Jan 29, 2021
When record producer Rick Beato posted a video on YouTube of his
8 year old son in a dizzying demonstration of perfect pitch,
complex harmonic understanding and a general fluency with the
building blocks of composition, he had no idea just how big an
impact it would have on his life. Already in his 50s, Rick had
decades of experience invested in his career in the record
business.
Five years later he is a full time YouTuber - his channel
“Everything Music” has over 2 million subscribers - and has made
nearly 800 videos, on subjects including Ear Training, Music
Production, Improvisation, Scales and Modes, Film Scoring, Music
Theory and Composition, Perfect Pitch, and Guitars.
For curious musicians, music students, and music appreciators in
the YouTube generation, Rick’s channel is simply part of the
furniture, something you probably have come across one way or
another. But despite being a very public facing teacher and
generator of ideas, there is not so much information about him. If
you watch his videos then you know that he lives in Atlanta, but
that he’s from the Northeast. He went first to Ithaca college, then
to the New England Conservatory, and then in his early 20s he
actually taught at Ithaca College, at first his students were only
a few years younger than him. If you watch the videos, then you
know his kids a little bit, you know his friends, you know his
interests, you know his life.
Still, he walks a fine line between a kind of exhibitionism - which
is a necessary evil of being a public figure - and the arms length
of a teacher.
We talked recently about his personal journey, how he organizes his
time, what motivates him and what inspires him, teaching “high
information” music to children, making a living on YouTube, staying
fresh, and walking the line between telling the story and being the
story.
www.third-story.com
www.patreon.com/thirdstorypodcast
www.rickbeato.com