I love documentaries. I can watch them for hours and hours on end. Sometimes, I go down the rabbit hole on Netflix and get lost watching too much TV. I probably should be busy doing other things. If you find yourself in the Netflix loop then let me recommend some music history documentaries to consider binging. These are great inspiration and might give you that boost you are looking for to get off the sofa.
Rumble: The indians who rocked the world
This documentary is based on how Native Americans helped shape rock ‘n’ roll music. You probably know a lot of the names mentioned, but you probably did not know their heritage. This is a great movie to help us give credit to native people and show you how their tribal music made its way into what we know as rock music.
This Is Pop
This is a series about pop music. Each episode breaks down a specific element about pop music. I found this series really interesting and enlightening. I am not a huge fan of pop music, but I am a huge fan of these episodes.
Count Me In
This one is all about drummers and the importance of rhythm. “You can have rhythm without music, you can’t have music without rhythm.” This movie explores the history of beat and talks about some of the world’s greatest drummers. You will enjoy this movie even if you don’t play the drums.
Song Exploder
Song Exploder started as a podcast and then became a series on Netflix. Both are great and I highly recommend them. They break down a song and show you how it was created. This is a great way to discover new techniques for recording, etc. There are many “aha” moments found in these episodes. I would also recommend watching songs that you might not like to see how they did it. You might learn something that you can use on your music. Borrowing ideas from other genres/artists is usually how new ideas happen.
Doing your homework on music’s history is very important! We must know what came before us to understand where we are going in the future. You can discover new things while you are lounging. That’s a win-win in my book. Remember that time is sacred so use it wisely. These four documentaries are a great start and there are many more out there to enjoy.
I plan to follow up this post with one all about band or artists documentaries. I also really enjoy seeing how a band or solo artist developed over the years.
Let me know in the comments your favorite movies about music. They can be documentaries, or actual movies. This can be fictional even. I would love to see your favs below in the comments.
