I have ever heard

[@tball5677]

Toxic behavior

[@matturner6890]

more like a boomer who just heard the term

[@STSGuitar16]

@@matturner6890 yeah see it's like a multiple level troll because he trolled you for thinking that without even knowing he did it lmaoo

[@matturner6890]

@@STSGuitar16 Shit, Beato thinks of everything.

[@Allison_Chaynes]

🌟Keep doing your thing, KDH. Cheers from USA!!!! Hello, Rick. I'm sure you're reading the comments. I watch you too. Hope you all have a great Year. 🍻

[@JC-11111]

LMFAO @ the cut scene at the end. Bravo, KDH! Hilarious 🤣👌

[@VitrificationOfBlood]

Also the headphones blasting brutal metal lmao

[@valebliz]

@@VitrificationOfBlood the headphones killed me lol

[@joshuamarks1129]

Thanks for the review! I have long suspected that there is likely nothing in that book that Rick has not repeatedly lectured about in his videos, and there are a lot music encyclopedias/theory books that essentially present long lists of scales, chords, and rhythms. As a music educator myself, I find the circle of 5ths to be the most valuable page in most of the books on my shelf.

[@jmjeffries2]

God bless kDH for being the one guy who will take on the grief that must come along with standing up and saying the truth about all the BS and snake oil that fills music youtube. And he isn't even heavy handed. He's tough but fair and concedes points where there are some. I'm really happy I got to see this video before Beato goes nuts and strikes it down.

[@nielslohmann6727]

Hhahaha this guy

[@Knosferatu]

Agreed 100%

[@tauronval1404]

So Beato content is like BS and Snake Oil for You, come on!! And it’s free!….

[@jmjeffries2]

@@tauronval1404 I think Beato is mostly clickbait. I think most of his opinions are BS and the book snakeoil if it is sold as a course, because it's at best a reference manual.

[@tauronval1404]

@@jmjeffries2 Ok it’s not a music school it is a KZbin channel!…So this video is not a clickbait?…I respect your opinion.

[@Malediction99]

I have the Beato book, but I think I'm probably Rick's target audience: studied music a long time ago and have a solid knowledge of the foundations. The book is terse to the extreme, it's not appropriate for beginners, it's more of a reference book than a textbook and as such it's pretty good. Rick's content can be hit and miss too. A lot of videos start with a great idea, then he somehow loses that and rambles on and I end up watching something else. You can tell he's only planned the first 20% of the video and decided to wing the rest. He works best when he's tightly focused, like the "What makes this song great series", or when he plans the whole thing out.

[@jerkerjansson386]

He’s done some really good interviews as well. I like that he generally don’t talk over the guests too much and that he asks about really nerdy music stuff that other interviewers usually doesn’t know about.

[@Malediction99]

@@jerkerjansson386 True, some of his interviews are awesome. I watched the Pat Metheney interview recently, and although Pat's music is not quite my cup of tea it was still fascinating.

[@ScottMcdonaldMusic]

Exactly! I love his book but it’s not for a beginner. Like you said it’s a reference book. I can only watch Ricks live streams for the first quarter. No matter how long at the quarter mark he starts rambling. His edited videos are top notch.

[@CocoKoi321]

Fake comment by beato

[@EbonyPope]

His interview with Bernard Purdie was excellent. The guy is so much fun to listen to and watch. Concerning his focus I must agree. Although his videos about auto tune and the evolution of music are also very recommendable.

[@justcantshred]

I'm aligned on your take on the Beato book. I bought it. I found it interesting and I was learning stuff, until I got to around page 30. From there everything was way over my head, and I wasn't seeing any context to the information being presented. I bought it because as a beginner it was marketed as a solution, but it really wasn't. Rick should take your advice and create a curriculum to contextualize the information to let the reader know how to apply the information and the "why" behind it.

[@TMmodify]

I'm a guitar player and I bought this book along with the Instagram transcriptions in order to get better at improv and it really helped. But this book is in no way shape or form for beginners

[@mbgmail5911]

I have a music college degree and my take on this book is that it's a good compilation of review material for me because I already understand everything in there and how it connects. In my opinion a beginner or even higher than that has zero to little chance of learning much from the Beato Book. A lot, and I mean A LOT of knowledge is taken for granted, it's not explained at all in a way where one thing follows another logically and builds.

[@mellowgeekstudio]

Exactly like his video lessons "aimed at beginners".

[@octaviomesquita4592]

This is exactly how I felt after buying the book and the ear training access. As a beginner, I don’t have the foundation to understand the content. It is frustrating. I thought that I was going to study music theory from the beginning, but instead I had to put that on hold until I find another source.

[@Bi_scotti_5]

Most of his lessons can be described in this way. All of his music theory 101 videos are like that; he keeps bringing up scale degrees but doesn't really explain what they are and how to find out what the notes are

[@HeadbangoO]

@@mellowgeekstudio His videos aimed at beginners are exactly that, it's just the one or two first years condensed in 40 mn, so of course you have to digest each topic before you can understand the next, and it will take you more than 40 mn, but everything is there.

[@mellowgeekstudio]

@@HeadbangoO As for one example that goes against that, check the comment above yours. Rick just name-drops the Greek modes names with no explanation whatsoever other than "Lydian has a sharp 4, you gotta know this stuff!". Sure, the information is technically there, but you will only understand if you already have at least an intermediate knowledge of music theory, which at that point an "101" course on music theory would be kind of redundant. After trying to follow his videos I had to learn in a totally different place the very basic information that all those confusing "Greek scales" that Rick kept talking about but never ever defined were actually all the major scale beginning in different degrees. Geez, he could have opened with that before casually talking about modes in an "101 course".

[@generalruckus]

I can't wait to see how Beato explains his way out of this! All valid points by KDH.

[@ilovecops6255]

Beato!

[@TheEmbalmer13]

30 minute rant video

[@nyambe]

@@benjaminsavage4204 senseless trolling for a few clics

[@cristianorentroia6607]

All fare points. Some seem to be targeting a straw man tho.

[@12ealDealOfficial]

@@benjaminsavage4204 You thought he trolled Sting? How so? I quite liked that interview. Seemed like Sting actually wanted to be there, which is rarely the case.

[@RNAMusic]

I still have my theory textbooks from college when I got my degree. I refer back to those when I want to refresh on something. You can probably purchase some of those and I in fact did find one of mine online somewhere for free as a resource for students. I did buy Ricks book on a big sale, because I do enjoy his videos mostly, but haven’t really gone too far into it. Honestly I kind of like physical books more than PDFs when I’m studying something.

[@Slycaw]

I am a student though not in music, can you hint at where I could find some resources? Which uni? I would be glad

[@ForTiorIJohnny]

THANK YOU!!! i would never have the guts to do a critique on anything from a bigger youtuber, no matter how constructive. there are always the fanboys ready to put you down. but i agree 100%. i´m a guitar teacher myself and know my basic music theory and know how to teach it. i thought the Beato Book could push me to the next level. but it´s really just a collection of information, it doesn´t teach. his lesson videos kind of feel the same tbh. i still like and respect him a lot and watch him all the time. just the teaching aspect feels off to me.

[@MrGul]

Another teacher by profession here, and I also agree 100%!

[@gringochucha]

Yep, I love his "What makes this song great" videos, but I can't sit through his "lectures", because he just plows through information without really organizing it in a useful way. He really knows his stuff and can tell some great stories, but he doesn't seem to really understand teaching.

[@user-yb5bp4dl9u]

If you have the balls to admit it youll have the balls to do anything man.

[@steveb9325]

Agree completely about his book and his teaching theory on his channel from time to time. Jsm! Other than that, I do appreciate his interviews and his passion!

[@pgon9097]

maybe you shouldn't be a guitar teacher if the beato book is too hard for you. Go play smoke on the water and smells like teen spirit

[@ryanbilly3434]

We have bought the book to support him as he shares his bits to us noobs. I agree with some that if you are a beginner it is really hard to understand it. Many pages to skip and theory isn't easy to understand but again it needs alot of work. Love this channel too (you have popped up recently on our feed) and we thank you for the bits shared, we didn't expect to see a review like this so maybe most his viewers are yours too. HNY! cheers!

[@menriquez89]

Check out signals music studio on YT

[@ryanbilly3434]

@@menriquez89 Noted that, will check it out. Thanks, Mate!

[@dimitriid]

I think Rick's book would work a lot better if it was just given to supporters on a platform like Patreon or youtube membership. It is basically doing this exact function if you think about it: He prices it high at 50 USD because he puts it on sale for his livestreams almost every single week: He doesn't expects much sales outside the channel and he expects most people watching his channel to almost guaranteed get one of his "sales" and "promo codes" to entice but because he knows people are more likely to buy at 25-35 bucks if they hear "Act know since it's 50% off!" The book itself basically functions not really as a book you learn from, but as a tool to follow along some of the videos and livestreams as in ok he's talking about this scale which I don't know: Pause it, open up the PDF and play it a bit on your guitar, then resume the video. The rest of the stuff he pushes like the ear training courses and such is even more geared towards a "reward" system on a platform like Patreon as in the "entry level" gets you the core book and each tier gets you the additional courses on top, etc. Not that I necessarily agree or disagree with the other commenters on the thread saying he's not really a great teacher specially for beginners, but regardless it's usually not really conductive for an educator to just sell a book on it's own when he could market it more as an important tool for his educational/analysis videos.

[@ryanbilly3434]

@@dimitriid Price aside, the value he adds are worth it for us beginners imho.

[@TonyLudlow]

Thank you for the review, KDH! When I heard how many pages The Beato Book is, I felt intimidated by the embarrassingly short 220 pages of my Ph.D. dissertation. But then, when you explained that Rick's book is less than 9,000 words, I felt so much better about my 61,000-word dissertation! Your humor and honesty were fun as you explained the obvious omissions from Rick's book. That said, I love Rick's channel and was one of the first 1,000 subscribers back in the day.

[@sid35gb]

Constructive criticism is a good thing. I think Rick is capable of breaking down each chapter into bit size chunks for beginners and really spelling out what to do with the information presented. Also adding links to related video is a great idea. Feedback like this is a great way to get better products/ content from KZbinrs. Ricks a good guy I hope he takes it on board and improves his book accepting that Rome wasn’t built in a day and that music is about constant learning and improvement.

[@tomtownsend5009]

Love this vid, informative and funny af, thanks man!!

[@TheFlyingPlectrum]

Love his channel so bought the book to support him. Your assessment is spot on.

[@Chris-Ian]

I tried learning music theory stuff from Rick a few times already and even though I understood part of it and it served me well, in the end I just gave up trying to learn from him. There are far better teachers on KZbin alone, who might or might not be as knowledgeable as Rick, but they surely explain things much much much more clearly.

[@pgon9097]

maybe you're just not that good.

[@ricomajestic]

@@pgon9097 He's right! Way better instructors out there than Rick!

[@drew335]

Teaching is a different skill set from being knowledgeable and technically gifted. We often conflate the two. Rick is an amazing producer, musician and understands music theory backwards and forwards but there are way better teachers on KZbin.

[@JamesWilson01]

I love watching Rick's videos but have never been tempted to buy this book because I've always learned by ear. It'd be really interesting to know what you think of his ear training course (hint, hint 😉). That's something I'd consider buying because, although I can figure most things out by myself, Rick does it so much faster!

[@andresilvasophisma]

I'm not the one to say how you should learn, but learning theory is not a bad thing at all, as is learning by year. The overall goal should be bridging both things. Let's say you learn the Dorian mode of the diatonic scale, you should then be able to identify it by ear when you listen to someone playing it the same way you can identify a pentatonic scale when you listen to someone playing rock or blues.

[@trintdaddylandis]

serious question - why do you like his videos? are you a fan of rhett shill as well?

[@andresilvasophisma]

@@trintdaddylandis I would answer if the question was actually serious, but rhett shill? Come on.

[@trintdaddylandis]

@@andresilvasophisma its a serious question...

[@andresilvasophisma]

@@trintdaddylandis Don't know who rhett shill is.

[@joshbeer414]

Great video. Nice to see an honest different perspective that’s kind of crazy how little words are in the book

[@RM-hj7zo]

Glad you pointed out early, 500 pages is not much especially when you're using lots of sometimes large images.

[@enricoruotolo]

Music Theory is always taught around the piano. If you’re in any formal Music Education setting, you’ll learn theory in relation to piano regardless of your instrument. So in that aspect, he’s accurate when he says it’s for all instruments. If you show up at any college for a music theory course, they’re going to use piano as the crux of everything they teach you. Not defending the rest of what’s in there. I’m also not a Beato customer, just someone who went to a music college. I learned theory in 3 different settings. The first, was a guitar player, and my teacher still used a piano

[@duffman18]

Except this book is almost entirely based around the guitar, not the piano. That's the problem with it. And just showing guitar scales and chords and then adding the sentence "try this on piano" on maybe a dozen of the 500 pages, isn't useful in the slightest.

[@MrCoalmin]

Could you do a review on the course by Samurai Guitarist, I've been thinking about showing the money out for it.

[@electricwhiterabbit]

Awesome! Thanks so much for this as I was always considering it but now you just saved me 50 bucks. I already have books with chords in it as well as access to the internet to find what I need.

[@clivegilmore9598]

Thanks KDH you’ve a knack for saving me dough 👍👍

[@MrDigitalMike]

I'm glad I got to watch this before the storm hits

[@markomales98]

Im a big fan of Rick's channel. I don't own this book, but I think you made a great and honest review. Will you do the review for his ear training ?

[@athmaid]

One thing I have come to realise while in uni: it's easy to find in depth information on a topic, but it's hard to tell what topics you should be learning about in the first place. So I appreciate books that give you an idea about how important each topic under that umbrella term is and then give you the right amount of information based on what you're studying for. For that alone it might be worth the money if it's anything like my biology books

[@cwestmont]

Thank you for a very clear review.

[@BaselKhaddam]

i always wondered why i never heard of this book anywhere other than on Rick's channel

[@vagata123]

I find most KZbin guitarist courses to be overpriced and frankly subpar. A good player who understands music and music theory does not automatically make for a good educator or in Ricks case a good writer.

[@kippsguitar6539]

But a professor of music probably can

[@presorchasm]

@@kippsguitar6539 I'm not sure about music academia specifically, but I find that a lot of professors kinda suck at teaching concepts.

[@potatoheadhaoy]

@@presorchasm my father is a great economist and happens to be a good teacher, but I will say people like him are quite rare. I've studied under many people for many things, but good educators and good professors are more like resentful bedfellows than the same person.

[@mathiasperalta3793]

had a good time watching this review, thanks

[@ZombieXee]

Thank you. I've been tempted to buy this PDF a few times. (Ya know, to learn music theory and all that.) Never got around to it. Thanks to your video I can see that I would get very little outta the Beato Book. You saved me 50 bucks.

[@Veranek]

Some people posted the 3.0 version of this pdf some time ago in some websites. I don't know if the file is up as of today.

[@hahahadracula]

for some reason I was checking your channel the same moment you uploaded this...

[@cristianorentroia6607]

I see the Beato Book more as an encyclopedia for practicing, if you already know what you should be learning at the moment, why learn it and on what context you can use it. To be fare in many videos Beato gives some of the musical context and refers to the book for the concrete material. Certainly not for a beginner tho. Still i love the book as it agglomerates a lot of info in one place, in a reasonable pedagogical order. It makes practicing easier and faster.

[@NinjaRunningWild]

Conglomerates you mean?

[@cristianorentroia6607]

@@NinjaRunningWild i guess. english is not my language.

[@KaninTuzi]

@@NinjaRunningWild I think he meant aggregates.

[@oleksiishekhovtsov1564]

But like... why spend $40 on it if it's still just a pdf? I'd understand getting a physical copy, but as a pdf it feels pointless! Why not just bookmark a bunch of scales off of wikipedia in your browser? The explanations there are better as well, and it's faster than scrolling through a pdf

[@pgon9097]

@@oleksiishekhovtsov1564 a theory book that in depth and thick would cost 100usd like prinicples of orchestration by sam adler

[@JamesWoodGuitar]

You should definitely do an update on this now he’s released the interactive one with videos! I would be interested to see what you think as I haven’t purchased it! Thanks.

[@alexmurphy5289]

What books do you recommend? I adore Zen Guitar by Philip Toship Sudo (RIP), The Practice of Practice by Jonathan Harnum, and lastly Barrett Tagliarino’s books: Guitar fretboard workbook, chord tone soloing, and Rhythm Lead Guitar

[@aliensporebomb]

I love Zen Guitar. It’s the kind of thing you can read year after year and still get things out of it.

[@alexmurphy5289]

@@aliensporebomb Oh man, I’ve read it off and on for years it’s SO good. I highly recommend you go to Philip’s website and hear how he handled his stomach cancer with a Zen outlook. Reading it made me cry but inspired me so much

[@thinkingape7655]

I have his book and use it as mainly a reference. I agree with KDH; I too found it disappointing because it’s difficult to decipher to use as a “lesson” book. The original was a mess and was handwritten notes on notation paper 🤦‍♂️ With that said, Rick has helped me understand some tough topics, so in end for me, it’s a fair trade.

[@aliensporebomb]

I consider it similar to the telephone directory in a number of ways - it's huge, thick, heavy and mainly used as a reference to look something up you don't know or clarify knowledge of things you do.

[@aglees2b]

I see the book as a way of saying "thanks" and supporting Rick. I agree that as a standalone product it's a bit of let down.

[@gwkonyoutube]

When it comes to connecting with theory in a profound way, this book is kind of like when you're in school, the main teacher is out and the substitute comes in and without any real introduction or greeting they dump a couple of books down for the students to sit at their desk and read while the sub just sits at their desk writing emails the whole period

[@MercutioUK2006]

I was expecting more from an educator of Rick's standing. There's no question he can be entertaining, informative and insightful but I would, of course, baulk at spending that sort of money for an internet search compilation. So I found a list of contents and simply used Google. Problem solved.

[@bebop2402]

So what books would be good for beginners? I’m not totally clueless on music theory but I’d still consider myself a beginner. I’ve been looking for a book for a while, but I’m not sure what to get.

[@spleefdowny]

Totally agree, and this echoes all the criticism I’ve seen online. Love Rick’s channel, but I find him a substandard teacher…and this is coming from a life-long educator.

[@hotman718]

Yeah he really isn't a great teacher. He doesn't really explain things in a relatable way. He will ramble on, very unfocused. Much like the book.

[@Kris_T_]

It's like giving someone a 17th century dictionary, and calling it "the entire works of Shakespeare"...

[@MusicwithSteveG]

Very thoughtful review - thank you.

[@freddyheadbite3084]

I've been playing and composing since I was 12. Now I'm 41. I have always figured thing's out by myself. Never had a lesson. Sometimes I find videos on KZbin explaining music theory, and I find out that I "kinda" already know about this, I just didn't know what people call it. I'm trying not to bragg here. But sometimes I wonder if it's any point for me to buy books or take online courses. What do you think?

[@011001er]

I've got an entire bookcase of music theory, education and history books. And you're right, ricks book is not a solo beginner learning experience, you wouldn't bring it to a teacher either. When would you NEED it? Probably never, but you'd be remiss to pass up the opportunity to have a look at it for a few bucks while supporting the guy who makes a TON of content that i/we consume for free. Eh... It's worth having.

[@STSGuitar16]

I think that’s a very balanced take

[@autofocus4556]

A few bucks? The guy is a tool.

[@pgon9097]

@@autofocus4556 he's a better musician than you and it hurts don't it?

[@landonbailey]

I'm going to hold off and wait for the Deluxe Ultra Special Edition 10.0 to be released.

[@jonniegibbins]

Is that the much rumoured Deluxe Tele Edition?

[@phadrus]

I got the same sense about this book, glad you confirmed it. Appreciate an honest review.

[@OttoHarmonicaMania]

I think this is a fair assessment of his book. And indeed how do I learn it? Thank you.

[@vadenk4433]

I like Rick Beato and would actually buy the book if it was an actual book. I hate reading anything off a computer screen. I’m old school and just prefer physical things- same with music- I want to hold the vinyl and look at the gatefold etc. Would definitely love to hangout with Rick for a day and play guitars and BS though. Seems like a good guy to me.

[@matthewmorin7016]

Oh Rick is going to be pissed. He doesn't take criticism very well.

[@6oundStudio]

Can someone please recommend a good source of information about music theory then?

[@anthonythornhill8715]

Thanks for this review

[@justincider4375]

He just released an interactive version of the book recently. I haven't checked it out, but it looks like a huge improvement from the original.

[@SpadaFer]

I HOPE CAUSE THE PDF IS NOT FOR ME

[@Foodlefutsdeluxe]

Clicked for the title, stayed for the jokes. 10/10.

[@BurntMcgurnt]

Loved the review man

[@goozrat]

What video is the first clip from?

[@scotthornsey]

If you're looking for a good music theory book, I'd recommend the Guitar Teachers Grimoise by Lee C Conley. I'd been playing for 10 years I think when I got it so can't say how good it is for beginners but it says it's aimed at guitar teachers and beginners so make of that what you will. 🤷‍♂️ It's like 20- £25 on Amazon and it's a paperback if that's one of your gripes about the Beato book.

[@sqlsmarty4325]

🤣🎸 I have the Beato book, and I agree with every point you made in your critique. It is a good music encyclopedia, but his lack of explanation, and digital pointers to an online lesson, makes it hard to grasp. The comment(s) on tab notation is correct as well. How many guitarists that haven’t graduated from the likes of Berklee, MI, or Juilliard, can actually read? Well done! I believe Rick means well, and he’s a very accomplished musician and instructor, but that is lost in this book.

[@vaughanmacegan4012]

He means to make money! And he takes every opportunity to tell you to buy it!

[@davidmorrison803]

Dude, many guitarists can read music. What a silly comment. Hahaha.

[@ArtGuitarLTX]

@@vaughanmacegan4012 well yeah! 😂👍. I have it but never even bothered to use it 😅🤦‍♂️. Gotta make 💰 on KZbin

[@Seer_Believer]

What is a good book to start with instead?

[@jonathanmurdoch6210]

Do you think I can use the Tascam Model 12 for recording brutal guitar tones

[@CallMeChato]

Apart from in-uterus music ‘learning’ proven to be a scam, it’s good to know the Beato book is undercooked let’s say charitably. Maybe he’ll see this video and add sufficient commentary to the book in the future. I do enjoy his videos. Good vid btw.

[@mpgnz73]

Difficult to know exactly how helpful the content is without actually reading it myself. Chord shapes are useful but actually building triads and more complex chords from the knowledge of the fretboard and theory is probably more beneficial - there's only so many possible shapes anyway. As far as a theory course specific to guitar I can recommend Frank Gambale's Peace and Harmony - quite expensive though.

[@irf888]

Thanks for sharing your honest review. Best.

[@matthewjthorpe]

Thanks for this review, I feel a bit better now. I was totally lost when I tried to work through the book (with few explainations). Could you suggest other books/programs?

[@berkayguner]

Justin Guitar 👍

[@howeworth]

5:27 The book might not quite know what it's trying to be, but Beato knows what it is : a money making machine.

[@Esrom_music]

I bought the pdf a few years ago. Brought it straight to the the printers. I found it extremely helpful expanding my composition.

[@the1khronohs40]

You got a thumbs up solely for that ‘pick-Rick’ gag at the end. That was hilaruous! Also, thank you for rewieving this ‘book’! 👍

[@barret707]

One thing i've learned with digital college books - the ability to Ctrl-F and go straight to what you need.

[@har234908234]

I dunno... there's something that rubs me up the wrong way about Rick. He could be totally sweet for all I know. I haven't watched too many of his videos... I watched the one where he told me what strings to use. I watched some of the "What makes this song great?" series - where the ones I watched he just seemed to play the isolated parts and gave his approval... and I've watched one or two of the rants where he defended the use of said parts as being fair use even though to me it looked like he was using it in furtherance of his brand to sell product. I couldn't get past that... An artist's work is their own and the way they intend to present it to the world is the way they usually do. Rick's opinion seems to be that his use of it is some fair transaction for the value of his approval. He does seem to be a master of self promotion. Are people queuing up for his production services? The chord charts are a weird reference in a music theory book... don't you just learn where the intervals are in relation to the root on each string? Anyway, people seem to like him... it's likely me!

[@mellowgeekstudio]

You are not alone. I tried to learn from his lessons "for beginners" videos when I was a beginner and he is definitely the worst music teacher I ever watched on KZbin.

[@dourmoose]

You’re not alone.

[@axelnoi]

You just know Rick is going to testify before the senate for this.

[@DalelCampbell]

Thank you for this review.

[@AybLP]

Well spoken and chill 👌

[@chadwickhurlburt6529]

If I were still teaching, I would recommend this book. I do feel it requires the guidance of someone who understands theory, from the students perspective. If someone is brand new to music and playing guitar, it would be over their head. I bought a copy myself for two reasons. 1) it's and excellent reference guide I can go to for visual illustrations and examples 2) I appreciate Rick and enjoy his content so this is how I chose to support him and his work.

[@gitarmats]

The Pick Rick clip at the end caught me off guard.

[@bluesfortheredsun]

made me chuckle allright

[@rubentrevino6288]

Great video mate

[@EJH-jn6mo]

Since Rick now just announced an interactive version id love to see your update review