Why Today's Music Is So BORING. The Regression of Musical Innovation

In today's video we discuss why Today's Music is So Boring. The regression of musical innovation.
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[@blankenheimrobert]

Rick: “It probably took 9 people to write that song.” Just looked it up - Nope, it took 11.

[@Lerch-zc3ww]

Look at how many great cars were designed by committee after intense marketing analysis. ;p

[@seanrimada8571]

And they all wanted to just go home... because they were paid to get the work done.

[@gsly6081]

omg..

[@ZEPRATGERNODT]

@Acererak hilarious

[@adityairawan1843]

Meanwhile, in another part of the world, one man composes music, designs characters, writes stories, programs games, and ends up creating one hella big fandom. His name is Jun'ya Ota.

[@lcwatts2971]

Short answer: It's boring because its made by "non-musicians", its made by "marketing" departments.

[@iahz88]

I'd say its made by musicians, which is then presented by non musicians, with the goal to appeal to the mass (non musical) public with simple songs, to make the most money

[@threetree7737]

So true

[@farouche8670]

Many musicians and bands are not waiting for their labels to tell them what to do... some people need to turn off the radio and TV sometimes.

[@Pulse2AM]

Which came first though, was it the simple hit song that everyone wants to copy because it was a hit? That's the feeling I get, of course you're right it's about money but if money was being made on the new Stairway to Heaven then everyone would be doing that.

[@MistaHexHash]

Even shorter answer: It's made by producers that tell you you don't need music theory to make music (!?)

[@sushibar777]

Music today is not just boring because of its lack of sophistication and complexity. It is boring because very little of it establishes an emotional connection with the listener.

[@thepierre396]

I don't agree, the emotional aspect is still very in a lot of modern music, way more than the technical aspect

[@fiftyshadesofgrey1991]

I would agree, looking at the lyrics the songs are not about love first of all

[@thepierre396]

@@fiftyshadesofgrey1991 Love is litteraly the most overused topic in modern songs

[@frankcarlosanaliza]

Both

[@fiftyshadesofgrey1991]

@@thepierre396 unfortunately

[@trevorcontreras7617]

I've noticed, increasingly, people tend to appreciate beats and rhythm over tonality, melody, and harmony.

[@kolumbijcan]

i guess it s easier to produce a beat than a melody, so they re fed it and learn to like it

[@xq39]

modern music is essentially just background noise. its just a loud beat with people mumbling, it does not challenge or move the person listening to it.

[@DonaldMerand]

A friend put it this way to me explaining Aphex Twin: the development is in the rhythm not the melody/harmony. When you look at it that way you see that focusing on chord changes doesn't show the whole picture.

[@trevorcontreras7617]

@@DonaldMerand Absolutely. Rhythm is an essential element, and I'm not saying that focusing only rhythm is necessarily wrong when evaluating music. Interesting chord changes, however, coupled with complex melodies also adds to the rhythm of a song, which is what this video is arguing.

[@JADBeats]

@@xq39 Listen to Kody Blue 31 by jid, it has an emotional, interesting beat with good harmonies and rapping. Stop generalizing music.

[@benkleschinsky]

It doesn't help that every radio station is owned by the same corporation playing the same 30 songs. It doesn't help that all the labels were swallowed up by UMG and Sony who tell their artists what they can and cannot sound like. Thank you Clear Channel and Mickey Mouse. My rant is now over.

[@deed5811]

I don't waste my time with radio anymore. I can find music worthy of hearing between spotify and youtube.

[@richatlarge462]

@@deed5811 I've (mostly) given up on all contemporary music except that which I and other local songwriters create ourselves (indie).

[@deed5811]

I'm still happy with metal, even newer bands

[@kennethlatham3133]

Austin, TX has some fine college radio stations that play off track new, relatively new, relatively old and old tracks---all day long. AND, they publish their playlists online so that if you perk up and exclaim, "What was that!", you can easily find out.

[@dangerkeith3000]

@@kennethlatham3133 And the only station I listen to here in Dallas is KXT 91.7. They play brand new music unlike anything you've heard before, older deep album cuts, classic tracks, and a lot of local music. On Sundays they play international music and have live performances in studio with interviews. They are a non-profit public radio station -- so no commercials EVER either! And you can listen online. I agree, there IS good music on the radio nowadays.

[@painthing98]

"A rich diet of nutritious songs" is one of the most dad things I have ever heard in my life. And it r e s o n a t e s with me strongly.

[@jolewis9919]

Fantastic statement that!

[@Ratchman_5000]

Make sure you get the essential vitamins and melodies.

[@zedlicious]

Bam! What an accurate phrase to coin! What I’ve been saying to my A&R brother in law at Universal.

[@mattyost7298]

not a dad but so super true

[@adityairawan1843]

I have to thank my mom for supplying me with a good amount of nutritious songs during my childhood. _Ilalang ilalang_

[@tifflovesmetal]

I'm 41, and I quit listening to contemporary music in the mid 2000's, except metal. Now I'm going back in time and learning music like 70s prog rock. There's a ton of music I haven't heard before and I doubt I'll run out of amazing old rock to listen to.

[@christopherxanadude244]

also check out some of the weirder art-rockers, like Kraftwerk and Tangerine Dream (1970s german kraut-rockers!) or MAGMA (french prog weirdos of the 1970s!) and so many others!

[@chickenlittle4257]

45 and me too. I realized that I've been missing prog rock and (now classic) metal.

[@christaylor8776]

Damn right!

[@johnmarchington3146]

Check out early Genesis like "Foxtrot" and "Selling England by the Pound"

[@johnmarchington3146]

@SoftserveSodium I might well have done so - were I familiar with any of their albums!!!

[@Dr.TJ1]

The thing I’ve noticed about today’s radio songs is that there are rarely backup singers doing either a call back to the lead singer or even just simple oohs and aahs. Also, no brass, woodwinds, strings, tympani, etc. that add such lushness and fullness to melodies. It takes effort and time to add that stuff and they just aren’t willing to do it. My favorite songs typically contain the wall of sound and it’s totally disappeared from today’s radio songs.

[@robertogreen]

watching luther vandross explain what he does in young Americans with bowie is mindblowing. the complexity makes the “back-up” feel like foreground.

[@gabonis7746]

Modern radio is horrendous nowadays except for a few artists

[@georgemcfetridge8310]

It's today's Bare Life proscription.

[@m.o.n.d.e.g.r.e.e.n]

i love how you think pro musicians can afford the space, time and finances to record a full orchestra in 2023. we have to direct music videos, run multiple social media accounts, tour, sell the merch, do the accounts, often drive the bus and the label takes 82% of an ever decreasing 0.01 cent per stream revenue all while music venues are closing down and our living costs are going up. what are you expecting from us? and i know you're gonna say that pop music has more money but i wrote a song that was a top 5 in multiple countries and i was able to buy half a 1 bedroom basement flat in my city with the total money made. the rest of my 15 year career has been indie records (11 albums released) and most of my time was spent doing admin and promo and management because that's what pays now not artistry. im in the top few % of pro musicians financially...

[@Dr.TJ1]

@@m.o.n.d.e.g.r.e.e.n Who said anything about a full orchestra? It sure wasn't me. But many older songs included a trumpet or sax solo or a couple of violins over the top to add fullness. And backup singers can be overdubbed by the lead singer although if the band tours, backup singers would need to be found. Anyone who can afford a tour can afford to pay for a couple of backup singers. And performers starting out back in the day were just as poor as you but they wanted to achieve a certain sound so they took the time to write those extra parts. No, I think it has more to do with laziness and greed of today's radio songwriters than it does money.

[@jakecb6396]

Frank Zappa said it best: "It's not enough to be a great musician anymore... you also have to be cute."

[@joedecker3900]

😆

[@travisbeagle5691]

Heck if you're cute nowaday's you don't even have to have a shred of talent.

[@mosart7025]

Yeah, I just saw Three Dog Night. Great faces for radio!

[@andrejhotovy6786]

I m afraid it ísť not enough...🙂

[@JohnDoe-qw4gc]

The Black Page wouldn't occur today.

[@Isporf]

It’s not that music today isn’t creative, it’s that music on the radio isn’t creative

[@timn5008]

Excellent point that seems to escape a lot of commenters here. I listen to WXRT in Chicago, a famous "progressive" rock station, and I can tell you the same thing is happening there too. Everything sounds the same, or is pure throwback.

[@m.o.n.d.e.g.r.e.e.n]

THANK YOUUUUUU. The radios are run by Ricks generation so...

[@peterknecht6666]

I would say it is a sum of both factors, but you are right. Radio is a big filter for quality. And again non musicians deciding what they think what people would like to hear.

[@slappy200]

@@timn5008 I remember when XRT was the coolest non-college radio station in Chicago (88.3 WXAV was my fav before I moved), then around '96/7 they started playing (in earnest) a lot of crap just to be the "You heard it here first" station. How I miss Frank E. Lee and the XRT of the late 80s\early 90s. Cheers brother!

[@timn5008]

@@slappy200 Yes, I remember those days. I also remember when they first started broadcasting in 1973, or maybe '74. They were truly different, and I heard a lot if great music that you couldn't hear anywhere else.

[@jamiepaolinetti5087]

Thank you Rick! It's the same exact thing in our business, film, TV, and especially live theatre. It's a real pandemic. Mental dumbing down of a population.

[@georgemcfetridge8310]

Consider why this is happening. It then really gets interesting! Who, after all, cares about general culture stuff anyway? It's what's behind the gruesome development that matters.

[@mcren6781]

Yeah it’s scary, increasingly I’m seeing this mentality of submission take over the population while those who are different are condemned & heckled. People don’t even realize how bored and miserable they are!

[@whynottalklikeapirat]

The problem is that media no longer grows into media out of true individual life experience and necessity but out of media quoting media through human curators with a loose sense of style and no sense of substance.

[@jamiepaolinetti5087]

@@whynottalklikeapirat Well said!

[@whynottalklikeapirat]

@@jamiepaolinetti5087 Well - the closer one becomes to being an old dude, the more one sounds like an old dude. Go figure xD

[@eddiemoney1093]

Its not just the regression of musical innovation. It's comedy, It's art. Commercialism, in this case, has stifled the arts to death in the pursuit of casting a wide as net as possible. Kurt Cobain was very much on the mark in his opinions on the matter.

[@joeobyrne9348]

If you don't mind, what did he say? I totally agree by the way😅

[@kylezo]

Capitalism ruining things, who would ever have thought

[@mattlr01]

No. Some people may argue that certain art and music forms have regressed in terms of innovation or quality, while others may argue that they have progressed or simply changed in different ways. Ultimately, whether art and music are regressing or progressing is a matter of personal interpretation and preference. Have you recently listened to metal, rock, or general indie releases? Isn't there such a wide swathe of new stuff out there that we can't possibly hear all the good stuff? Or, even all of the "bad" stuff as well?

[@spacegoat_3d801]

Japan has good musical innovation and I’m not being a weeb. I don’t even watch animes. Also Russian post punk is pretty cool

[@thepierre396]

@Zen Cubicle As Rick mentioned, modern metal and rock is partly plagued by the same problem

[@hardtac7562]

"Push the button, pull the chain, out comes a little brown choo choo train." Frank Zappa on the music industry in 1984.

[@merckxbelgium]

Yeah, miss Frank.

[@cliffhughes6010]

Now there was a complex musician - to the point of genius.

[@febo74]

I'd prefer to use the word "expressive" instead of "complicated", as complexity do not automatically means quality or art!

[@rileydermanuelian7307]

You nailed it

[@steinetakorgroovy]

@@rileydermanuelian7307 If your notes is gonna talk for you and you only use 2 notes - you cant really tell me much.

[@tedwojtasik8781]

@@steinetakorgroovy Tell that to Neal Young :-)

[@BookOnThrough]

There may be different metrics for different genres and mediums as well. It is easier to define what is not liked in art, imo.

[@youreallygotmenow4855]

Well said, man! Not many people SEEM to understand this concept.

[@MrVinylista]

I grew up in the 1970s and 1980s and there was a lot of staid, cheesy, unadventurous crap back then - some truly appalling rubbish that most of us have thankfully forgotten about. The difference is that there was also a large amount of amazing stuff coming out, across many genres - disco, soul, reggae, pop, electro, rock, indie, etc. - and it got into the charts, so we could hear it and go off on our own voyage of discovery. Now, it just seems so formulaic and conservative, and so processed, that I lose the will to live. The fact that I've already heard the samples on most 'new' songs, doesn't help either. How I wish the charts could be 1979 again, or 1982, or 1989, or 1995. Even the stuff from the 2000s now sounds pretty original compared to now!

[@ShiraziOnEverything]

there's still a lot of great stuff coming out in all genres, I'd argue even more so than the times you mentioned - due to DAWs and how easy it is to release music nowadays. The problem is that the sheer volume of releases nowadays make these bands and artist difficult to find, unless you know how to look for them.

[@noahberndes9188]

I think the differences is more in whats all know in the moment vs whats still known after 50 years. There is always a lot of trash popular music, as you've said. But the good songs will stand the test of time. And with the internet and accessibility of music production doesn't it sound more likely that there's now more (good) music than ever before ?

[@jc.1191]

I revisit old stuff to find music i passed on then, but it's an improvement over now. I discover things I haven't heard as well.

[@eddiemoney1093]

I dont know about conservative per se. Modern music has gone from ribald or risque to downright vulgar in many respects. I could respect vulgar if it were, you know, good but...modern music that manages to hit the airwaves is so so bad.

[@MrMarcy76]

Yes there was plenty of rubbish music in 1980 or 1990, but compared to years like 2015 or 2022, the music was much better in 1980 and 90, due to more variety. The 2010s and early 20s is just full of dreadful auto tune rap, trap and EDM music.

[@tylliNGLT]

Listening to rick finding chords and humming vocals off time was more entertaining than today's music.

[@marcelcouture5373]

Simply put : today’s music is made for the eyes, not for the ears ...

[@atomiccritter6492]

utter nonsense

[@michaelgeorge4826]

Isn't that what they've been saying since MTV started in the early 80's?

[@Nairrrrrrr]

@@hal2098 and those songs are underrated.

[@moonmanvic]

@@michaelgeorge4826 Probably why MTV doesn’t have MUSIC VIDEOS anymore.😒😞😩

[@freddysamjacob363]

Today's mainstream music

[@dhpbear2]

My dad used to refer to certain songs as "confessions of artistic-bankruptcy" :)

[@phadrus]

Thanks for the laugh. I’ll have to use this with my kids and keep the legacy alive.

[@miken.2847]

I like that.

[@coyoteserranoband]

Haha! I was born in the 90s and my dad has said the same thing!!

[@schtuff.8207]

Peak bankruptcy is whatever Chicago turned into in the mid 80's under David Foster :D

[@lukasrydelius6174]

David letterman! It’s you!

[@chunguschungus]

The mainstream is more watered down than ever before but the "underground" has continually expanded with greater experimentation building upon an always growing foundation, it has never been better for innovation and never been worse for its widespread impact.

[@cmorgado2012]

A Brazilian writer once said: "Dogs seem to like bones because that's what you give them all the time." Same with music I think.

[@johndavies5052]

It's the marrow in the bones that dogs like. A confection fav amongst carnivores.

[@masonsommers459]

@@johndavies5052 thx john

[@mountainman8775]

Bones seriously mess up their teeth tho in reality

[@CraigOlove]

@@mountainman8775 Not raw bones..

[@mountainman8775]

@@CraigOlove thx for the tip. I hear pork bones are the exception because they splinter even when raw. The other day I learnt cats are intolerant to milk as it turns out, hehe

[@dawnpatrol700]

Today's top 40 is a fashion show. The music is an after thought. It's just background for the show

[@OnlyLoveCanLimitUs]

Ya, I work in music.. that’s very true!!! Still fun tho!! Lol

[@bigboychungas4033]

Couldn’t have said it better

[@MA-go7ee]

I'd argue that the very very top like the top 10 tend to be fairly good songs. They just tend towards the generic.

[@biivamunner3122]

@@MA-go7ee Is generic a bad thing?

[@samuelecallegari6117]

@@biivamunner3122 Yes it is because it has no soul

[@mirandaspencer6097]

Priceless: "Any intro [of an older song] is far more complicated than any song on the radio today, and they haven't even gotten to the melody yet!" As a cranky older person who finds today's "music" SO BORING, I appreciate this video!

[@matthewdennis1739]

I’d suggest digging deeper with “today’s” music. You might be surprised what you find.

[@lindadugan966]

I can’t believe how well Rick understands music. It’s such a delight to watch these videos. He analyses it down to the quantum level. Please do some more Steely Dan videos.

[@harrisontownsend910]

Yes please some more Steely Dan. Sorry my spelling was bad.

[@superlead1002]

When all you eat is chicken nuggets and french fries you're not going to appreciate a 5 star restaurant!

[@garymaidman625]

But at the same time, if all you eat is food from a 5 star restaurant, you won't appreciate a 5 star restaurant either. You need to be diverse in your tastes to appreciate everything.

[@nicholashylton6857]

@@garymaidman625 Yeah, but if we continue with the culinary analogy, no one orders fast food to discover new and interesting flavors beyond the first or second visit to the outlet. Speed, consistency, and familiarity are what keep the big fast food chains in business - and it's an exceptionally good business model. A large amount of risk accompanies originality and innovation and major labels seem to be very risk-averse presently. A boring but *_extremely_* profitable business model.

[@wlodell]

Not true. This is why we should insist on quality education.

[@kdkatz-ef2us]

I see kids getting deeply into 1970s rock. Very encouraging. But when I was a teen in the 70s I was fascinated by hot jazz of the 1920s haha

[@jimh1369]

It's fun to watch YT reaction videos by kids today listening to music from the 70's. They are always blown away by real music.

[@yootoobdude]

Greta van fleet is a great example of this

[@daphenomenalz4100]

I am a kid(compared to your age sir) and don't see othwrs around me enjoy them :( Only me and my best friends do

[@TAWTAW-hf3xw]

@@yootoobdude Van Fleet is not a band from the 70s

[@yootoobdude]

@@TAWTAW-hf3xw I know, Greta Van Fleet is a band of young kids emulating the sounds of 70s rock.

[@vanessasanchez785]

I do not have musical education whatsoever, and I do not have any idea of what F# means, but I can say that I have wondered for years why Even Flow, from Pearl Jam, or Plush, from Stone temple pilots, sound to me so special compared to what one can hear today. The same with any song from Earth, wind and fire, or From the begginig, from Emerson, Lake and Palmer, wich seems to be a very simple song for people like me with no musical education. They are not that simple, as can see here. Thank you for sharing your knowledge

[@TheSilhouet]

Love the fruit loops analogy! And for me even though I enjoy my simple fruit loop song diet sometimes, other times I enjoy a nice nutritious meal of a song or even maybe not nutritious but maybe just more beefy or filling. With the music I make with my twin brother, we enjoy the simple and complex song arrangements and we delve into different keys and styles. It just keeps things more engaging and quite frankly less boring. Thank you! 🙏

[@laurentzduba1298]

As Beavis and Butt-Head used to say: "it managed to suck like it never sucked before..." 😆

[@alans423]

Nice. Or in the words of Homer Simpson “..the suckiest bunch of suckers that ever sucked.”

[@timbushong4387]

@@alans423 and @Laurentz Duba - and to paraphrase Comic-Book Guy, "Best quotes ever."

[@1963jesse]

That's it! They have all opportunities like we never had them and they are fuckin it up completely what a shame

[@johne1599]

@@1963jesse They’ll never learn to sing on pitch using Autotune. These machine operators couldn’t get on a stage and begin to jam with real musicians. David Crosby got it right, “Kanye West is a poser.” The industry is full of posers laughing all the way to the bank. They have to know they’re nothing more than sound sampling thieves editing on a computer.

[@Hogprint25]

Unfortunately, B&B were part of the problem in the decline.

[@vance640]

Im having a difficult time in my life right now. Call it a crisis or whatever. Watching your videos is a relief man. Youre just awsome!

[@darrentree5680]

Just wanna add my positive support. Rick is great medicine!

[@JustFiddler]

same here. matur suksma bro

[@SkrvnHiptR77]

A wise man once told me when you're in crisis, be not afraid for just around the corner you're about to experience TRUE contentment! Good luck friend!

[@Gabomacht]

Sending good vibes your way brother 🙏

[@Garek_G]

Hang in there, buddy 👊🏼👍🏼❤️

[@kenalleman69]

Hey Rick. I just caught up with this one, and I had something to add. I think more sophisticated recording technology, specifically the power to drastically change recordings in post, incentivizes the writing of songs with post-production editing in mind. Simple songs that don't change keys, tempos, or time signatures or have very complex melodies are much easier to cut, copy, paste, and otherwise reconfigure. If you're a record label person who wants to make sure every last song is tweaked for the popular tastes of the moment, you want songs that can be easily modified even after the recording is done--especially after the recording is done. (We don't want a bunch of pesky musicians hanging around disrupting the hitmaking process.) I first started noticing this with film music, and especially the rise in popularity of simple, repetitious Hans Zimmer type scores, where the main compositional tool is the digital editing suite. I bet this is the case with popular music as well.

[@canalesworks1247]

Straight up. The new "orchestral music" - that is what the general public thinks of as orchestral music - for the most part is derived form the same boring chord progressions as most modern pop tunes. vi-IV-I-V is ubiquitous. Film score these days really shows the regression. Very dull stuff. When one compares it let's say to your typical episode of a cheesy middle tier TV action show from the 70s or 80s the older stuff features some pretty complex film scoring. Now it's four chords in 6/8 over "tribal drums".

[@canalesworks1247]

@SoftserveSodium Rhythmically bland.

[@georgemcfetridge8310]

So, recording of music ruins music, in any human sense.

[@canalesworks1247]

@@georgemcfetridge8310 Not at all. Just the over processed recordings that take all human element of performance out of the equation.

[@georgemcfetridge8310]

@@canalesworks1247 Any recording, by its nature, is synthetic. Everyone accepts this! It's called music, which it isn't. It's recorded music, and is the real reason why today's 'music' is so boring. Beato doesn't see this, but he wouldn't - being a music-biz minion himself. I listen to recordings with great interest, and with awareness that they're nothing like the live experience, and that they are sterile, despite imaginative placing of oneself as though at a live event. Recordings of music are something for use - as well as dehumanizing and nonorganic. I suppose you'll have another clever response to this.

[@vanmikzbeatzexperimentalan509]

Rick this is amazing!!! Police were one of my favourite bands when I was 16 in the 70s, I'm learning producing now. NOW I know why its so hard to stay interested in today's compositions. I'm going to stick with what I grew up with.... and find ways of expanding it. Thank you so much for explaining this.

[@neilcreamer8207]

No-one who writes music with the express purpose of making money is likely to produce anything interesting or original.

[@keithwellerlounge74]

This. This comment basically sums up what's wrong with the world. We're doing this with everything now and humanity has peaked artistically as a result.

[@theccpisaparasite8813]

Bullseye.

[@jessyfretz5800]

Every aspect of society is made with the intent of making money. Even the peace corps needs a check every now and then.

[@neilcreamer8207]

@@jessyfretz5800 It doesn't follow. It's true that we all need food and shelter which cost us money because that's how our world works but art made for its own sake is invariably the superior product.

[@ashleyjohansson230]

Its kind of like youtube these days, no one does youtube anymore to bring anything new or fun, they are just doing youtube for the money which is why there are so many same content lately on youtube.

[@154jdt]

Hey Rick, you should do a review of YOUR top ten current songs that aren’t on a top ten list provided by Spotify or Apple. I’m sure there are bands out there that have creative, complex and great sounding albums - they’re just out of the mainstream at the moment. Be their promotional voice. Don’t let others in the music industry control what people listen to. If you want music to change, you’ve got the ability to give those who’ve put the effort in and deserve it, a boost. Love the videos. Keep it up 👍

[@danstory471]

This is actually a pretty good idea. I would search out music that Rick said was actually worth listening to today. Most of it I find incredibly boring. I think most folks that grew up listening to 60-70-80-90's would think there is something missing in todays music. The shape of automobiles today are pretty bland as well.

[@154jdt]

I’m glad you guys both like the idea! Response to the first comment: To be honest, I don’t find Rick’s recommendations to be boring. I actually find them to be quite the opposite, and I was born in 96. I know a lot of people my age who can’t stand today’s “popular” music. I’d much rather have Rick help to guide the industry in a different direction with examples of what he finds to be great sounding, complex new music. Response to the second comment: I don’t believe Rick would have to listen to every song out there in order to provide his top ten list... It doesn’t need to be a perfect list per say, it would just be his top ten list of new songs/bands/albums. Algorithms are nice but they’re not perfect either (and I honestly think they’re part of the problem, not the solution).

[@andrejz8954]

@@danstory471 THIS. I love cars from 50s,60s and 70s. All unique designs and stuff. But somehow cars of today all look same egglike shape. Very dull. Dont get me started on music, films and other stuff

[@Fear2Stop]

Man I’d love that, or maybe a subscriber submission list. I myself probably wouldn’t have the balls, but I’m sure there are plenty here who are also musicians and maybe would benefit from the feedback . Lord knows I’ve learned far more from watching Rick’s videos over the past few months than I did over 4 years of college

[@c.a.savage5689]

@@danstory471 Today's car "design" looks like cartoon cars on steroids.

[@notdynomonkey]

An interesting thing you said was to just "try a different tuning". Mark Holcomb from Periphery has said NUMEROUS times when he hits a writing wall he tries a different tuning to get inspired!! BTW, You still need to do another WMTSG from Periphery. Awesome content as always Rick. Thank you

[@nicolascorre6830]

I've been following your channel since 2018, I've been writing songs since then. The more I listen to you and the more I want to write songs "that would make Rick Beato proud" 😅 Unbelievable amount of great ideas on an almost daily basis. Thank you!

[@thecornerkid402]

Alternate title. Old school musician rants for thirty minutes and I agree with everything he says.

[@212mochaman]

Which is the definition of irony when you see top 10 spotify reacts and he likes something in EVERY song you see/hear. Complete opposite of a boomer and yet someone will say it won't they

[@Valvicus]

The problem with the term "old school" is that it assumes the existence of a "new school". From where I stand, as regards contemporary music, that's still in the works...

[@thecornerkid402]

@@Valvicus Haha! Toucé.

[@themacocko6311]

@@Valvicus Oops lol. I read his comment and had left almost the same comment.

[@cg9234]

@@Valvicus Yes, there's a new school, only cranky old people and weird teenagers don't like the new music.

[@jasonayra2227]

I feel like Rick is saying "The music of today is stale. Here's the tool that I'm gonna give you, now go out there and make something fresh!"

[@kenduffy5397]

Hear-Hear! Well said, well said.

[@monolythentertainment9970]

Exactly. You want music to MEAN SOMETHING AGAIN!!! Stop recycling the same melodies from the last 20 years. Stop using trap beats/drum machines. Stop using fucking auto-tune and actually learn to sing. Use chords that jar the ears and keep you waiting for the resolution.

[@joellebrodeur1015]

@@monolythentertainment9970 autotune needs to die already.

[@footos8511]

@@joellebrodeur1015 auto tune along with beat quantization, drum machines, and Justin Bieber

[@vollsticks]

I feel like he's saying: "I'm either completely ignorant of all the interesting independent music being made on little labels all around the world or am just ignoring it for the sake of my argument, so I'm just going to make a blanket generalisation, and take easy pot-shots at incredibly low-hanging fruit (i.e. contemporary pop music)." I feel this is maybe a generational thing, Mr.Beato's generation had "interesting" and complex popular music coming out their ears, handed on a plate, so it's little wonder today's equivalent seems pretty pale by comparison. Personally I'm not a fan of most of the bands Mr.Beato often cites, that's neither here nor there, though (note that "complex" doesn't automatically equal "good"-- I don't judge art by that rubric anyway but whether it's "interesting" or "not-interesting". So props, at least, for the title!). Take a song like "Hip Priest" by The Fall, something of an independent post-punk "anthem"-it is not complex, not even played by "trained" musicians and is repetitious, hanging on just two chords, a shuffle beat and a fantastically menacing bassline (and of course Mark E. Smith's great, cryptic lyrics) but is the OPPOSITE of "boring"...indeed it's build-up is absolutely thrilling (especially on The John peel version). What I'm saying is music doesn't even have to be technically perfect with dozens of key and time changes to be "interesting". IT can be the total opposite but still grab you by the balls.

[@toyfoxythemangletangle6306]

I'm younger but I completely agree. I listen to music that is mainly from all decades. However I listen very little to newer because it sucks! Very predictable and too commercialized. You are such an awesome person! I play guitar and have learned a lot from you and learning more everyday. Thank you for your content.

[@JADBeats]

You’re talking about mainstream modern music, it rly doesn’t take that much effort to find good modern songs.

[@TheTVisions]

@@JADBeats But they still lack the melodies.

[@JADBeats]

@@TheTVisions No, you just haven’t listened to good modern music.

[@sherochafernando6346]

If you're into metal, I'd say they're on the cutting edge right now. Spiritbox in particular comes to mind. And if you want a rock/metal band that likes to experiment with modern pop influences, Bring Me The Horizon pull it off extremely well. Polyphia with their new album are also doing something along those lines. CHVRCHES is almost a rock band but with synths (they do mix in guitars too quite often). Outside of rock and metal, I have something of a soft spot for Taylor Swift. She's simply an amazing songwriter. And judging by the Top 10 the last couple of weeks, she's as mainstream as they come.

[@ChespiritoChavo322]

@@sherochafernando6346 but they are talking about music, not metal

[@deepatterson1894]

I think that it is a slow decay of society. Greed and instant gratification and the dumbing down of society has been the enemy here. I love your channel; you inspire me with your breakdowns of guitarist and solo's. I started watching you since I saw your take on Jeff Beck. In a way you remind me of my mentor in guitar, what do you know he is also Italian. lol He had an amazing ear. It was decades ago when he taught me. I am glad that you are educating people about music. My wife and I tried to educate our daughter on music, I guess it worked a little?? Can't stand most of it. lol Some of it is pretty good.

[@philomelodia]

I’ve done quite a bit of digging since the last time I watched this video. In the year since it first appeared on my feed, I have learned how to find the great music of today. It’s not on the pop charts. A lot of it, in fact, can be found right here on KZbin. There are three examples of great songs written this very year that come to mind. They are musically complex, pleasing to listen to and very memorable. There is wicked ways by hail storm. There is teeth of the hydra by Steve Vai. And, ego death by Polyphia. You just have to stay away from the pop charts and you’ll find all kinds of stuff. Pop is no longer where the good stuff is at.

[@rickjensen2833]

I've been listening to Steve via, "little pretty", over and over. The tone and mix is special.

[@juliee593]

Yes, what a lot of older people don't seem to get is that most young people consume music on the internet that's not really famous, and since their music taste is a lot more diverse, it can't be represented easily like before where you could just say "I like Led Zeppelin" and that was your musical identity. It's pretty much impossible to characterise this generation's taste because music has completely exploded into so many genres, so people's are much more dispersed, and mainstream music isn't the giant of influence it used to be.

[@yurigansmith]

Been listening to all of them, and find them quite decent.

[@Loctorak]

"No longer" - was it ever? My whole life i can't recall a time when the top of the pop charts could be relied on to find decent music. They won't consider playing any song longer than 5min which immediately disqualifies a huge pool of otherwise viable songs. The pop charts are (and always have been) a machine for producing profits with formulaic and therefore predictably catchy songs. NB that catchy is not synonymous with good or being musically talented.

[@Hellenicheavymetal]

True. I was listening to the modern metal band Ne Obliviscaris. So complex and awesome.

[@mrsrobophile]

My husband (40) and I (42) were sitting on our balcony last evening and some teens were on the nearby tennis court listening to modern pop. I noticed it was hard to tell when one song ended and another began. The kids didn't seem to even notice the music for a long time. Then one song came on that sounded even a *tiny* bit different got a very mild reaction. A few of the girls sang with the first chorus, but the excitement dwindled down quickly. I remember being that age and there would be moments, whether it was with elders or peers, where certain songs would come on the radio and everyone would stop what they were doing and call to raise the volume. Swaying occurred. People sang along and I remember many times driving home more slowly or sitting in my car because "the good part's coming!". I wonder if kids today still even do that (I never had any children, so my exposure to youth culture is pretty much passive and minimal). The ones outside yesterday didn't, but who could blame them? Then I wondered if it was the format. If you're streaming, there's no forced breakage in the flow. On radio, there are commercials and commentary to break things up. If you're listening to music on a physical media, you have to swap discs, turn the cassette or flip your vinyl record. You're a little more connected to the music because you -have- to be, but that also doesn't allow you to mindlessly put on music in the background for study or work. Even I opt for downtempo, simple stuff when I'm working and want to focus on that instead of the music, so I feel this has its place. So maybe that's just what the industry wants: people passively listening instead of engaging because, overall, they'll listen for longer and that means more subscriptions vs. taking a chance on something which might actually bomb. I feel I see a similar quality in streaming programming. For every unusual, smaller production, there are eighty cookie-cutter ones that you can put on and absorb rather passively. I think streaming, more than anything, changed entertainment forever and while it does allow the archives of the past to be fresh again and allows for smaller works of innovation, it also paved the way for an ungodly sum of mediocrity to roll in and fill up the gimme-gimme-gimme needs of today's streaming audiences.

[@rishiraj966]

The slide towards the kind of music you talked about happened even before streaming. So streaming may have exacerbated it but definitely did not cause it.

[@marshallloeks]

I’m 15 and I crank Eric Clapton everything he comes on!

[@patrickstallings9613]

Fantastic summary. I think its also EXTREMELY harder to be unique or have something so new nowadays in addition to a sea of mediocrity. 50-90s you almost had no choice but to be a performer and play an instrument on stage. Now it's cookie cutter bubble gum musical tofu.

[@mrsrobophile]

@@marshallloeks Glad to hear it!

[@protectivetherapies3742]

Try this new reggae artist: Tony Saint - Cutie; You Only Live Twice (reggae cover); Depend on Me; Memories (Flamenco reggae beat).

[@dondamon4669]

This is when Ricks at his best ‘That’d take me an extra ten seconds to learn that ,nah I’m joking , actually I’m not” 😂! Rick is best when he’s being badass!!

[@woodstock480]

13:38 That was really funny.

[@raisa_cherry33]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂👏 agree

[@JimManeri]

For years, maybe a couple of decades, when I teach music theory I called that phenomenon of F over G, Gmi¹︎¹︎ or whatever you wanna call that, the “earth wind and fire chord". You can use them in parallel, jumping from one earth wind and fire cord to the next, as a key change mechanism. Then the 90s happened and business people started making music decisions so this kind of fun went away

[@richerDiLefto]

This is so true, and it’s why I pretty much dumped pop music in the mid-2000’s. It became way too commercialized and boring, and there’s better, more interesting stuff to listen to from earlier decades and in other genres. It’s not like I hate all new music, there are a few gems I like from today, but I can’t be the only one who noticed the gradual degradation of quality from the early 2000’s up to now.

[@roseaugatzke7877]

pop music has always been commercialized

[@zzkeokizz]

One of the symptoms of boring songs is when music get cut from school budgets. My brother and I and most of our friends had 8 years in band and it was our favorite class. We love jazz and dissonance.

[@fredoneal5464]

Rick please don’t be discouraged. Your mission to educate and possibly influence the complexity of music on the charts is a great mission!! Over the course of the 3 years I’ve watched you my writing has transformed and I’m always an advocate for complex and creative harmony whenever possible! You’ve certainly reached me!

[@trailerwager8850]

He is being antiquated. What defines the times today is not music and he won't recognize that

[@mauve9266]

@@trailerwager8850 tbf, I think one can acknowledge that music doesn’t have the same i dunno ‘cultural potency’ it once did and still want it to be ‘improved’ however you feel improvements are necessary

[@atomiccritter6492]

ok - explain why complex is better than simple

[@fredoneal5464]

@@atomiccritter6492 complex doesn’t mean it sounds complex. But using the right tools in the right place is a complex practice that requires a lot of practice except for some folks that can do it naturally - usually those folks have been listening to complex music though in their past and have digested it. Things can sound simple that are actually complex. And those are usually the hits in my opinion. So that’s why I’m so interested in Ricks lessons. Because he’s giving us so many tools.

[@fredoneal5464]

@@trailerwager8850 I think there’s more music than ever before in culture. I mean I don’t think tik tok could exist the same without music and that’s current culturally.

[@singularblue]

You are so much fun to watch! The good stuff never hits the airwaves, though

[@marcelprout6158]

I think the main reason why this is happening is because songs that are on radio are not representative of what people actually listen, i think maistream music is way less mainstream than before because now with streaming service, the offer of songs is endless so now mainstream songs are not really pieces of art, the are just something to listen to passively but they are not representative of what everyone listen to, these songs are the kind of songs that people who says "i listen to everything" listen but this is a few people. Sorry if my english is weird, i'm french

[@LaneDenson]

When you have a dozen songwriters on a single tune, it’s going to sand off all the rough (I.e. interesting) edges, homogenizing everything. It all becomes the same gray mush.

[@EzaneeGires]

I also notice that lyrics have gotten dumber in general too. There's a lot of repeating the last, one syllable word in the last line of a verse or chorus. They're literally churning out crappy lullabies and nursery rhymes.

[@ColleenKitchen]

Also consider editorial committees. When they require unanimity only dreck that offends no one gets through.

[@NevenOfSine]

I keep thinking of cooking *every single dish* with the same 9 herbs and spices, then cooking it for half an hour on medium heat.

[@maxcactus7]

"It's going to sand off all the rough edges, homogenizing everything" Or, perhaps we could say such a song simply lacks vision.

[@Dreeza68955]

@@EzaneeGires oh yeah especially rappers. They almost only rap about their bodily functions and who they're fucking. I know they rapped about that for a while but it's like you said gotten more dumb, and it's almost like it's their identity.

[@GregHarradineComposer]

Rick: "People who are older have been fed a rich diet of nutritious songs. We're just kinda eating fruit loops now."

[@thegreenbird795]

More like eating dog food...

[@ErwinBlonk]

Until internet (and really from the late 00s) we had to do with what record companies decided we could have. I have have bought more music made in 2005 and later than any before that. Maybe 10% of that comes from a record company of any meaningful size and of the 90% a lot (possibly half) doesn't have a record company behind it. I'm 52 and the last 15 years has had more interesting and great music than whatever came before it. But you can't sit back and let the record companies do the work for you. You have to put time and effort in it. It really spoiled me because I can't be bothered to listen to, say, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin or Pink Floyd much anymore. It doesn't get me going like it used to. Einsturzende Neubauten, Frank Zappa and Kraftwerk made the cut though. Some old stuff still checks out.

[@jean-baptistebordellier3399]

Let me introduce you to Igorrr. It is much more complex than any 60's 70's song, with the exception of zappa maybe. And it is pretty maintream (kinda). And it is music coming out now. And I f**** love it. A lot of amazingly cool stuff comes out nowadays, and a lot of it gets an audience, but you have to look for it a little

[@trafficjon400]

To much SUGAR SUGAR

[@matjj676]

@@ErwinBlonk Can you recommend some favorites? I'm always looking for something new to listen to....

[@soccertl]

Ah, this makes so much sense. I always wondered why songs today sound so much alike and not much change throughout the song. This explains it well.

[@lifeenvironments]

Just ran into this. One of your best. Reinforces my compositional thoughts, beliefs and style. Nice to see I'm not alone. 😋

[@shanebargy1732]

"Black Hole Sun...Right in the intro is more complicated than anything on the radio today!" 😂😂😂

[@UKSportsFan]

@Damon Ashley but in the case of Black Hole Sun, it is good

[@IncredibleGoliath]

@Damon Ashley Just because something is simple doesn't mean it's any good either. Weird how people don't feel the need to point that out as much.

[@shanebargy1732]

@Damon Ashley Yes, some of the greatest recordings ever are simple. We agree there. However...to hear it again and again with different lyrics is now BORING!!!!! I think the point here is trying a little harder to be innovative rather than simply succumb to the whim of today's producers who appear to be simply looking for safe hits. Safe=boring.

[@F1jones]

@Damon Ashley chances are "complicated" leads to more interesting, which is far less subjective than "good" or "bad." But the simplicity of your argument honestly reflects on the non-critical nature of the market as a whole. Good/bad has zero nuance, as does today's music.

[@bebop425]

I think complicated here is a synonym for creative or different

[@northbynorthmusic]

There's plenty of "complex" music that has never had popular appeal. For me, it's not really an issue of complexity, it's more like there's a lack of "movement" in modern songs. I want a song to show me one cool thing, then move on to a different place or build upon that... but the ROI isn't that much better when artists or producers go the extra mile, so it becomes a luxury most record labels won't afford (except in big tent pole artists like Bruno Mars). The industry doesn't treat music as "art" anymore, it's simply "content."

[@rhythmace1]

I really like your description of what you find engaging in music, it's very relatable to me, but is that not complexity? It's the opposite of simplicity to introduce changes to keep the ear interested, i.e. complexity. That's separate from any judgement of whether a given piece is "complex", because that's subjective and entirely relative.

[@tulipmckay2530]

Content, exactly

[@culturaypasion]

I would have to agree. Bruno Mars is clearly the Prince of today. They really don't make many of them anymore.

[@michaelolympus5994]

Jacob Collier do "complex" pop music but doesn't make it to top charts.

[@Bullshitvol2]

The majority what is running in the radio today is pushed by big lables with the intention to make money. Of course it isn't complex if they squeeze it out without effort. Similar with Hollywood. One look into the Japanese Touhou circles show how much diversity they have in their songs. Same wit Infected mushroom I discovered lately. Just stay away from big labels

[@surbana9803]

The analogy of comparing music to food is spot on, Rick. And yes, today's music DEFINITELY sounds & feels like junk food. There's nothing interesting, no nourishment. It's just dull, bland & boring & almost leaves an ache in your soul wanting something more auditorily complex & unique. It's so boring I almost have a visceral reaction to it now. Such a turn off. I've told my daughter it's like cotton candy music - just nothing there. Not being a musician myself, I couldn't put my finger on it beyond thinking it sounded dumbed down & repetitive. 'Regression of music innovation' - yikes. Yeah. That's it alright. Now, how do we stop it? Because it's reeeally hard to believe this is the best the music industry can do. 🙄 No way. They can & NEED to do BETTER.

[@chrismill5303]

coming from the third world, though, i have to say the great majority of listeners are possibly tone deaf by now and just want "the new thing". the greatest chunk of the populace aren't hungry for something complex, they just take what they could get, always did from since my youth, and i don't blame them. life is hard enough as it is, and they're too tired with trying to survive to pick sonics apart.

[@jeffallen8689]

If you think all of "today's music" is like this, then it says more about your lack of interest in research, than anythign about young people or what music is being made. This whole thread is kinda sad/funny. I'm starting to wonder about the effect that RIck's "hot takes" are having on the musical culture, b/c this isn't helpful in the least. He should actually do the work he said he did in the 70s, and elevate the artists who innovate, b/c theyre still there... instead of painting all of "today's music" with such a lazily broad brush. It's generating cycnicism in a cynical era. The kids are alright, hope i die before i get old... this whole comment section proves that point again and again, sadly.

[@havadd]

I took a music theory class and realized just how little I knew about music, almost nothing really compared to it's vastness. That needs to be connected more if music is to get better

[@sevenchambers]

Most people hate music theory. They act like it’s oppressing their creativity.

[@jeffallen8689]

@@sevenchambers theory is 2ndary, always

[@lucamattioni]

I've been producing artists for Major Labels since the late 90ies. New a&r guys in the industry started to tell me I'm too "advanced" to produce their artists now, they need simple tracks and simple productions. I didn't know that simple and good were synonyms! Never stop learning! :)

[@websparrow]

I may offend people but it's not only simple music but it's just copypaste. Music will never be recorded or produced like it was in the past. Producers and engineers are really unaware of what music really means and the next generation don't generation don't even know what music is... Again they just copy and paste

[@aidengoodrich5974]

@@websparrow Huh?

[@shanemiller6982]

@@aidengoodrich5974 He is referring to how you record nowdays. It's all copy and paste. If you don't know what copy and paste means you shouldn't be on the internet.

[@shanemiller6982]

Yeah Luca , I've produced such major artist such as Bach ,Chopin and Michael Jackson. Mozarts team wanted me to produce for him , but he drank and partied way too much for my taste. Well there's that and I took a pay off from Salieri. They all complained as well.

[@aidengoodrich5974]

@@shanemiller6982 I think your referring to the musical practice of sampling. Which isn't the only way recording is done nowadays but also even if it was I don't see a problem. If a song sounds stale it isn't because you copy and pasted specific sounds, it's because the songs stale.

[@chathamcrescent]

I blame many things: laziness, computers, lack of learning to play musical instruments, corporate takeover of radio, streaming, and especially the total lack of any appreciation for songwriters...lyricists who were true poets and composers who craft strong melodies

[@LeeEisenstein]

Ya. Years ago, when they started minimizing literature, music, all the humanities and critical thinking skills in the schools, I knew lyric writing in songs was going to be toast. Without vocabulary and context (poetry, writing, ect.), very difficult to write great lyrics.

[@joellebrodeur1015]

@@LeeEisenstein this exactly. I've been saying it since the mid 90s. Thank Newt Gingrich for robbing us of music in schools and the National Endowment of the Arts.

[@LeeEisenstein]

@@joellebrodeur1015 Exactly right. Low wage workers and (with all due respect), soldiers. That's always been their vision for America.

[@markupton1417]

Don't forget to blame the market. If people wouldn't accept crap, crap wouldn't be offered.

[@LeeEisenstein]

@@markupton1417 Yep. Especially a market that offers limited fare. In this case, a market that offers fare that is largely crap and designed to sell a predictable, easily marketable product. People tend to like what they are familiar with.

[@JimManeri]

"It would take like 10 seconds longer” - then you hedge then you don’t then you hedge again. I can relate. It would’ve taken me about literally 10 or 20 seconds longer, OK maybe three minutes at the most for the most complicated song. But people don’t believe it when you tell it to them and you seem like you’re bloviating or saying something that’s impossible, when it’s just normal for 60 year old professional musicians.

[@Spiralout-lh4dj]

Great video! Every musician should watch this! Thank you, Rick for all yr musical knowledge!! Yr awesome!!

[@JoshuaGomezMusic]

hey musicians, be the change! complicated music doesn’t equal good music, BUT stand out!

[@PureJadeKid]

​@@pawelpap9 True in a sense, but in classical music there is even a word for this when no parts are repeated: through-composed. Pop music just assumes a 'song' is the only form for a piece of music. People don't even think there could be non-"song" music.

[@AdvectionStride]

challenge accepted :)

[@JoshuaGomezMusic]

@@amremorse true man I feel u, but all it takes is one

[@JoshuaGomezMusic]

@Anne Day precisely. my music isn’t complex at ALL musically, but it’s thematically and emotionally complex

[@JoshuaGomezMusic]

@@pawelpap9 agreed! also though the best piece isn’t defined by its catchiness

[@johnhendricks8140]

Earth wind fire was no joke, those guys come out of the jazz influence. Beato you got a amazing mind for music.

[@otizcar9313]

Yes ..they used advanced harmonic chords 11th, 13th, flat 9ths etc etc..and also different rhythms

[@kellyjohnson3617]

Thank you for this. I used to teach piano for years. Really my goal was to teach basic music theory from day one. I hope some of my former students find this channel. When you hear music you like, with knowledge of music theory you know what about it you like and how to find other music to enjoy. When I write music I usually start by playing random chord combinations until I find something that inspires me snd go from there. Being creative is fun. Being creative with music is inspiring.

[@cherylnathanodette]

Love your easy listening videos, great musicality and great taste in music. Keep it up.

[@cliffhughes6010]

I love the fact that you get as frustrated as me about this. My wife tells me off for listening to so much 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s music (I'm the same age as you Rick). But I'm not nostalgic for the sake of it. I always listen to new stuff in the hope that I'll be proved wrong. Trouble is, I never am.

[@Obliv69]

just listen to the current song "without you" by kid whatever his name is. its a very basic and repetitive in the lyrics tone, and the main chorus is pitchy as hell and just lacking in substance. "without you. without you-ooohhh. wo oh whaah oh oh whaah ooh waah oh oh without you-oooo"

[@xiuxiu1108]

It just means that you don't know how to look for new, interesting songs and regress back to your comfort food. What genres and artists do you generally listen to?

[@Maneru5978]

Bro, I'm 30 and I can hardly ever listen to songs dating beyond the 2000's. They just don't do anything for me, and I too attempt to listen to the new songs to see if they appease to me, but only a handful of them succeed in achieving that.

[@BennieWilll]

Does anyone know where the video is where Rick compares the chord progressions in Beatles songs, and shows the complexity in the Beatles top hits compared with modern songs today. He points out that the Beatles used a lot more variation.

[@kimhornhem5399]

small worlds by mac miller, blues for hip hop fans.

[@ThatGuy-cb3yv]

Pop artists across the globe are going "wtf is a half-step?."

[@emilyandrews763]

*laughs in KSHMR*

[@gorindio]

😂

[@rdrake316]

It's a Tick Tock. Derp!

[@pewsterbaby]

Half step, Mississippi uptown, toot-a-loo. That's what. heh heh.

[@PianoMan-hx3ev]

Their computers have the answer.

[@keithdunwoody1302]

I'm 62. I've said that this problem has always been the same. We had bubble gum in all generations. The death of quality independent FM radio is the real problem. You can find streaming channels but it becomes algorithmic driven and you don't really have curated material. What people are exposed to ternds to be repetitive, same as your digital media feed, the same diet over and over.

[@AdrianJamesEllis]

Good point. I seriously miss science fiction magazines where the curator (the editor) developed a level of quality and an ethos in the stories. If there are no human curators, there are no guides. It's therefore much harder for quality, original voices to become known because there are no curators promoting them.

[@keithdunwoody1302]

@@AdrianJamesEllis the human touch is so important.

[@jeffreycraven8154]

Rick, enjoyed the this video and will watch more by you. I started playing in a rock band when I was 14 in 1972; played the pop/hard rock music of the day, but on my keyboard always experimented with chromatics and anything from 4th with a 7th thru 13th chords. Wish I hadn't dropped out of music theory in college; it was all about classical music, but atleast I would've learned to transcribe the many tune I've written. Message to the students: Take music theory no matter if you hate the class, you will learn how to write down your compositions.

[@rachidvanheyningen]

Because music used to be driven by musicianship.. and that's because back in the day you had to have talent to actually succeed. Now you just need a good sound engineer and a platform

[@DrumWild]

These days, being popular is by far more important in the music business than anything resembling musical talent.

[@simonkormendy849]

Totally agree, it seems like mediocrity is rewarded and talent is punished, Australia used to have a great music scene going, but it seems to have been squandered now.

[@monacaravetta]

And be physically attractive. Has zero to do with musicianship.

[@counterfit5]

@@DrumWild been that way for a while now

[@coryfoster4907]

There's still very talented musicians and great music today. Just look beyond most of the generic radio music. Many bands today are channeling the musicianship and sounds of previous generations.

[@robnaylor4494]

Well I'm 65. I agree that most of the stuff that gets radio airplay now is boring and simplistic...but then an awful lot of the stuff in the 60s and 70s was, too. What we remember is the good stuff....and a lot of the good stuff didn't get much, if any airplay back then, however much it gets played now. My parents knew who Herman's Hermit and Freddie and The Dreamers were, they heard them on the radio, but they hadn't got a clue about Velvet Underground, Pink Floyd or The Nice. A lot of the 60s hits were riffs on the same 3-4 chords. There's some great progressive and complex music being produced by younger bands now, but in the same way as my parents rarely heard the stuff I was into in the charts back then, we old gits don't hear the stuff our kids and grandkids are really into now.

[@katazack]

There always are niche rock and roll bands that don't get heavy airplay. For whatever reason they don't connect to the mass audience, or they don't want to. Pink Floyd was all over the radio in the late '70s early '80s. The Beatles, Rolling Stones, The Who, Led Zep, Moody Blues, Grand Funk, Deep Purple etc. all were radio mainstays. Even when there was trash like disco on the radio, there also was heavy doses of Cheap Trick, The Cars, Squeeze, Foreigner, Boston, Elton John, Bill Joel and Queen with REM waiting in the wings. The difference today is you hear nothing but mass-produced dreck on the radio/TV and none of the truly innovative young bands you speak of.

[@FaceIQ1]

ur right there is a scene on soundcloud of insanely progressive innovative music mostly made by kids, great take.

[@KmiiVC]

thank you for this comment sir

[@davider8038]

Herman’s Hermits were pretty cool

[@carl_anderson9315]

I get your point but even Herman's Hermit was a pretty solid group, with nice tunes. Hey, even The Monkees had some great stuff.

[@pixelperfect1729]

The best music of today is just as good as yesterday, only it will never hit the charts.

[@grapeswithcapes8314]

yes 100%

[@RobinBSmith]

yes exactly, the market has greatly diversified and is much less captive

[@chrissmith2114]

Todays music is sad and agressive, most artists do not even read music or play an instrument. Todays music is just like sad ditties written by children, with facile lyrics.

[@ParaguayanPolkaNRoll]

@@chrissmith2114 I think you could be missing out on the good stuff that's never on the radio anymore, buddy. I mean, there are amazing musicians today! A guitar virtuoso of our time can do things Jimi Hendrix wouldn't have thought possible, or even thought about altogether. Hell, Paco de Lucia was doing it with a "common" Flamenco guitar! Problem is, a superb jazz metal album like Impact Fuze's "Moscow", or Argentina's prog rock band Deformica aren't in the charts. Well, tbf, King Crimson wasn't given that many hours of radio airplay in their time either. But nowadays you just can't find any variety in the mainstream media anymore. And I'm only citing the ones I was lucky enough to find out about. I don't even have as much time to devote to music anymore, who knows what I'm missing, Even despite having a lot of musician friends who actively look around for good music and recommend it... You have to do the digging yourself and rely on your circle. But, boy! You'll unearth amazing treasures!

[@chrissmith2114]

@@ParaguayanPolkaNRoll What you are describing is hardly 'pop' ( popular ) music though is it, there have always been good musicians around, but for sheer variety todays music sucks...... Waht is lacking is innovation and variety - and also good lyrics.

[@josephforrest3713]

I love this so much!! Awesome stuff Rick. This is fast becoming my favorite channel!

[@lylehann674]

I really hope the next music trend is......TALENT

[@leebrn8588]

@@hal2098 Angelina Jordan on U Tube is supposed to be the next "Big Thing" in about 5 years, (she's only 15)

[@emilys.7953]

Check out white denim. They are great!

[@robertmichon5448]

I took over a youth sports league years ago and the HS AD told me: "It takes five years to change a culture. At least 5." He was right. Rick, your stated mission is far bigger than that. This is a marathon, not a sprint. If it was easy, it wouldn't be interesting, would it? You're off to a great start, but there's a long way to go... Keep going!

[@op1ekun81]

I have a pretty broad taste in music, and Rick has managed to introduce me to so much more wonderful stuff.

[@bloqk16]

An aspect I've noticed with Pop music over the past decade has been this music production formula heard often in [US] TV dramas: The strumming of a guitar with a young adult male maudlinly singing depressing lyrics.

[@bluevibesmusic9837]

Awesome training. Thank-you.

[@erikmaronde2244]

I have a theory (actually stolen from Frank Zappa): the less people are exposed to interesting music, the less they like it. Or, in other words, it's more a business formula today than original music. Thankfully, there is the internet and interesting music goes around the Record company/Radio station boredom. And there is tons of interesting music, just not usually in the charts.

[@graphicpip5174]

true. I find the people with less exposed music tastes cannot bear listening to other people playlists..

[@Ruinwyn]

As an European I've always argued that even the "dead" Eurovision years are important musically. You have just under 200 million viewers, of all ages and demografics, watching and discussing 25 - 40+ songs (depending on if they watch semi finals and which years we are talking about), live, no skipping, any and all genres. You can't isolate yourself from different music styles as easily.

[@IcidLink]

@SunTai I think the Music Streaming services like Spotify can help People experience and get to know more Music from all over the World. Spotify in special seems to push not just mainstream stuff. I always get recommendations of quite some interesting Music on Spotify. But it seems unfortunately People still listening most of the time to Mainstream Music on the Services just look up the top 50s list from every Country on Spotify

[@Ruinwyn]

@SunTai Eurovision song Contest. Happens every year (2020 first ever canceled). Broadcasters all over European Broadcasting Area (Europe, mediterranean +Australia with special permission ), send one new song each to compete in live contest. Basic rules are: 1) song must be under year old (there is more precise date, but that's trivial) 2) all participating broadcasters (competing under country names) must show the entire final live 3) if there are more than 26 countries participating, there are semifinals. 4) if there are semifinals every broadcaster has to show the entire semifinal their act is performing in live. 5)All human vocals in the competition must be live. 6) all singers must be on stage (you can hide them in the darkness or behind props if you want) 7)no more than 6 people on stage 8)no song can be more than 3 minutes (added when someone sent 7 minute song in a year before final was capped to 26) There are more rules, but those are the most import. This year 39 countries participated (down from previous years due to covid). Also backing vocals were allowed on tape to reduce the number of people present. Final is about 4h live broadcast on Saturday (about 2,5 hours of contestants performing, rest is voting time and result counting). If there are semis they are on tuesday and thursday. There is no limit on genre, language or nationality of the performers or songwriters. Every act gets the same 3 minutes to impress the entire viewing public (not counting their own country). Once everyone has performed, the public votes. You aren't able to vote your own country (there are also juries in every country that give half of the country's points). The viewership of the finals is usually between 180-200 million. Most viewers haven't heard more than their own country's song, and possibly one of their neighbours, though there is always an attempt to market your song before hand. This year there was lots of basic European dance pop (with some local beats) , hard rock, nu-metal, folktronica, chanson, different style ballads, rap and alternative rock. Just in the Finals. Hard rock won btw. Folktronica went viral. There has been Romanian operatic vampire doing dubstep, rap with yodel chorus, electro pop with joikha hook and rap, anti-capitalist BDSM techno group, and just basic dance pop with folk fiddle. Some of it is awful, lots of it is magnificent.

[@NervaTraian11]

@@Ruinwyn Watching Eurovision was a real event for my family in Romania. Growing up in the early 2000s, Eurovision with my family is a dear memory for me and my sister. It surprises me how boring music charts are. Even in the early 2000s the pop music in eastern europe was inspired from traditional and folk culture, and it was quite good. Nowadays they are boring to listen the whole way through, but obviously that's the way people listen to them. My suspicion is the introduction of rap into pop music. It isn't all gloom and doom though, I mean there's great big underground scenes all over Europe for all kinds of music,etc,etc.

[@keithpurtell1213]

I suspect that when Rick emphasizes "complexity" he's praising the effort behind creativity, the effort behind having your own unique sound, creative risk taking, putting your heart into a song, etc. It's not about complexity for its own sake.

[@miykaelp5284]

yup , he is just talking about throwing in some different chords and changes that make it less predictable. He is not saying it has to be prog rock or jazz

[@gerardcote8391]

Well you can't churn out a thousand songs a week and still be creative

[@gerardcote8391]

@@miykaelp5284 well he should be, Caught a video by someone doing guitar and he did one on how to be neoclassical, and he was talking about scales and modes I never heard of , Rick should listen to some of that for a while. Rick is a producer, well produce some complex music. Grab some of these virtuoso players to do some session works and produce an album

[@gerardcote8391]

Rick , Bach's Prelude to Cello Suite #1 in D, is one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever written, it only has 2 chords D and G. It is short simple and still beautiful and evocative. Really songs are more than chord progressions on a guitar, the words and the singing ability of the vocalists are more important than the chords.

[@socrates1818]

Sorry Rick, leading from chords is not the way to write a great song

[@lucalanzoni7414]

You're just genuine, Rick!!! Amazing video!!!!!!

[@daveberkheimer2166]

Rick said something interesting..... that melodies follow chord changes. I've always said that was one of the reasons that the guitar solos done on Steely Dan tracks were so interesting. it's because guitarists, like painters, can be more creative when they have a broad selection in their palette.... for painters it's more colors, for guitarists, and musicians in general, it's more complex harmonies.

[@andreacostantini1305]

Well said! Always believed that chords are the colours of music, and Don and Walt are the kings of colours

[@davidmiles3018]

I've been playing guitar for 9 years and just now have started to learn how to play some of their songs. It's really opened up how I understand my instrument. If only I had done it years ago

[@saritajoshi1737]

its not always about the chord progression. For example, "Fake plastic trees" and "Street Spirit" are just as good as "Just" on the album, some might say even better and they have a simple chord progression. May be the answer is not always "Complex chord progression". There are hundreds of great songs with simple progression too. Oasis have them, The Stokes have them. Arctic monkeys have them. So do Wilco and Coldplay and The Verve and many other great artista frankly. I love radiohead and even they have simple chord progressions sometimes (how to disappear completely, let down, no surprises etc) and even nirvana has some simple progressions (all apologies, something in the way). May be the answer to "What makes a song great" can never be truly rationalilzed. I don't think making "out there" chord progressions are the answer to the problem of boring modern pop music. If one can't write a good tune with simple progressions, they can't write good tunes with complex one either and almost anyone can make a complex chord progression. It's just a matte rof making one yourself or borrowing inspiraion from other complex songs. That won't make someone a more innovative songwriter. But i feel where he is coming from. Just about anything will make the current state of modern pop more interesting if they stop the formulaic/overdone approach to songwriting and introducing complex chord progressions might just be a good step.

[@StratMatt777]

@@saritajoshi1737 I think he is saying that the complex Steely Dan chord progressions (with extended and altered chords) give the studio guitarist trying to fit a solo over the song many more chord tones to choose from when crafting his solo than a rock song built on I IV V triads does. This takes us into the issue of how when you create your boring chords first, it restricts you to choosing from boring chord tones for your melody, which comes out boring unless you do something very creative with the rhythm of the melody or have a very wide tessitura (like "Fake Plastic Trees", which I LOVE). So, if you really want a great melody.... create your interesting, different, fantastic melody FIRST, before the chords, instead of pumping out a I-IV-V or I-V-vi-IV (or whatever) on your guitar or piano and then singing the boring crap that fits perfectly over it.

[@daveberkheimer2166]

@@saritajoshi1737 I think the point that Rick was trying to make was that "out there" chord progressions (eye/ear of the beholder) weren't "out there" 30-40 years ago..... and I've got to agree. Pop music is becoming less sophisticated and more homogenized. I don't see that as a judgment call, just a statement of fact. And by the way, I say this as a big fan of power pop bands like Fountains of Wayne, Jellyfish, and The Greys.

[@MegaWait4it]

I'm possibly your one millionth viewer that doesn't have any training in music nor am I a musician, but I've always had a musical ear and there's always something in certain songs that I love or hate and you help me to understand why/what that is. I'm always blown away that you can speak WAY over my head yet I'm still able to relate and get that uh huh moment. Should have taken my mom up on those piano lessons 40 years ago when I was eight.... :D Thanks for putting out these great videos!

[@monacaravetta]

Thank you so much for expressing my experience exactly.

[@djmileski]

Great analysis/discussion. Love your channel.

[@bassistovgilberto]

this lesson has changed my mind set on composition and listening thank you so much mr. Beato

[@jmsdeco]

Rick singing the notes over the chord progressions instantly reminds me Nigel playing his musical " trilogy" in the saddest key of all time, D minor. 🙂

[@dusty3913]

I love Mach.

[@scifiwriter98]

@Greg Elchert Jeff Beck named his Head for Backstage Pass.

[@ShockBot127]

🤣

[@johnharris7353]

"Living in the era of musical innovation regression" totally agree, but didn't have the right words for it!

[@AfferbeckBeats]

It's only true in the mainstream though, people have the freedom to create and release what they want to release, you just have to look for it. We're at both extremes, a regressive music industry trying to maintain profits, and an exploding independant internet of music to enjoy. Stop mourning the death of the popular, and embrace the underground.

[@johne1599]

@@AfferbeckBeats Fair enough. Good point. Our underground FM music was playing while people were still listening to Top 40 on AM radio. I first heard Fleetwood Mac on underground FM when they were still a Blues band. Let’s hope the independent music of today can then become the mainstream of the future. I listen to college radio and independent radio (KXT 91.7 - The Republic of Music) to find today’s better music. I also use an app called, Jango, which I highly recommend!

[@Paramad]

Yeah I was watching a KZbin channel about seven chord progressions that are always used in pop music, then he proceeded to play videos of all the pop songs using those chord progressions. Axis progression, Andalusian progression etc. Each progression had at least three to five mainstream songs, the only differences were production. Love your channel Rick you always inspire my song writing.

[@chrisa4695]

When technology begin to dominate music in the late 70s to early 80s mainly in New Wave, later R&B and hip hop the producers were musicians first. They used drum machines and synthesizers to create the types patterns produced by traditional instruments. Today, most producers have NO musical foundation. They bought an 808 or digital drum machine in pawn shop and began “making beats” in their bedroom.

[@DrakeSteve]

This is one of the many reasons I like progressive rock-- Genesis, Yes, etc. They think out of the box and play more complex music but still manage to keep it very beautiful.

[@nddst77]

I could not even imagine Roundabout being played on the “radio” today.

[@DrakeSteve]

@@nddst77 Agreed. We need to return to the days of great music like that being played on the radio again. I'd like to see more artists coming up with that sort of music again.

[@pavementsailor]

The movie 'Yesterday' has the premise that the Beatles songs suddenly get forgotten by everyone through a time shift event. Only 1 musician and a few other people retain the memories of ever hearing a Beatles song. He plays them by chance in our modern era and is instantly a sensation. The movie reminds you why that music is so good.

[@97texascat]

It did. The Beatles music is so familiar it has almost become a cliche “oh yeah this song” but that movie reminded me why the Beatles are just so amazing

[@wildcat31772]

@@HeadbangoO Well that... and the Beatles songs happen to be incredibly complex. Like... all of them. My brother is like Rick in how he learns songs and whatnot, playing guitar for 30+ years. He stands by the Beatles stuff being the hardest things he every tried to work out. They use like no normal chords lol

[@DHarri9977]

While the Beatles were a great all-around band their songs captured the times in which they were being played as with the music shaping the times. Their innocence changed with the times.

[@alexandrebenois7962]

@HeadbangoO I don't think you know much about the Beatles' music if you think they were engineered and theirs are just easy listening songs. Most easy listening songs are soon forgotten.

[@provocase]

@@HeadbangoO You can say a lot of things about the Beatles, but not that they were (like) the first engineered boyband, nor that their music qualifies as "easy listening". They wrote their own music all by themselves (what engineered boyband has ever done that?) for a start. And yes, in George Martin (the 5th Beatle) they had a very ingenious producer who was able to translate every crazy idea the Beatles envisioned into sound. But all the songs and all the ideas and concepts of what they wanted their music to sound like came from them... and not from George Martin, let alone from a committee of record company executives thinking up a formula. The Beatles were a pioneering, groundbraking and innovative band that has changed popmusic and recording for ever. Their influence can't be underestimated and has reached over six decades thus far already. People will be listening to the Beatles centuries from now... can you think of a single actual boyband of the same magnitude?

[@user-hw8nr3mu8e]

I’m 25 and only listening to 80s music and I’m definitely not the only one. I hear lots of other young people like me too and I think the group is growing. These songs were so much better, original and iconic back then.

[@franciscosouza5345]

80´s were better than todays music, but by far the worst decade of music of the past century. 60, 70s and 90´s were a lot better. (dont know much from before the 40´s though)

[@user-hw8nr3mu8e]

@@franciscosouza5345 I havent met anyone who likes 60s or 70s music though. It's always almost the 80s. Look how for example 'Running up that Hill' from Kate bush became an instant hit again after Stranger Things used it. 80s songs are still popular because of their uniqness I think.

[@TheTVisions]

@@franciscosouza5345 '90s music better than the '80s...?! You must be deaf. lol

[@OTLCellartapes]

@@user-hw8nr3mu8e ever met a fan of Pink Floyd or the Rolling Stones? Black Sabbath, the Grateful Dead? the Beatles, Rush or the Who? weird - they used to be everywhere!

[@christopherxanadude244]

I loved everything up UNTIL the 1980s. Yes, the 80s had endless UNFORGETTABLE songs and bands.....but I couldn't stomach how PLASTIC it all was, especially after the PERFECT 1970s of your Led Zeps and Pink Floyds and ALL OF IT......cuz it was NATURAL! The girls wore NO MAKEUP and put NOTHING in their hair! NICE! No guy wants a girl in makeup or uptight clothes or processed hair! YUCK! The 1970s were the PEAK of humanity for many reasons. (EX: all the gorgeous van paint jobs!) (EX: ppl wore the MOST COLORFUL CLOTHES ever!) (The cars were all colorful too like never before or since!)

[@Muusaaja]

Rick, I think you should dive into a sea of mashups. It's basically pulling instrumental from song A and a vocal track from another. I guess it's a genre you'd like to know more about!

[@carriersignal]

I'm glad Rick finally said what he's probably been wanting to say for a while now, and certainly what the rest of us have also been thinking. Like many here, I find very very little mainstream music on the radio nowadays enjoyable. Great video. Thanks.

[@TonyVirili]

With the exception of very few bands and producers, I feel that music has truly died due to all the reason's Rick stated. No one's willing to take the chance, especially when the possibility of making a living doing it have become even less likely. At some point everything Rick has been teaching will inspire some people to bring back what is truly a lost art, and the chance they take will pay off.

[@glynemartin]

Go non mainstream. Hint: Snarky Puppy...on KZbin.... You're welcome.

[@hmcdonnell23]

I haven't listened to mainstream music in years.

[@ByeByeDeadName]

There’s a lot of music outside of what’s on the radio. Even back in the day there was a lot of bad stuff on the radio, you just don’t remember because it was the good stuff that lasted. The cream always rises to the top slowly

[@tangogrrl]

OH, I dunno, I remember --"Troglodyte (Cave Man)" by the Jimmy Castor Bunch. And the Lyrics back then! "Her name was Bertha. Bertha Butt. She was one of the Butt sisters. He didn't care. He looked up at her and said: "Sock it to me sock it to me!" "and she said, "I'll sock it to ya, Daddy!" 1972's million seller, Jimmy Castor Bunch. hahaha!

[@reverenddon1]

scuz also rises to the top

[@johnd3124]

nah, back in early 2000s great music always made it to the top... The Strokes' This is It.. White Stripes.. it was quality music and was everywhere too, in radios etc.. nothing is as memorable anymore. even 2010s/2014/2015 era was also so much better. something happened.

[@mcflyjp]

I don't think he is talking about all music. He's talking about Pop music; essentially what's on the Radio. Yes there is still a lot of good music out there. But what is on the radio is much worse than what was even 10 years ago.

[@mcflyjp]

@@johnd3124 Didn't see your comment before I typed mine. Looks like we agree.

[@levisimpson516]

So I'm not a musician by any means but I really enjoy your videos. But I am an artist, illustrator and what this reminds me of is learning all the basics of any art form. It can be boring, and not as fun as playing/painting that finished creative piece. But by taking the time to learn those foundations, even a few, it allows you to then take that knowledge and build stronger, more original and more creative pieces. You learn the rules not to always follow them, but to learn how to break them and make it work.

[@SeanBreathnach]

Hugely inspiring once again, Rick. Brilliant.

[@theragingplatypus4743]

People, he's referring to music that people actually know...popular music. You'll always find some obscure thing that is complex but in the past, popular music was good.

[@Zooropa_Station]

That sort of implies that anything beyond those parameters * isn't * popular, which is far from the truth. If Rick wants to do a comprehensive look at the state of "popular music," it would need cover a lot more ground than a 30 minute video. A billboard chart is extremely inadequate in showcasing the range of artists that are considered the most popular and recognizable in their respective genre. For example, Mike Trout is easily the most talented baseball player in recent years, but if you don't care about baseball you might not even know who he is. That doesn't change the fact that he's still extremely popular to that specific (and large) demographic.

[@RickBeato]

@zooropa station the Spotify and Apple charts are what I am referring to. If you watch my channel you would know that. The Billboard charts are a thing of the past.

[@trailerwager8850]

We have to start asking about what happened to a person's mentality. About what seismic shift happened in culture, cause computer programs and record companies do not define us

[@segueoyuri]

@@RickBeato Rick, you missed a point in the video: it's not that people "liked" those songs, these melodies and progressions. They couldn't get enough of them. People used to get these melodies stuck in their heads. It got implicit but I guess it's a nice point to make. People were literally obsessed with it. Also, why you never mentioned Hilary Hahn? She's one of those musicians that'll be talked about for decades and decades to come, yet there's not a single video about her in you channel (in the way you use to mention Argerich).

[@porminuto7665]

There is a fancy name for all these nowadsys lazy and uncreative popular music: minimalism. And this is sold as a good thing.

[@guty668]

"If it was an Earth, Wind and Fire song it would take me 10 seconds longer to figure it out" The swagery of that flex hahaha

[@JamesGasson]

Very insightful observations about contemporary music. Less so on spelling.

[@zosothezephead837]

Great video Rick, such great examples of chord progressions too. It actually took me until 13:30 to realise that the "40%" in the top right hand corner was "Ear Training", not your time spent ear trimming...

[@andyw9237]

I've been saying this for a long time and everybody acts like I'm crazy and old-fashioned. I feel exonerated now, thanks Rick 👍

[@tigerstalons5118]

The dumbing down of America worked far to well.

[@Karensagainstkarens]

Yaaaaas! I’m saddened by the disrespect older people get is why. I’m not an angry 50’s parent raging about Elvis’ hips.

[@tigerstalons5118]

@@Karensagainstkarens at some point we are just that ! No disrespect I do like your point!

[@magdamulla2196]

Same

[@TheMswizzy]

@@muhilan8540 okay fair enough. he doesn’t use english properly; but he definitely has better music taste than us 😂