The Best How Music Works Documentaries

Music - 136 free documentaries about how music works.

Start with Music Theory and White Supremacy (44 min, Adam Neely), then This BPM is trash, and here's why (20 min, Adam Neely). All 136 documentaries here are free to watch from their makers' official uploads. To read deeper, the top-rated book on how music works is How Music Works by David Byrne.

• Music Theory and White Supremacy (44 min, Adam Neely)
• This BPM is trash, and here's why (20 min, Adam Neely)
• The most elegant key change in all of pop music (27 min, Adam Neely)
• The Most COMPLEX Pop Song of All Time (20 min, Rick Beato)
• Notation Must Die: The Battle For How We Read Music (76 min, Tantacrul)
• THE DRUMS (1935-2022) | THE GROOVES YOU NEED TO KNOW (feat. Gregg Bissonette) (24 min, Rick Beato)
• How The Pros Use Compression on Instruments and Mixes (30 min, Rick Beato)
• The Great Myth of the Medieval Tritone Ban (33 min, Adam Neely)
• The 7 Levels of Jazz Harmony (13 min, Adam Neely)
• Wait, it's all just in 4/4? (28 min, Adam Neely)
• Can I pass an AP Music Theory Exam? (23 min, Adam Neely)
• Making the LOCRIAN scale sound GOOD? (ft. Paul Davids, Ben Levin, Nahre Sol and Samurai Guitarist) (22 min, Adam Neely)
• Testing 432 Hz Frequencies (and temperaments) (14 min, Adam Neely)
• Don't use 7ths, use 9ths! (20 min, Adam Neely)
• Groove! (how to get good at music) (20 min, Adam Neely)
• Simplify! (how to get good at music) (19 min, Adam Neely)
• What is the slowest music humanly possible? (16 min, Adam Neely)
• Ryan Tedder Teaches Me His Songwriting Secrets (95 min, Rick Beato)
• What is the TIME SIGNATURE of the Bluey Theme? | Q+A (20 min, Adam Neely)
• The Mesmerizing Harmony of Wayne Shorter (23 min, Adam Neely)
• How Tigran Hamasyan Combines Metal, Polyrhythms and 3,500-Year-Old Folk Music (85 min, Rick Beato)
• Music Theory Masterclass 1: Drilling the Basics (46 min, Rick Beato)
• Music Theory Lecture - What Every Pro Musician Needs To Know (42 min, Rick Beato)
• The gig ended with a really, really, really long V7 chord (21 min, Adam Neely)
• Kurt Cobain’s Melodic Genius EXPOSED (37 min, Rick Beato)
• The Beatles' Ultimate Chord Lesson (35 min, Rick Beato)
• Every Musician NEEDS to KNOW These CHORD PROGRESSIONS (Bundle Sale Extended) (31 min, Rick Beato)
• What is that WEIRD rhythm in Stromae's Santé? | Q+A (18 min, Adam Neely)
• Making the LYDIAN scale sound UGLY? (ft. Shubh Saran, Justice Cow, Music is Win and Aimee Nolte) (20 min, Adam Neely)
• Al Di Meola on Art, Rhythm & Reinventing Fusion (45 min, Rick Beato)
• Music Theory Everyone SHOULD KNOW | Chords, Progressions and Keys (29 min, Rick Beato)
• Can the Phrygian Scale sound "happy?" ft. Jake Lizzio, Brian Krock, Trust Fund Ozu, + Courtney Swain (25 min, Adam Neely)
• What's in between Major and Minor chords? | Q+A (13 min, Adam Neely)
• 7:11 Polyrhythms (12 min, Adam Neely)
• The MOST Important 10 Minutes of Guitar Practice (34 min, Rick Beato)
• Music Theory for Songwriting in 30 Minutes! (Xmas Sale) (31 min, Rick Beato)
• Understanding The Chord/Scale Relationship (35 min, Rick Beato)
• Why are these chords SO beautiful? | Q+A (13 min, Adam Neely)
• What are 6/9 chords? | Q+A (15 min, Adam Neely)
• Music Theory Masterclass: Using Modes In A Musical Way (29 min, Rick Beato)
• 5 Guitar Chord Tricks You Should Know (41 min, Rick Beato)
• Music Theory That Actually Makes Sense — Lesson 1: Harmony (31 min, Rick Beato)
• Music Theory Masterclass: Drilling the Basics (37 min, Rick Beato)
• Simple Music Theory Concepts EVERYONE Should Know (32 min, Rick Beato)
• Scales Vs Modes: What's the Difference? (33 min, Rick Beato)
• Beato Basics of Music Theory (41 min, Rick Beato)
• The Psychology of Extreme Rhythms (13 min, Adam Neely)
• The Music Theory of Tik Tok Sea Shanties (16 min, Adam Neely)
• What is the "Misty Chord?" | Q+A (15 min, Adam Neely)
• What are Slash Chords? | Q+A (16 min, Adam Neely)
• The Kardashev Scale & Population (33 min, Isaac Arthur)
• Music Theory For Songwriters - 30 Minute Full Lesson (37 min, Rick Beato)
• The Stevie Wonder Sound Explained: Chords, Grooves & Magic (37 min, Rick Beato)
• A Non-Musician Guide To Music Theory (37 min, Rick Beato)
• Music Theory Lecture: How To Use Modulations Part 1 (23 min, Rick Beato)
• Wait, why do these basic chords sound SO GOOD? | Q+A (13 min, Adam Neely)
• How do you use this SPICY chord? | Q+A (15 min, Adam Neely)
• Simple Scale Tricks I Use All the Time: A 30 Minute Guitar Lesson (34 min, Rick Beato)
• The Chord/Scale Secret Most Guitarists NEVER Learn (34 min, Rick Beato)
• Learn Music Theory On Keyboard in 30 Minutes (31 min, Rick Beato)
• Honorable Mentions Of My Rhythm Guitar Video (32 min, Rick Beato)
• Music Theory Masterclass 3: The Modes in 30 Minutes (33 min, Rick Beato)
• Music Theory Masterclass 2: Chord Progressions and Harmony (46 min, Rick Beato)
• MUSIC THEORY: Where To Start? | Beginners Guide (31 min, Rick Beato)
• Music Theory: Finally Understanding the Modes! (29 min, Rick Beato)
• Music Theory Everyone Should Know (40 min, Rick Beato)
• Techniques of Orchestration Part 1 | How To Orchestrate a Chord (18 min, Rick Beato)
• Solving James Brown's Rhythmic Puzzle (15 min, Adam Neely)
• What is the Neapolitan Chord? | Music Theory Q+A (16 min, Adam Neely)
• How many Chuggas before the Choo Choo? (music theory Q+A) (12 min, Adam Neely)
• Christmas Songs, but they're in a 15/16 time signature (17 min, Adam Neely)
• Larry Carlton's Guitar Theory EXPLAINED (38 min, Rick Beato)
• One Semester of Music Theory In One Hour (63 min, Rick Beato)
• Music Theory Basics in 30 Minutes (33 min, Rick Beato)
• The Secret Scale of Melodic Rock Solos (32 min, Rick Beato)
• Piano Chords For Guitar - Allan Holdsworth and Johnny Smith Style (30 min, Rick Beato)
• How To Write an Orchestral Sketch - Orchestration Techniques (20 min, Rick Beato)
• Superimposing Pentatonics - Using Multiple Pentatonics Over One Chord (23 min, Rick Beato)
• How To Use Quartal and Quintal Harmony and Melody In Your Compostions (32 min, Rick Beato)
• Why is this Beatles song so rhythmically confusing? | Q+A (16 min, Adam Neely)

Top-Rated Books About How Music Works

1. How Music Works by David Byrne (3.8/5) - View on Amazon
2. This Is Your Brain on Music by Daniel J. Levitin (4/5) - View on Amazon
3. Musicophilia by Oliver Sacks (3.8/5) - View on Amazon
4. The Rest Is Noise by Alex Ross (4.6/5) - View on Amazon
5. How Equal Temperament Ruined Harmony by Ross W. Duffin - View on Amazon