What makes a good instructional video/channel?

[JonathanPDX]

I'm not recording myself, at least not right now, but I am advising my friend/mentor who is a truly incredible musician and teacher. I know more about YouTube trends and content creators than he does but I'm far from an expert.

A few questions:

Who do you think are the top instructional-focused content creators on YouTube or other platforms? Guitar, bass, instrument isn't as important as musicians teaching musicians, especially if the content is really aimed at music nerds.

What elements do you think make for a good instructional video? Are there any features you'd want to see carried across every video regardless of the specific topic?

Do you prefer overlays with music/tabs, downloadable sheet music, or just stick to to a simple video showing what's happening on the instrument?

Is there a standard format/structure that you feel is ideal? For example, demonstrate the concept in a short song or solo performance, then talk about it, break it down, and close with a more advanced showing of the concept in context again.

Do people actually watch those 30+ minute deep dives? I'm a super theory nerd but after 10 minutes my eyes glaze over! My initial thought is that we'd focus on 4-8 minutes per idea and break big stuff up into smaller series, rather than have viewers slog through a 20+ minute deep dive on a single concept. But we could do that if there's an audience for it.

Any other suggestions, advice, or examples you could share would be super helpful. I really believe in this person and they are trusting me to help figure some of this stuff out so the more feedback I can get the better!

Thanks!

 

[pcake]

clear, well-lit shots of the fingerboard that really allow viewers to see what the fingers are doing.

some explaining is useful, but i was complaining to ariex yesterday that i can't stand the videos of guys who explain between every note exactly what finger is doing what and where at length, then don't play it slowly without explanation between each note.

what you said here "demonstrate the concept in a short song or solo performance, then talk about it, break it down, and close with a more advanced showing of the concept in context again." sounds good to me.

excess yakking is annoying to me. it might be good for some viewers, but i prefer to get to the subject i'm there to learn about. oddly, i feel differently with painting videos, but for music videos, too many anecdotes, telling us you've had a bad day and why, stories about buying your car are a great way to make me leave. i can't speak for other.

whether i watch a 20+ minute video depends on how interested i am in the subject and how well the person in the video speaks about it. are they informative and engaging? if the subject is interesting to me, i can watch longer videos, but most people in longer videos are either boring, poor at explaining/showing us their subject, and then there's my next pet peeve...

i don't want to watch videos of people who repeat themselves. i was watching a video the other night about alternatives to deadlifts for strengthening the posterior chain. the guy summarized his subject in the intro, broke for a brief lead-in, then repeated almost word for word what he just said, gave some useful info, then repeated what he had already said again. and again. and i moved on.

good sound quality, good framing and good lighting make any video, instructional or not, easier to watch and add a feeling of professionalism.

downloadable tab is good for me - i read well enough for guitar, not so much for bass. or tab across the screen is fine.

 

[Brandon Shea]

One of the absolute best channels I've found is Rich Brown - The Brown'stone. This video kicks off an incredible instructional series for metronome practice that seems like a must for any musician, not just bassists.

As for what makes his videos useful (especially these videos), I really thought his verbal explanations were great. He didn't ramble too much, and he worked through the examples at a very reasonable pace with the assumption that the student would be playing along as well. With that said, Rich's early videos definitely lack a little bit in terms of production value, but graphics improve a bit throughout the four parts of that first series.

Another great video is this gem about the floating thumb technique. It's short and sweet, but immediately actionable. He does a great job calling out potential bad habits, which is exactly what I need when I'm trying to improve my technique.