Why isn't prog popular?

ThaNuke wrote: I just want to point out that you can't really force people to like prog; most don't even care if there's a 45/23 time signature. It just doesn't work that way. But the people that do appreciate prog are the special ones.

Honestly, neither do I.  I mean, so freaking what if you can play 45/23 or whatever exotic time sig?  I don't usually bother to find out exactly what time sig is being played and am much more interested in whether the time sig change is natural and intuitive or deliberate and forced.  If prog is much more of a left brained pursuit for most prog fans (and I should hope it is not), it should not surprise anyone that it is not popular because making music in pursuit of nerdy fantasies rather than for emotions does not seem to be such a good idea to me. And I am not saying that the very use of an odd time sig is nerdy, no, I am simply saying that I can't like a piece of music just for that bit of detail, that is so insignificant in the larger scheme of things.


Edited by rogerthat - February 06 2011 at 00:02

rogerthat wrote: ThaNuke wrote: I just want to point out that you can't really force people to like prog; most don't even care if there's a 45/23 time signature. It just doesn't work that way. But the people that do appreciate prog are the special ones. Honestly, neither do I.  I mean, so freaking what if you can play 45/23 or whatever exotic time sig?  I don't usually bother to find out exactly what time sig is being played and am much more interested in whether the time sig change is natural and intuitive or deliberate and forced.  If prog is much more of a left brained pursuit for most prog fans (and I should hope it is not), it should not surprise anyone that it is not popular because making music in pursuit of nerdy fantasies rather than for emotions does not seem to be such a good idea to me. And I am not saying that the very use of an odd time sig is nerdy, no, I am simply saying that I can't like a piece of music just for that bit of detail, that is so insignificant in the larger scheme of things.

Because prog sucks hahaha.

boo boo wrote: AllP0werToSlaves wrote: rogerthat wrote: ThaNuke wrote: I just want to point out that you can't really force people to like prog; most don't even care if there's a 45/23 time signature. It just doesn't work that way. But the people that do appreciate prog are the special ones. Honestly, neither do I.  I mean, so freaking what if you can play 45/23 or whatever exotic time sig?  I don't usually bother to find out exactly what time sig is being played and am much more interested in whether the time sig change is natural and intuitive or deliberate and forced.  If prog is much more of a left brained pursuit for most prog fans (and I should hope it is not), it should not surprise anyone that it is not popular because making music in pursuit of nerdy fantasies rather than for emotions does not seem to be such a good idea to me. And I am not saying that the very use of an odd time sig is nerdy, no, I am simply saying that I can't like a piece of music just for that bit of detail, that is so insignificant in the larger scheme of things. As long as the music is intuitive and the complexity is a byproduct of the initial creativity, there shouldn't really be an argument because that's all music should be IMHO. Someone adding complexity just for the sake of it is the same thing as someone curbing something for being too complex our of fear of rejection from listeners. Both involve the snuffing of creativity in a pre-meditaded state. All the best prog sounds intuitive and flows well because it's the voice of the soul that we all connect to! Again, Gentle Giant is a great example. Now, whether people perceive the music as such is another story. boo boo wrote: Though I'd go back further than that, I love Atari and golden age arcade games. Galaga/Ms. Pac Man machines are everywhere in my town, and I have to play it every time I see it.  Oh I hear you on that; my girlfriend has amassed a massive Atari 5200 collection; I think she got something like 30+ games WITH original manuals and stickers in great quality for something ridiculous like $30 at a yard sale; and that included the Atari! I'm just personally drawn to the mid/late 80's/early 90's era of gaming when 2D was in it's prime both at the arcades and on home consoles. I must own something like two dozen + classic gaming shirts/apparel/etc; I'm sporting a BATTLETOADS t-shirt as I type this! Ah, gaming geeks lol.   5200? What kind of controller does she use? Because dont the controllers it comes with have a reputation of being very crappy? Though I know it's compatable with Atari 2600 and Sega Genesis controllers, as are other consoles from that era. Too bad you can't do that nowadays.

normal people want something easy to understand.prog isnt very easy to understand 

Hell yeah, Mega Man X is second the best SNES game, beaten only by Donkey Kong Country.

I made the first major step to converting my friend to prog rock , and it felt great. I told him a few weeks ago to check out Porcupine Tree. I know he did, because on Saturday he grabbed my shoulder and said, "Andy, In Absentia is the best thing I have heard in my entire life".  We listened to The Incident and he liked that too. I have the benefit of hindsight, so I know what a gold mine awaits him as he goes back 4 decades to discover all that is awesome about prog. I am... happy for him.

Holy sh*t, this how Mormons talk about converting their friends. It feels so smug self-righteous.

From what I've noticed, people look to music to relate. This is understandable, as some see it as a means of escape. What I look for in music is creativity, melodic innovation, talent, etc. Naturally, I've found those qualifications in prog (and in jazz, as well, particularly bebop). However, when I've asked what others look for in music, they have given radically different answers. For instance, I recently asked a girl I work with what she looks for in music, and (this answer is a common one) she responded with, "I need to be able to understand and relate to the lyrics." Lyrics have never had that large a bearing on what I listen to, but I could certainly understand why they would for others. I suppose I can see why she and many others wouldn't exactly understand the lyrics of a band like Magma or the instrumental works of a band like Anglagard. Another common answer is that they "need to feel a beat or a groove." This is an uninformed answer, as what they are truly referring to is a 4/4 bass-snare groove found in every popular music song in this generation. These people listen to music to dance, and dancing to a song like "Close to the Edge" would certainly be a difficult task. Not to sound arrogant or elitist, but prog is the intelligent music - it is listened to by intelligent people who want something they won't find on FM Radio.

I have tried to tell people how great prog is. Its almost pointless. Even my students at College have no idea what I am on about.

 

Sargasso wrote: In short, progressive music isn't just catchy tunes that speak to you, it's music for the sake of music, music as an art form.

People actually listen to "music for the sake of music"? Why would you listen to music you don't have an emotional connection to?

boo boo wrote: Yeah, Super Castlevania IV's soundtrack is VERY proggy (as are the other games in the series though to a lesser extent), the F Zero series also deserves mention for it's very fast and complex soundtracks.    I love music from the 8 bit/16 bit era. As video game music is all looped, it's a constant challenge for composers to create melodies that dont overstay their welcome. The complexity of a lot of NES era music rivals that of prog rock.   Koji Kondo (Zelda, Mario) actually credits ELP as a major influence. Not a surprise really, some of the old Mario music DOES remind me of them a little. Also listen to some Zelda music and tell me it doesn't remind you of Hackett era Genesis.   I think limitations is what allowed a lot of video game music of the past to be so creative, nowadays game developers more often use licensed music or music that's more like a conventional movie score, because games are all about being cinematic these days.