I gotta say goodbye to Rick Beato

**kris** · 06-06-2026, 11:02 AM

Originally Posted by Christian Miller

I feel you… it all gives us less pleasure than a turntable and some good records. And yet it’s addictive.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'll go to the doctor asking for a prescription for minimal internet viewing.

**MarkRhodes** · 06-06-2026, 11:12 AM

Rick is a lot like most people here, I suspect: he fell in love with music as a kid and learned to play guitar; he has strong opinions and likes to share them.

The show you want is the show you could be making.

**originalrobert** · 06-06-2026, 06:45 PM

Rick is a musician, not a mortician.

**Litterick** · 06-07-2026, 05:58 AM

Originally Posted by johaneugen

Nice AI written text there bud

I am a professional writer. I do not use AI. And I am not your bud.

**Christian Miller** · 06-07-2026, 06:03 AM

Apparently articulate people who have good grammar now fail the Turing test

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

**frabarmus** · 06-07-2026, 08:09 AM

Some of Beato's interviews I do like, though what I like, mostly, is his (fairly old videos, infact) theory stuff and, of course, I've got his Beato Book).

Haven't been watching him that much in recent years, his videos tend to be too long, too much talk about his own channel, about Youtube contents, about other youtubers etc.

**Christian Miller** · 06-07-2026, 08:22 AM

Originally Posted by frabarmus

Some of Beato's interviews I do like, though what I like, mostly, is his (fairly old videos, infact) theory stuff and, of course, I've got his Beato Book).

Haven't been watching him that much in recent years, his videos tend to be too long, too much talk about his own channel, about Youtube contents, about other youtubers etc.

Oh yeah his content these days his total slop apart from the interviews. Tbf I expect those take the lions share of his energy and time.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

**yebdox** · 06-07-2026, 10:01 AM

“What have you done for me lately, Rick?”

Seriously….

We fall in love with a beautiful form of music that is too refined to stir the loins of the average humanoid or get past the algorithms that sell cheeseburgers and sinus medications, complicate that by promoting its expression on an instrument primarily identified with spurned passion and angst (with too many places to play the same notes) and then foist our helpless whining for cultural justice onto anyone with any agency and interest in promoting some aspect of the whole mess as part of their broader passion for the entire field of interest?

“The prom queen said “Hi” to me in the lunchroom…. Why won’t she marry me?”

Rick does amazing interviews with a broad range of artists, attempting to elevate the listening intelligence of the average guitarist (primarily). But let’s insist that he commit financial suicide by focusing strictly on jazz, now that he has a big audience.

Or we could just be grateful for what we have, what he’s contributed and put on “Smokin’ At The Halfnote” and crank it up when life isn’t giving us what we want.

**BreckerFan** · 06-07-2026, 09:10 PM

I mean I'm not like a beato super fan or anything, but he did talk about how some of the first stuff he learned on guitar was from Virtuoso by Joe Pass. He went to Ithaca for i think jazz guitar and I think he taught there for a bit afterwards. He's done other things in his musical career (gasp) but he's not some jazz fraud.

**Strat-itis** · Yesterday, 03:23 AM

That's what makes their counterfeit jazz advocacy all the more uncanny.

**kris** · Yesterday, 03:51 AM

Rick popularized jazz among rock music lovers.He did an excellent job.
He had very professional interviews with jazz musicians.

**brent.h** · Yesterday, 06:01 AM

Originally Posted by joe2758

I saw one segment where he was talking about how ridiculously over complicated and difficult jazz is.

His example was "look, here is the first jazz tune I learned"

Played the head to Donna Lee as best he could (with a couple breaks in between)

Then he said "not only that, then you have to learn the chords!" then he played some chord arrangement on every beat with passing chords.

He knows that is not the entry point, but he was intentionally misleading to non jazz players to make his point

I don't get it.

Ok wait. Is it because he wants to show that he can play difficult music so that people will buy his 'Beato Book' or whatever?

**GuyBoden** · Yesterday, 06:42 AM

I enjoyed his interview with George Benson.

He lets George Benson talk.

**kris** · Yesterday, 07:40 AM

I think that people don't realize how much work it takes to have a good interview with an interlocutor.
Asking interesting and wise questions is probably not so easy.
If the interviews are interesting, the more people watch them.

**Marty Grass** · Yesterday, 07:49 AM

I don't know when Beato became controversial. He knows a lot and does good interviews. I don't see allow of his videos, not even close. But I'm glad they're out there. Mary Spender also offers a good channel.

**mheton** · Yesterday, 08:07 AM

I like some of his interviews. He asks questions that are interesting from a musician's perspective.

But his “everything was better in the old days” attitude is hard to stomach...

**joe2758** · Yesterday, 08:27 AM

Originally Posted by brent.h

I don't get it.

Ok wait. Is it because he wants to show that he can play difficult music so that people will buy his 'Beato Book' or whatever?

It was hard to follow but it seemed to go:

1. jazz ed is doing it wrong. Shows an exercise in circle of 5ths as example
2. the reason jazz players are snobs is because it is so hard (Donna Lee)
4. If you want to go beyond something you can just learn immediately, I have my book. Look how thick it is, that's because there is a lot of ideas
3. All what you really need is jazz language to play (I agree. I think here he is speaking as a player and not a teacher/salesman. Is there phrases in the book from the masters? I dunno)
4. everything comes from the circle of 5ths, i have a video about it...plays nearly the same lick as no.1
5. there's so much to learn, look at all these inversions

**brent.h** · Yesterday, 08:46 AM

Originally Posted by joe2758

It was hard to follow but it seemed to go:

1. jazz ed is doing it wrong. Shows an exercise in circle of 5ths as example
2. the reason jazz players are snobs is because it is so hard (Donna Lee)
4. If you want to go beyond something you can just learn immediately, I have my book. Look how thick it is, that's because there is a lot of ideas
3. All what you really need is jazz language to play (I agree. I think here he is speaking as a player and not a teacher/salesman. Is there phrases in the book from the masters? I dunno)
4. everything comes from the circle of 5ths, i have a video about it...plays nearly the same lick as no.1
5. there's so much to learn, look at all these inversions

yeah i've never really learnt all that much from him tbh

i prefer the interviews because he has pretty good questions about songwriting, the production, the recording etc

**joe2758** · Yesterday, 09:27 AM

There's 220 pages of chord voicings in his theory book

**Christian Miller** · Yesterday, 09:56 AM

Originally Posted by kris

Rick popularized jazz among rock music lovers.

I wonder if he did, in fact. Be interesting to know.

**joe2758** · Yesterday, 10:03 AM

Originally Posted by Christian Miller

I wonder if he did, in fact. Be interesting to know.

I think he did, but also perpetuated the elite cork sniffer cliche.

His schtick seems to be like "Jazz? Yeah, been there done that. Got really good at it. But look I'm just a normal guy like you. It's not so hard as they want you to believe. Here's 220 pages of voicings to memorize."