sub-genres? (or how we love to classify)

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I completely see where you are coming from, and I agree that sometimes the borders between genres can be very hard to see. For example I've always thought Van Der Graaf Generator as a symphonic band but here they are under art rock. The difference between progressive music and mainstream alternative rock is getting alarmingly narrower with bands like The Mars Volta and Muse coming into popularity. Art rock is probably the widest genre of progressive music so your music may be art rock.

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Australian Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Prog Reviewer Joined: June 13 2006 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 3278	Posted: August 22 2006 at 07:16
	I completely see where you are coming from, and I agree that sometimes the borders between genres can be very hard to see. For example I've always thought Van Der Graaf Generator as a symphonic band but here they are under art rock. The difference between progressive music and mainstream alternative rock is getting alarmingly narrower with bands like The Mars Volta and Muse coming into popularity. Art rock is probably the widest genre of progressive music so your music may be art rock.


MarkOne Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Groupie Joined: August 18 2006 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 90	Posted: August 22 2006 at 06:45
	First off, let me say this is a great forum. I can't believe I haven't found it until now! OK as a newbie this might come across as a tad presumptuous, but I have to ask; is classifying music in ever more granular sub-genres really necessary, or indeed, healthy? So here's my problem. As a musician and writer I often find my inspiration in the oddest of things, and musically I've produced all sorts of things from jazz-fusion, through solo piano, orchestral classical to what probably borders on prog metal. What this means is, I really have a hard time classifying what I do in any particular sub-genre. As a listener and consumer of music my listening habits are even more eclectic. When I really started to get into music properly (several long decades ago now ) I found myself drawn to what we call prog, I love the complexity, the attention it demands, the subtlety, all those great reasons that make this such a wonderful medium to explore. Yet at the time, I was never aware that artists were particularly pigeonholed (not in the way we tend to do it today) So I guess what I'm asking is, when did this desire to classify and sub classify really take hold? Is this classification a good thing, or does it build artificial barriers? When does space rock become progressive electronic? When does progressive electronic become something else? When does it stop being prog at all and become something more dare I say it: mainstream? And what do others think? by the way - did I mention this is a great forum?