Since COVID-19, I have been seriously hooked on YouTube music reaction videos. I find all kinds of insights into artists that I had not previously given too much thought to. I've also discovered some people and genres I was only vaguely aware of or even ones I never knew existed. This time out, I'm going to feature some of my favorites. If you try them, you'll see what I mean about having a different perspective on performance, which can send you into entire investigations about music, performance, and even life itself. While most people on this list are guitar players, not all are. But I will start with a guitarist from the UK. He is "Fil" from Wings of Pegasus. Enthusiastic, eclectic, and wonderfully upbeat. I've seen him do explainers and breakdowns on everyone from Dolly Parton to Jerry Garcia.
Some reaction videos are intensely interested in unlocking the technical aspects of the performance, the structure, and the theory behind the music itself. Nothing short of a true music appreciation course can be gleaned from subscribing to the channel of Rick Beato. He brings so much to the table that his attention to detail can be quite frankly exhausting. Personally, I love it. His books and courses are awesome, and I highly recommend them. But in the area of reaction videos, he is a wizard at top 20 lists, interviews, and breakdowns of song structures. This video is a rare interview with one of those people you've probably heard a lot of but didn't know it.
As an example of someone who reacts to videos, I must mention Guitargate founder and instructor Michael Palmisano. Aside from running a very successful video course and forum on the internet, Michael takes requests from his students to "react" in real-time to YouTube videos. He does them with a guitar in hand, jamming and working out little details of a performance as he goes. He stops, explains, works out, and does the nerdy thing we all do when listening to music we want to learn. And he's an excellent guide to that methodology and the madness involved. Oh yes, and sometimes he is as in awe of someone as we all were back in the day, as is evident in his reaction to the beast known as Terry Kath.
Finally, I come to what I really love. When a successful artist from another genre reacts to the music I grew up with. Here, a flutist with classical training reacts to Ian Anderson's flute playing.
There are so many creation videos out there that it would be a full-time job to discover them all. Above are just a few examples. I'm sure you have some that you have found. Or am I the only one who likes any of them? I find they just might fulfill the promise Edward R. Murrow expressed in his statement about TV.
"This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise, it's nothing but wires and lights in a box."
I've presented just a few of the favorites I've latched onto so far. If you have someone you'd like to suggest, drop me a line. I'd love to check them out, and perhaps there will be another blog entry on even more of these often entertaining and always informative presenters.
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