Top 9 Favorite Youtubers [Non-Booktube]

Hey, y'all! This is the sixth post in a 10-post series listing some of my favorite things. The first seven posts are lists of my current all-time favorites, while the last 3 posts include only favorites of 2015.

If you want to check out the other lists/posts in this series, you can check them out here:

A Few of My Favorite Things [2015]

So, originally, I was going to only have one list that was unranked, but I got into this list and was having a ton of trouble ranking them. So once again, I have a list of favorites, with a few distinguished as my ultimate favorites (which will be at the end of the list). The rest are in alphabetical order. It's been a while (a whole year!) since I've ranked these, and there are a ton of newcomers and a ton that have slipped off the list, so this list is very different from the ones that have come before it.

Game Theory
[first time on the list]

I've been subscribed to Game Theory for quite a while, but didn't really watch anything but their FNAF theories until about March, when I started to really get into gaming videos. I really like a bunch of their videos, and have seen almost all of the Game Theory series. I also really got into their GTLive streams, especially when they were doing the Until Dawn series. They were definitely one of my most-watched channels in 2015, so it had to be on the list.

Jacksepticeye
[first time on the list]

Because it's been almost an entire year since making a list of my favorite YouTubers, I forget that this is the first time that many of my current stand-by favorites have been on the list. That's the case with Jack/Sean. I first started watching him almost a year ago, after beginning to watch Markiplier. I was a bit hesitant at first, but I've since fallen in love with his personality and his commentary style. He definitely isn't one of those YouTubers where I watch every single video that he posts (because he posts 2 videos a day-- many of which are part of long-running series) but whenever I notice that he's played a game I'm interested in, I know I have to watch it. 

Markiplier
[first time on the list]

Just like Jack, I forgot that Mark had never been on this list before, because of how much of a standard his channel is in my life now. I first discovered him like many people- because of his FNAF videos, and it was a good six months before I bothered to watch any of his other content. In fact, I'm pretty sure that I had already started watching him when I made last year's list, I just hadn't gotten super into him yet. But he became a quick favorite and I think that he's just genuinely a great guy on top of having a fun personality and sense of humor.

PBS Game/Show
[first time on the list]

Now, you're probably wondering why TWO channels on this list are devoted to gaming analysis/criticism. But PBS Game Channel and Game Theory are two very different channels. Game Theory tends to focus on the logistics of a game, whereas PBS Game Channel tends to look at the outside implications of the game, such as social repercussions and influences (feminism, race issues, sexuality, etc). This is why I tend to slightly prefer PBS Game Channel- I love all of the social discussions that go on, especially the feminism discussions. Either way, this has quickly become one of my favorite channels, and I'm always quick to click on a new video when it pops up in my subscription box.

PBS Idea Channel
[2nd time on the list. #5 last year]

This may only be its second time on the list, but I've been watching Idea Channel for over a year and a half. Mike Rugnetta, the host, is one of my absolute favorite humans. He's hilarious, witty, sarcastic, and super smart, on top of being geeky, musical, and just all-around super cool. His discussions are always really interesting and typically based in pop culture, which is one of my favorite things. So yeah, I really enjoy Mike's stuff.

Smosh Games/ Smosh Franchise
[5th time on the list. #2 last time]

While I took a bit of time away from Smosh this year, I always find my way back again, and this was no exception. I have watched Ian and Anthony since way back in 2007, and while I used to love their sketches, I tend to prefer the stuff where it's just them and their actual personalities (AKA the content on Smosh 2nd Channel and Smosh Games). Typically, my favorite of their channels is Smosh Games (big surprise, given the rest of this list), and my favorite series is Game Bang.

Superfruit
[4th time on the list. #1 (tie) last time]

I love these two. Like a lot. They've clearly fallen from my top spot, but they're still right up there near the top. The thing is that their channel tends to go through periods of really awesome videos, followed by slumps. And lately, I feel like they've been in a bit of a slump. I haven't been as excited by the videos popping up in my sub box, and I'm not sure whether that's because I'm not in the mood for it (always possible) or because their content isn't as exciting lately. Either way, slumpiness aside, I love these two and they're adorable and are right up there near the top.

WatchMojo
[3rd time on the list. Not ranked last time]

I've been watching WatchMojo for quite a while, and even though they fell off the list last year, they got right back on, because I've been watching them a lot throughout 2015. It's one of those channels where I don't realize how much I watch (because it's on so many different topics) but then when I take a step back, I realize that I watch this channel a lot. Like, a lot, a lot.

Ultimate bae:
Dan/Danisnotonfire and Phil/AmazingPhil!
[5th time on the list, #1 (tie) last time]

Just like last time, I've combined these two into a single slot because they're basically a package deal. On top of that, the videos that I most look forward to from them are their DanAndPhilGames videos. I especially love Dan over Phil, but my favorite videos are absolutely the ones that they do together. I love the dynamic that they have going, and I get excited whenever I see one of their videos pop up in my subscription box. Their friendship is adorable, and I love them.

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How To: Read Alto Clef

Hey, y'all! I've been thinking about doing a "How To" music theory series for a while, and figured I'd start it out with something that a lot of music people around me seem to need help with- reading alto clef.

The truth is, most musicians simply don't use alto clef, and many music theory beginners don't understand how to read it. I, however, am NOT most musicians, because I speak fluent alto clef. It's actually my native music tongue, because I play the viola, and music written in our normal range is written exclusively in alto clef. Some viola music does include sections in treble clef, but this is usually only when we have notes up in the A string stratosphere for an extended period of time.

Throughout this, I will be relating most things back to violas, and this is mostly because that's the instrument that uses Alto clef the most! A handful of other instruments will sometimes have music written in Alto clef, but as far as I know, the viola is the only mainstream instrument whose home clef is Alto.

So, here are some helpful tips to understanding alto clef!

Also, in case you didn't know, this is an Alto Clef.

It should also be mentioned at this point that if the bottom of the clef does not rest on the bottom line of the staff, it is NOT alto clef. There are many different clefs that use the same symbol, but in a different position. Here's an example of Alto vs. Tenor, which are the two most common clefs that share the symbol.

First off, it's called the C clef for a reason!

I like to say that the Alto clef looks like a deformed 3. With alto clef, the line that touches the middle "point" of the 3 is C. Even more conveniently, this C is actually C4, more commonly referred to as middle C. Everyone makes Alto Clef out to be so hard, but it really makes the most sense. Middle C is actually in the middle of the staff! For the other clefs that use this symbol, middle C is also located on the line that touches the middle point. 

Remembering the lines

Remember back in music classes in Elementary school where you learned treble clef, and how the spaces spelled out FACE? That same principle can be applied to the lines of alto clef, starting with the bottom line.

For me, alto clef makes quite a bit of sense, especially for playing as a violist, because when playing viola in first position, you use your odd fingers for notes on lines, and even fingers for notes in spaces. However, if you're trying simply to read the notes for a music theory class, you don't have the advantage of this physical application, so things such as remembering FACE might be more helpful. However, if you read treble clef, I have a much easier way for you to quickly learn to read alto clef. Are you ready?

The Step Rule

This is specifically for people who can already read Treble clef, Bass clef, or both! This is actually the method I used when trying to learn bass clef and re-learn treble clef... and I also might have made it up. BUT, it worked for me, and it could very well work for you too!

OK, on the left, you see C4 (middle C) in Alto clef, and on the right, you see C5 (an octave above middle C) in treble clef. If you notice, they're almost in the exact same places on their respective staves. The treble clef C5 is just on the space, and the alto clef C4 is on the line. I kid you not, this is the method I used to know where notes were in both bass and treble clef until I started actually remembering where they were, and this device helped me to put the notes into memory. As an example, let's use the E on the bottom line of treble clef. The E an octave down would be in the space right below the alto clef staff. So basically, take the note you know in treble clef. If it's on a space, move it down to the closest line. If it's on a line, move it down to the space below it. This is where that note (albeit, an octave lower) falls on the alto clef. And it's the same thing for Bass=>Alto, except you move the note up rather than down.  

You can also use this same method if you read tenor clef, but not alto. Although I'm not really sure what situation would call for only knowing how to read tenor clef. This is actually somewhat more simple than the transition between treble and alto or alto and bass. All you have to do is start with a note in tenor clef. 

I do want to note, this method is supposed to be used for learning purposes only. If you find yourself several months or years from now still using this, then you haven't been committing to memory where the notes are. 

The Range of the Alto Clef

This is the average range for music written in alto clef. Often, in viola music, if the note is above a high E, and multiple measures are in that high range, it will switch to treble clef until the notes return to the normal viola range. The low C, however, is a non-negotiable, at least for violas. Our notes can't get any lower, because that's our lowest open string. I do believe though, that regardless of instrument, that is the lowest note that exists in alto clef. One time, I had a director who wrote a note below low C into our part, and we had to tell him that we didn't have that note. Needless to say, he was a pretty clueless orchestra director. He was a trumpet player and although he was great at knowing how everything should sound, he really didn't know much about the technicalities of playing stringed instruments.

So, that's my basic how to about reading Alto clef! If you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments, as I would love to answer any anything you want to know! I'm also (hopefully) going to be doing a how to on other music theory things, such as reading other clefs. If you have any suggestions, leave them in the comments. If you want, you could even request some high-level theory stuff, because I probably know how to do it! Not tooting any horns, just trying to be helpful, as I am a college theory student with several years of theory experience under my belt! Hope to see you again soon!