This week on the channel +11M views this week

Steely Dan's "Aja" gives Rick Beato his toughest breakdown

Seven uploads span Philip Bailey and Phil Collins, a Shinedown reunion and Steel Beans' simultaneous guitar-and-drums technique.

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Rick Beato Story of November 15, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? The channel's weekly summary: what went up this week, what is drawing views now, and where the channel stands among similar channels.

The Most Difficult Song Breakdown I've Ever Done

What did you think?

Rick Beato calls his new examination of Steely Dan's "Aja" "The Most Difficult Song Breakdown I've Ever Done". In a week full of musicians explaining their craft, that title offers a particularly inviting challenge: a famously intricate composition meeting someone determined to take it apart.

It is already the channel's busiest video by daily views, though Steel Beans' coordination demonstration remains the most watched of the week's new uploads, approaching a million views. The two make an appealing pair: one investigates the construction of a song, while the other shows how a single musician keeps several parts moving at once.

Steel Beans traces his technique from a basic rhythm to guitar riffs threaded through drum fills. Gain lets him use hammer-ons while his other duties continue. In the comments, viewers reach for stripped-down rock-band comparisons, especially the White Stripes and the Black Keys; others recall seeing him perform live or joke about their own inability to multitask.

Beato also returned to his "What Makes This Song Great?" series for the 1984 Philip Bailey and Phil Collins hit "Easy Lover". Bailey's soaring voice will be familiar to Earth, Wind & Fire listeners, making this a meeting of two very recognizable musical identities.

The personal-history thread came through Shinedown. Brent Smith and Eric Bass joined Beato for a conversation billed as a return to his studio after twenty years, covering their shared work and the band's changing songwriting process. Shorter clips brought Josh Homme's record-making perspective and John Rzeznik's introduction to "Slide", the latter also among the channel's busiest videos right now.

The channel added 10,000 subscribers over the week, although its current daily views are below their usual level. That softer daily pace extends across several music-commentary neighbors, including theneedledrop and Adam Neely. For Beato, the week's activity is concentrated in musicians making difficult things understandable, or at least demonstrating just how difficult they are.

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Where next?

Also in Music commentary and analysisThis week on the channel +393K views this weekJoy Division and New Order share Mic The Snare's double featureHis first paired Deep Discog Dive traces the route from Unknown Pleasures to Music Complete.Channel: Mic The Snare · Story of November 13, 2026

A different discovery todayVideo taking off 5x its usual first dayCaptain Steeeve traces the FAA ground stop to a system called ERAMFilmed at Detroit Metro Airport, his explainer runs from a failed network update to what pilots do when the radio goes quiet.Channel: Captain Steeeve · Story of November 15, 2026

What viewers say

The comments under "Steel Beans on coordinating the drums and guitar!"

When you think the White Stripes had too many people.
@tlcodeSee it on YouTube
Saw him open for tool and was blown away by the sound that one man can produce
@joenutz2738See it on YouTube
Meanwhile I can't drive and talk at the same time, without missing my exit.
@boblob-law9401See it on YouTube

4 more comments

This is what sitting in your room as a teenager with records ,a guitar and an incredible urge to make music looks like
@phil1967-x1jSee it on YouTube
The man is extraordinarily coordinated
@BernardoGui9039See it on YouTube
Those riffs are all bangers bro
@legomypancakesSee it on YouTube
As a live performer this is awesome
@WhatEVS210See it on YouTube