If you grew up loving music in the 70s, 80s, or 90s, then you know that this is a fantastic time to be alive. There is so much useful music-related content available on YouTube. Interviews with the artist who made your favorite songs, analyses of what made each song work, the stories behind the songs and artists’ careers—even professional teachers showing you exactly how to play the song yourself.
To be honest, it can be overwhelming. There is just so much content out there. But over years of seeking out and enjoying music-related videos, I’ve found myself returning over and over to certain channels. These are the ones I found most valuable. Some offer stories and interviews. Some offer theories and song analysis. And some focus on different instruments and how to play them.
I could list them alphabetically, but what fun is that? Everyone loves a countdown list. So here goes.
#15: Aimee Nolte Music
Aimee Nolte is a professional jazz pianist and singer. She’s sharp and knowledgeable and very good at communicating her knowledge. She offers music theory, lessons on aspects of piano playing and singing, as well as quirky extras like this video on the strange pronunciation of recent pop singers.
#14: Wings of Pegasus
Fil is a guitarist with the band Wings of Pegasus. He offers videos in which he plays and analyzes your favorite artists performing their songs. What raises this above pedestrian reaction videos is that he takes the time to break down what the artists are doing and why it works. He’s also a good enough guitarist that he can play passages to illustrate his points. A good example is his breakdown of Boston’s More than a Feeling.
Interviews with the artists who recorded at this classic studio. The Doors, Steve Lukather, Van Halen and lots of Prince. The interviews are fascinating, but I didn’t rank it higher because the selection of artists is comparatively limited. If you’re a Prince fan, this should be at the top of our list.
#12: drumeo
This is the channel of the web site drumeo.com which offers online drum lessons. The channel offers tips and tricks for playing certain songs or line certain drummers as well as appreciations of your favorite drummers. A great example is their analysis of Meg White.
#11: pdbass
Just like the name sounds, this site features bass players and what makes them great. Paul Thompson is a professional player and educator and it shows. Even if bass is not your instrument, you should spend some time here to gain an appreciation for the most often overlooked element of a band.
Elizabeth Zharoff is an international opera singer and voice coach. She does for the human voice what drumeo and pdbass do for drums and bass, respectively. What elevates her channel is the sheer joy she communicates as she reacts to the performances she analyzes. Again, even if you’re not a singer, check her videos out to gain an appreciation of the craft that underlies your favorite vocalists. A good example is her appreciation of Heart’s Ann Wilson and Magic Man.
#6: Adam Neely
Want to understand what an enharmonic double chromatic mediant modulation is? Adams has you covered. He excels at explaining even the most complicated music theory concepts in a way someone without an education at the Berklee College of Music can understand.
Tim Pierce is an experienced session player and it shows. He often begins a video by playing along with a famous solo, matching it note for note. After that, he breaks the solo down and highlights why the solo works. Again, what elevates his channel is his sheer joy in playing music. It’s infections. A good example is his breakdown of Jeff “Skunk” Baxter’s work with Steely Dan.
#7: 12tone
Of all the channels on my list, this is easily the quirkiest. The unnamed narrator breaks down popular music through the most creative possible use of sheet music. They add not only the notes but also drawings to illustrate the points they’re making. You have to see it to understand it. One of my favorites is their unique analysis of that perhaps overexposed of all rock riffs, Smoke on the Water.
David Bennet is a keyboardist, but his channel focuses more on the nuts and bolts of music theory than on any particular instrument. He’s one of the youngest contributors on this list, but he has a fantastic ability to break down complex concepts into manageable bites. Always wanted to know why your favorite song still holds your attention decades after you first heard it? David can help you out as we can see in his analysis of The Beach Boys’ Good Vibrations.
#5: Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum
This channel features interviews with your favorite musicians. The interviewer Joe Chambers died in September of 2022, but the channel is full of his interviews.
#4: Paul Davids
A Dutch guitar teacher breaks down songs and teaches you how to play them. What elevates this channel is his intelligence, voluminous knowledge, and ability to explain complex concepts that even non-musicians can understand. A perfect example is this analysis of Sting’s The Shape of my Heart.
#3: Polyphonic
Music history and analysis in the form of clever video essays. Some notable examples are a song-by-song analysis of Dark Side of the Moon as well as a breakdown of American Pie.
Want to know the story behind your favorite songs? The professor has you covered. Videos come out almost daily and more and more of them feature interviews with the people behind those stories. One I particularly enjoyed was with Heart’s Ann Wilson.
#1: Rick Beato
If you could only watch one channel this would be it. Music theory? Check. Song analysis? Check. Top 20 lists? Check. Artist interviews? Check. Videos of his son demonstrating perfect pitch? Check. Rick Beato is quite simply the 800 pound gorilla of music YouTube
I first met him through his fascinating series “What Makes this Song Great?” in which he plays the individual tracks of the original recordings to isolate what each musician is doing. An early one I’ve watched multiple times is Steely Dan’s Kid Charlemagne.