Sorry abut reviving this old thread. I came across this discussion and I just want to add my brief interaction with Rick Beato, and it happened in the comments section for this video:
Me: "In terms of practical applications, most of these have very limited use outside of extremely niche genres/moods, and that is the reason why most music don't use them."
Rick: "You don't actually know what you're talking about Rob. I'm sure it's never stopped you before. Many of these are extremely common in Big Band music and film composition and have been around for 60 years. Unfortunately you wouldn't notice that you have heard these exact chord sequences in the extremely niche Star Wars Theme. Smh"
Me: "What I meant by niche, is from the perspective of the average mainstream taste today (pop, rap, country, etc.) Film scores and big band would be considered niche for the average person today. I also do a lot of teaching (art, writing, music, photography, video game development), and I teach both adults and children. During my conversations with them, I've always noticed extremely few listen to genres outside of the mainstream. I do my best to introduce them to a wider range of music, but I don't always succeed because people will listen to what resonates with them and it's highly subjective. My music students are of course more receptive, but they wouldn't be considered average listeners, as they have already decided to venture deeper into music."
Another commenter: "
@Rick Beato Why so defensive to any criticism man? These people are your fans with input. Have a discussion instead of reacting like a teenager
ahahah Love your stuff man"
In another later video, he was being introspective:
So I took the chance to bring up that unpleasant interaction and made this comment:
"Rick, since you were in a reflective mood, I'm going to bring something up that I otherwise wouldn't. A while back, I commented in one of your videos about how some of the more unconventional harmonies/chords aren't used by the mainstream musicians because they are too esoteric, and you replied with something very derogatory and snarky about me as a person, making a personal attack that was completely uncalled for. I was taken aback at the time, but because I had really enjoyed your videos to that point, I brushed it off as maybe you had a bad day and you felt the need to lash out at someone. I'm only bringing it up because you were talking about the way Steve Vai handled that person's comment and how you wished you could be that cool and graceful. Anyway, it's something to think about. Despite that unpleasantness, I remained subscribed and still watch your videos."
While I can appreciate how some people feel that he doesn't suffer fools or assholes, at the same time, he is a flawed human being like the rest of us, and he certainly has his own moments of assholery, just like some of us--in particular, arrogance, rudeness, condescension, etc. So it's not a situation of either, or, but that he can be two things at the same time. He is knowledgeable, well-connected, respected, and probably a good person, but he can also be unpleasant at times--the two are not mutually exclusive. Human being are complex creatures, and I think it's always a good idea to keep that in mind whenever we judge someone. I respect him, and I watch his videos, and he seems like the kind of guy that if I ever met him in person and brought up that interaction, he'd likely apologize and be very cool about it.
As for the criticism of his knowledge and skill, no one knows everything, and what he does know, is a lot. Whatever holes he might have in his knowledge is more than compensated by the stuff he does know very well, and he certainly knows enough to have the respect of some of the most acclaimed musicians on the planet. And as far as I have seen, he's never positioned himself as a virtuoso, and in fact is pretty self-deprecating about his own skills on instruments.
Ultimately, I'm glad he's making useful videos as a form of income stream instead of meme videos. (Not that I have anything against memes--they have their place as disposable entertainment that helps you unwind.)
