Rick Beato: Maybe musicians peaks before they are 30...

[Zeuhlmate]

In today's video, I discuss a theory I have about how changes in the brain through aging affect a musicians ability to write and improvise music.

Musicians peaks before they are 30...
But maybe not if you compose, play jazz or classical...


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IMO someone like Holdsworth peaked later (atavachron - he was 40)

[Piskie]

Most people's best work was when they were young as far as I can see.

[Dana5140]

Here's the problem, piskie: defined how? What makes, say, early Neil Young better when he was younger than he is now, for example? IS it that we were more familiar with it, or that we like it better- but otherwise, this is meaningless, since we cannot define what best work means. Except to offer our opinion.

[Mr.Krautman]

There's some validity in this analysis but it's not universally true. The Neil Young (counter) exemple above is a good one.

But one thing is sure: there's some energy and dynamics in pre-30 Y.O musicians which is gradually decreasing with age , never to come back. This aspect could be very important in rock music, much less in other genres (classical, jazz,...)

[soundsweird]

But what if a person doesn't become a musician/songwriter until age forty? Seems likely to me that each songwriter has a finite number of "good" compositions (in popular music, not so much "serious" stuff). Leonard Cohen got a late start and was writing classic songs at a much older age than most. I don't think you have to be young to write a good song, it matters more how long you've been at it and how good you are at not just repeating the same stuff.

[Czyszy]

I'll be 30 in 2026. I'd better hurry up.

[flowerking]

Most people's best work was when they were young as far as I can see.

This is the claim made about physicists and mathematicians, most of their significant work supposedly takes place in their 20s.

[Dana5140]

This is the claim made about physicists and mathematicians, most of their significant work supposedly takes place in their 20s.

The example I gave to Rick Beato on the youtube site was to look at Brian May. Yes, he wrote great songs with Queen when he was younger- but his best work was actually as an astrophysicist when he was much older. See, it all comes down to how you define "best work."

[Rarebird]

I think it depends what qualities 'best' is supposed to have. If it's about energy being young might be an adventage. If it's about being adventurous, it's a bit more vague, though one might say that if one ages one might me less likely to experiment with new forms, but this might also have something to do with having learned what is succesfull, so there might be less incentive to try something new. But if it's about having learned the tricks of the trade, age can be a positive factor.
Some artists I like made their best work when they were young, well at least what I like most, for instance Wim Mertens. I still buy everything he releases, but I tend to miss some energy. This might also have to do something with him working more with strings and less with brass and wind instruments.
On the other hand there are artists that made their best work later in live, again just in my humble opinion.
I think of someone like Pekka Pohjola.
I also think of some German singer/songwriters like Wolfgang Niedecken (Bap) and Heinz Rudolf Kunze.

But with a lot of prog bands I have the feeling I like their earlier work best and I'm not that interested in their current stuff. Though I make some exeption for Kansas.

[Kcrimso]

But with a lot of prog bands I have the feeling I like their earlier work best and I'm not that interested in their current stuff. Though I make some exeption for Kansas.

Why Kansas? Their later albums are pretty awful.

[Rarebird]

Why Kansas? Their later albums are pretty awful.

Well, I happen to like their last couple of albums.

[SteveSly]

Why Kansas? Their later albums are pretty awful.

Their last two albums since Ronnie Platt joined have been fantastic IMO.

[progmatist]

20th century English classical composer Havergal Brian started composing very late in life. He was nicknamed a "geriatric prodigy."

[Kcrimso]

Their last two albums since Ronnie Platt joined have been fantastic IMO.

Did not work for me at all.

[Trane]

It's one of the rare times where I care (and agree) with Beato

There are vey little artistes where I have albums of theirs past their 10th (I would even say their third or fourth, outside the prog realm)

For me, it's mostly a question of inspiration and the number of ideas before running out.

[Man In The Mountain]

I don't get the reference to late period Kansas. Early Kansas was written by Kerry Livgren, or Walsh & Livgren. The band members were mostly different too. The last two Kansas albums, or bands that change members and writers, have nothing to do with the subject of video.

[Nijinsky Hind]

[Rarebird]

Their last two albums since Ronnie Platt joined have been fantastic IMO.

I like those too. That's the later work I was talking about.

[Dana5140]

Heh heh, Andy Edwards weighs in.

[veteranof1000psychicwars]

I suppose this is a situation where "the exceptions prove the rule ", keeping in mind it is always up to the listener what constitutes "best work". If we confine it strictly to rock music l think this idea is pretty much true. There are always going to be exceptions, like say, Spock's Beard, who were all over 30 when their debut album came out, or echolyn, who were all 30ish (except for Chris Buzby) when As The World came out, and many people would argue they did their best work after that.
In the case of Kansas (or Rush, or Genesis) who made great albums after the members were over 30, l think anyone would be hard-pressed to argue it was their "best work".

[Mstove]

Did not work for me at all.

That doesn't make them awful.

[wilcox660]

Clickbait. Best work as defined by who? Entirely subjective.

[Bob Drake]

I feel silly and embarrassed for having done so, but as a 67 year old (next month) working and learning every day in my musical craft, I was COMPELLED against my better judgement to watch.

If musicians peak before 30, I peaked playing bass in woeful cover bands for a few drunken bar patrons in middle-of-nowhere saloons, and my entire body of continuing solo work, as well as all the bands I've made albums with (Thinking Plague, 5UUs, Science Group etc) are all post-peak.

So if you are reading this and you are a 29-year-old musician, don't get too worried

Bob
www.bdrak.com

[Rarebird]

I feel silly and embarrassed for having done so, but as a 67 year old (next month) working and learning every day in my musical craft, I was COMPELLED against my better judgement to watch.

If musicians peak before 30, I peaked playing bass in woeful cover bands for a few drunken bar patrons in middle-of-nowhere saloons, and my entire body of continuing solo work, as well as all the bands I've made albums with (Thinking Plague, 5UUs, Science Group etc) are all post-peak.

So if you are reading this and you are a 29-year-old musician, don't get too worried

Bob
www.bdrak.com

More or less the same for me. Not playing in a band, but I think my current work is better than what I made in my 20s. Well, perhaps my old work would have been better if I had the stuff I have now at that moment, because the advance of computertechnology plays a big part in my music. I have to admit I worked faster when I was young. But well, there was less distraction from internet.

[Plasmatopia]

I don't buy the premise. Rick used the term "seminal", referring to the "seminal works" of the artists he uses as supporting examples of his theory.

adjective
1.) Of, relating to, containing, or conveying semen or seed.
2.) Of, relating to, or having the power to originate; creative.
3.) Highly influential in an original way; constituting or providing a basis for further development

I think he might have a point if we stick to definition 1.

I think his theory fails if we use definition 2.

But most likely he means definition 3 as he commonly only focuses on well known artists and doesn't seem to have a clue (or care) about more obscure artists. And this is why I think it all falls apart. By definition an album is going to be more "influential" the more people are aware of it. And the more people are aware of an artist and their work the more likely there is a team of people working with the artist (George Martin or whomever) and that sort of muddies the waters.

But I'm sure the video was created to provoke some clicks and discussion. Fine.