The best thing about Rick is that he REALLY listens to people talking and to the music itself. He's not in his own world. He's engaged and active in the conversation and music at such a visceral level. Brilliant musician!!

@robertakerman3570

Жыл бұрын

He did finish Her sentence, But 2 greats on stage...Y not?

@jamesdellaneve9005

Жыл бұрын

He’s a great teacher. That’s got to be a great quality for a producer. Like George Martin was for the Beatles.

@donmackie6086

Жыл бұрын

He's mastered the art of being present and in the moment. He's old enough and smart enough to know that it's not all about him. That's an excellent quality to possess as a person.

@ryanklavans7256

Жыл бұрын

@@robertakerman3570 She finished his thoughts a few times too! I think the point was that it's a very collaborative conversation. Everyone interrupts each other sometimes, and it can even be a helpful/natural part of communication.

@fredfloyd34

Жыл бұрын

Rick really knows .....Hendrix did this as well as all the greats.

"Beauty and the Beato." Super advice from Rick.

The happiest life is one of collaboration. Whether it’s friends, family, or fellow musicians it is still individuals who bring out the best qualities of the other whilst working together. Two of my favorite individual channels joining together is a dream. Much love to both! Thank you.

@MrWolfriver

Жыл бұрын

Couldn't agree with you more. Their channels are amazing! I hope they do many more of these in the future.

@gilmourrules1

Жыл бұрын

@@MrWolfriver Agreed

@eldergeektromeo9868

Жыл бұрын

These are two of the most thoughtful, helpful, and giving people on any channel!

@DavidHBurkart

Жыл бұрын

Indeed

Love, Love Rick and Mary together!! I am a mechanic by trade and a musician by hobby. Rick's series "What makes this song great", is like a mechanic taking something apart to see how it works: What makes it tick. And Mary's honesty, sincerity ,and love of music is always out front. Hope to see more videos of you two!

@battlejitney2197

10 ай бұрын

Well said! (Fellow wrencher here)

@hummerchine

4 ай бұрын

Could not agree more! I’m a dentist btw…a tooth mechanic=D

The first ten seconds hit on something that takes most songwriters a lifetime to discover. I'm truly blessed to be growing up with KZreadrs like these two as mentors.

The only song I ever sang as I walked out of the theater, after hearing it for the first time, was "Let's do the Time Warp again". An absolute classic, that.

The challenge is being able to find the balance between under-thinking and over-thinking your composition and/or lyrics. Finding that point is where the magic lies. This is a great video! Thanks!

The friendship and mutual admiration on display here is heartwarming. Whenever I see the two of them together on the thumbnail I always click. Life is fleeting and true friendships should be treasured and well kept.

I think purpose is also a very important factor when writing songs. Overthinking things is as risky and potentially harmful to the music as not taking enough time to develop it. So, being clear about what motivates you to write a given song can help you keep that balance. Thanks for the video!

Here’s my take. The simple stuff in music holds the emotion (for example the I IV V chords in country music). The complex stuff holds the interest. Great music is made from the dance between the two.

@mattdelany6799

8 ай бұрын

Tory Slusher

Way back in my youth, I played bass in a garage band. I'm not a great player, but I've always thought that I was an adequate bass player. When I was learning a new song that I was going to sing, I always practiced the vocal part alone with just me on bass. Vocal melody and bass line. I still hear bass and voice when I listen.

The look of admiration in her eyes! hahaha Rick's really an amazing guy, excelent musician, have a great leveled head on his shoulder... Amazing to see you two together!

I could listen to you and Rick all day. You have such a great presence together. Your operator video is one of the best I have ever seen. I love that format where you break down a song with your insight. Mary, thank you for what you do. Your videos are amongst the first I look to when I want a companion in my day.

Tommy Immanuel is so gifted in choosing great songs to cover and in how he approaches the covers to express their melodies as the human voice might (another great Beato interview). Then add his improvisational genius… 🤯

The song that I remember singing as I left a movie theatre was "Always look on the bright side of life" from Monty Python's Life of Brian.

A fascinating conversation. I was listening to Cortez the Killer last night and it's a song where, for me, great imaginative leaps happen. It is crafted but I'm not sure that this is what makes it great: almost as if taking a risk is the significant option rather than adhering to a template. One of my favourite songs is Rafferty's Steamboat Row and that's a fromtheheartdirecttotheheart kind of thing. What I would say is that there are other roads to a great song that aren't necessarily about complexity. The Sting album is excellent.

It is truly a delight to listen to Mary and Rick together… I think my music comprehension goes up I just listening to these videos! Thank you both!

A nice trick, I think, for song writers is to look at a set of piano reductions of the Bach chorales. When I was in music school (a half a century ago) analyzing the chorales, I decided not to look at the voice leading or use Roman numeral analysis, but to look at just the names of the chords. So after I did a few chorales, I decided to play these chord progressions on the guitar because they looked kind of interesting. The results were quite exciting. Bach's inventiveness in his choice of harmonies might be good stuff for song writers.

Discussion of the process and decisions of songwriting is absolute gold. You're both great to begin with but this is exceptional. I would love to see future episodes about the writing of a song from start to finish, with clips as new ideas and edits arise. Bravo bravo!

@leepat

Жыл бұрын

hey, great idea! I'm actually doing something like that in a FB group, if you're interested in a grassroots connection :) obviously, not as cool as these guys, but would love to meet you there!

@fuglsnef

Жыл бұрын

Check out the podcast Sodajerker on Songwriting, lots of interviews with well known songwriters, focused on the creative process

@anthonywallace3830

Жыл бұрын

@@fuglsnef so glad to see another listener here!

Good ol Uncle Rick is such a wealth of wisdom.

When a song is a pure expression from the human heart or soul , when you connect via the silver cord if you like to ne metaphysical and the energy flows through you then it doesn`t matter what combination of unique chords or alternate tunings , or key changes you use or don`t use None of this matters because a song written from the heart or soul will always connect and touch people over a clever collection of "unique" chord progressions, key changes and alternate tunings Great songs are from the soul and heart You want to write one you need to learn to listen and connect Some people are simply better at this than others A great song writer is simply a conduit for this energy , the song comes to them from making this connection not how many unique chord combinations they know or if they can surprise Sting within 8 bars

@ayobamidele

Жыл бұрын

Yes agree with alot of what Rick says, but I'm not sure Bob Dylan writes like that. I heard he was amazed at how long Leonard Cohen took to write his songs

@nunnayabiz7911

Жыл бұрын

Nah, it's not really that mystical. It's science. Humans respond to strong Rhythm, Melody, and harmonies containing combinations of predictability and unpredictability. Music is a craft. Inspiration comes but it rarely gives you the whole thing every time. It gives you enough to start. Then you have to finish. On top of that, you have to work even to feed the raw materials which your subconscious can then rework and furnish back to you as " magical inspiration," and then after the inspiration you must work to be able to get your hands / voice to perform it and record it. Again, it is a craft. If you're doing it right.

I feel like putting together a melody and baseline is one of the easiest aspects of playing guitar. That concept also solidified for me while learning hand independence on piano where you play a baseline with your right hand and a melody with your left. On guitar it's also easy to learn on an easy song like simple man, where it just goes from C to G to A, so you're strumming C,G and A with your thumb while your other fingers are tickling away the other strings.

Let me start by saying I have the utmost respect for both of you, and am a regular viewer of your two channels; one day I may even get around to subscribing, and, ahem, sharing my compositions... I'm all for experimentation and pushing the envelope when it comes to songwriting, but, more often than not, simplicity wins out over complexity when it comes to writing hits. McCartney's Yesterday, now overly familiar, of course, is a beautiful melody over an effective but pretty orthodox chord progression. Sting, quoted in your conversation, can afford to be "avant garde" and experimental now, if he so chooses, but the songs that made him rich and famous have simple tunes, often with correspondingly simple backing: Every Breath You Take and Fields Of Barley, for instance. That's not to denigrate them; far from it. But they prove that you don't have to go out of your way to play finger-challenging jazzer chords in order for a song to be worthy of respect (and I speak as a huge Joni Mitchell fan). Neil Young is another favourite artist of mine, and two of his greatest albums, After The Gold Rush and Harvest, are made up of simple but hugely resonant songs. Just sayin'...

It makes me so happy to see the two of you together

Wow…two brilliant musical minds that dwarfs this drummer’s brain.

Glenn Frey talks in an interview about living upstairs over Jackson Browne before either of them were known as songwriters, listening to him play the first verse of a new song twenty times, then the chorus twenty times, etc. It was instructive to me as to how these songs that we sing along to as we drive down the highway of life take work. LOTS of work... Really enjoyed this video!

my 2 favorite music youtubers together .... what a great day, what a great video (can't wait to see it in full length)

@Hexalbeore

Жыл бұрын

ditto!!!!!

So interesting to hear you both chat. A great double act....

Speaking of John Williams, I've always thought "The Imperial March" is one of the most evocative compositions ever. It could have been in any movie with an evil antagonist, or opera based on a Shakespeare tragedy. It sounds great played heavy metal.

I just finished watching you and Rick Beato breaking down Jim Croce's song "Operator". Wonderful video! I love when you and Rick get together to discuss music. I was very interested to hear your views on the lyrics. I hope you collaborate with him on future videos.

Rick is so intelligent. It's easy to overlook that as he's talking about music stuff which we don't usually associate with smarts!

One can view it all as a burden of "so much hard work to do" or embrace the pluspoint of endless possibilities of creation offered in musical endeavor. Also, I love Mary's validation of the accessibility of a song. To me that is a key aspect to embrace. Art is the quality of communication. An accessible song may even be considered to be too simple, but it will likely communicate and be memorable.

I feel like I’m right there. Big Spender fan. She is just as dynamic as Rick in her own way. Thank you.

I’m thrilled to see that you’re in Atlanta, while regretting that I’m no longer in the area. If you’re performing or doing meet-and-greets while in the States please put a link to your schedule. I’m learning all I can about guitar and music theory after subscribing to your and Rick’s channels.

By chance I just got Shania Twayne's 'You're Still The One' in my head AND IN MY HEART. The chord progressions is dead simple. Verse: I-I-IV-V, chorus I-IV-ii-V and I-IV-V. But what a beautiful GREAT melody and lyrics. So much possibilities but just the right inspiration. Great vid btw, thanks!

The version of I Burn for You from his live album Bring on the Night may be my favorite song ever. Fantastic performance.

Thank you, Mary, for showing this conversation with Rick. A _very_ important suggestion that he brought up was: "Play the melody and the bass line together and it should sound complete." That is one of the techniques I was taught in composition (and analysis also). Whether it be a string quartet, a chorale, a concerto or symphony. A song can also benefit from this very technique. Why not! Cheers!

@radfury23g32

Жыл бұрын

ikr I seriously could not believe he said it so blunt like that... it would be the ultimate joke but I'm convinced it's real

Super cool to see you both together! Love it. Huge respect for both of you 👍

Amazing! Thanks for this video!

Wonderfully talented musicians from two different generations!

Rick's first comment surprised me because, as a bassist-singer, I have always crafted my bass playing as an outline of whatever song I'm singing. It's not just rhythm & tone (although it's that, too); the notes should outline the whole song. Some bass parts won't allow it as the may be only a pattern that everything else layers over, but usually a bass part will reveal an entire song especially with the vocal over it. To hear Beato validate what I had been doing for decades is very refreshing.

@BigBri550

Жыл бұрын

@dylans voice Thank you! It's good to be appreciated.

Just wonderful to see you guys together. Thanks a lot for your videos

A thing I noticed is having either the chords or (but not both) the bass to ”preview” the next change by one beat or delay by one beat. There is one beat of dissonance that resolves immediately and is often very satisfying.

After Rick mention using only bass and melody I went in to the studio and played the recorded bass of a song with no melody yet. Instantly a melody came to mind. Very helpful. Thanks.

So cool seeing both of y'all together - y'all add so much to the world of music.

Great advice! Enjoyed it! Love you all and your channels! Take Care!

Love seeing you with one of your favorite people. Just watching you take it all in is great for us to be there with you. Thanks for inviting us in.

Great video. Thanks.

Nice to see those two together! A real treat!

I am so glad to see you 2 chatting. Love it

Awesome, Mary and Rick in studio. 👍

*_E X C E L L E N T_* conversation, Mary. You two work well together. You willingly listen to Rick and lead him to teach what he's sharing here, rather than just sharing here what he teaches . . . not to put too fine a point on it. I loved this video. Bookmarked it. Learned from it.

I have watched a couple of Ms. Spender's videos, but this one stands out because actually talking to someone makes her videos better

Wonderful video and great information!

So exciting to hear this!!!! Thanks for thinking about us little people ❤❤❤❤

Really great advice!! Workshop your songs. I will definitely do that one.

You can whisk through the creation of a song and it’s perfect the way it is. You can also micromanage a song to death. The trick is to know when you are THERE in the process and stop!

two of my favorites!. Rick, your explanation of this is brilliant.

Fascinating to listen to your "shop talk" with the always good Mr. Beato. Thanks

So awesome to see you two together. After the kind words you had for each other, it's great to see you both together and collaborating. Two of my favorite KZreadrs.

Just saw your collaboration with Rick on "Operator (That's Not the Way It Feels)", I love both of your work and you're awesome together, keep it coming!

Love to see this so much. Can watch you two hanging out all day

There was a documentary of Sting during the Mercury Falling Album where he was doing ‘I Hung my Head’ with the Memphis Horns They had trouble playing the 9/8 Time Signature

What a wonderful, educational video!

Thx! I luv me some Rick; cool that you guys got together to chat!

Mary is super talented but humble. Love her style. Rick beato is my golden god of music

Great wisdom. We're always looking for pearls of wisdom to elevate our work. Thanks Rick and Mary, cheers to both of you.

Love you Mary and love Rick. Great conversation.

This is just epically great advice. I'm working on a song right now, and this bass/melody advice is a massive help for me at the stage I'm at with the tune.

Full proof of what you are talking about Mary when it comes to memorable melody.....Burt Bacharach ( who knows a thing or two about melody) has said the best advice his composition instructor in college gave him was....."Burt never be afraid to write a melody that folks can whistle or remember"......so you are on the right track;-)

Another great video! A treasure trove of knowledge!

I've always written with just a bass line and a melody but found it hard to produce around it because it already stood on it's own. There's production and there's composition - being able to make the right call in putting them together (all by yourself) is a rare gift... super rare.

@codacreator6162

Жыл бұрын

Which is why collaboration is so empowering. As talented as John Lennon was, he was just one part of a once in a lifetime quartet. I’ve never met a musician who writes in a vacuum. Mozart was an anomaly the rest of us mere mortals can only gawk at. 😎

Playing the melody 1st & then figuring out the baseline & then putting those 2 things together is exactly what Jerry Reed said he did. I also believe that's how Merle Travis & Thom Bresh & many many other musicians do it. They just did it better than most.

The best way for me to learn is not to practice by playing, but to practice by listening to my own music, and by listening as my way of practicing, I find new ways to express new melodies on my synthesizer (which I take very seriously) to perform for my next recordings.

You two should record an album together The Spender Beato Project...yay!

He's the best! Great to have him here in Atlanta!!

A really interesting conversation. Very relaxed, informative and inspiring discussion . Thanks.

These in person videos are really great. This move was a great idea.

Wow, this was really interesting! Wonderful insights I haven't ever thought of 🎶

Two of my favorite artists together❤ I was hoping you do more with the Mary Rick and you have so that’s just awesome! Enjoy this video Mucho!❤

I could easily watch/ listen to you two talk about this for hours and hours and never get bored, great video, thanks!

Amen on the very first words. Year s ago I presented people with a challenge to take all the melodic parts of their song/piece and play them with Sine waves only, no mixing etc. If it works, it works. If not, the composition itself is broken and no amount of mixing or DAWery will ever solve that. Make the music good and the rest flows. It is never "easy" but it can flow. Amen also where Mary says that we tend to rush far too much (I am probably guilty too). Working with others, as Beato says, helps bring the extra perspective and therefore richness that is far less likely when we DIY so much that we DOA instead. This is why there are many roles in the music making game, none of who are supposed to be "the enemy". A Record Producer is worth way more than any number of Pluginz in delivering work that matters, and works. :-)

I literally could listen to you two talk music all day.

❤ my two favorite people together… How awesome is that❣️

This is an awesome vid, really informative and helpful info in here. Sometimes we just need to sit back and listen to advice, especially these two! Rick has so much experience and great knowledge in music, Mary has developed her own great style of playing and is fast developing into a really great musician. yep this vid made me smile, and most importantly listen to the advice! :)

So weird seeing you both together just because I’ve watched so much of your individual channels… looking forward as always to more content from you both

Thanks!

As ever, advice to challenge and improve shared in an informative and inspiring way.

You can watching the interplay between you both that you really loved each others company and insight. As always Rick, If I need a music solution to my problems, I always search through your Vlogs for the answer. Please work with Mary again someday Rick. She has an inate gift in the music industry.

I play a lot of contemporary and classic party tunes as a drummer, and You and Rick are right. It's those songs that make us think, and go.. Whoa.. What was that the make it so great, Artist Like Brian Wilson, Jewel, Hall and Oates.. etc 😄😉

Pure gold this video

This was a great video :) Very nice!!!

Great conversation

@Mary Spender: Have you tried any covers of the Carpenters (Yesterday Once More)? I think the lower register of your voice is right in the wheelhouse of Karen Carpenter! I would LOVE to hear that.

Good stuff from two people I admire in this field.

Thanks, Rick and Mary! :)

As a songwriter, this was very illuminating! Esp. the section on being different, making the song interesting and unique, like "Taking it to the Streets"

All aboard the peace train listening to the beauty of humanity. Thank you.

Two of my favorite YT creators!!❤

Enjoyed listening and watching