Violin missing from modern prog?

Oh well, better late than never! 

I like the first album too, agreed.  The only one I think is kinda weak is "Warmest Sun in Winter".

My thoughts differ just a bit. A lot of folks around me, took up a guitar, bass or drums, because they heard a song, and their older friend did. They kinda learn from the "roots" and not quite knowing music until a bit later.

Violin instruction, by anyone that I have ever met, is different, and the stuff that you learn at first is not Chuck Berry ... and I think that kids are given a little more music instruction. Forward this 5 to 6 years, and you have an youngster a bit more musically educated than most 18 years olds in a rock band, many of whom don't know how to read music at all!

I remember Charlie Daniels commenting on his playing the violin. A friend of mine asked Charlie Daniels about his violin. He said that it was easy playing with folks that did not even know what music was when he got started! And he could play circles around them, and did for a long time! In general, if this is true, most "rock bands" when you are a kid, don't want the "geeks" that are in the orchestra playing violins, flutes, bassoons and whatever else, otherwise the rock music in many local places would be a lot wilder than just bass, guitar, drums and a cheap keyboard! In a manner of speaking they only know a few songs, not music in general.

KC is not a good example in some ways, because what they did right from the start was "classically minded" in that it was well rehearsed, and the band was prepared. Most rock bands are not even halfway to that point and it shows more often than not, and is the reason why their DAW's are needed so badly! Adding a violin, or something else, must not have been a problem for Mr. Fripp because he was way more musically attuned than the folks around him, that helped him "conduct" things, while also taking advantage of what a violin, and later other things helped the music come alive. 

But the worst, comes when the "big" bands don't take their work further. DT can play with an orchestra, but would they add a violin? Cold day in hell, based on how they put things together. Metallica is another example ... a violin? What for? It's not about "music". It's about the loudness and the noise and "exciting" the fans!

Having been touched by a few violin players over the years, from Gong (adding another instrument ... oh yeah go for it Daevid would say!), Dave Swarbrick (let me add this jig ... right ... here!), Jamie Muir (I wanna sound like that peddler on the street asking for a dollar!), JLP (I know so much music and make the band better, but what I play is not as important as the band!), Darryl Way (I can't play without knowing what you are all doing ... except in Vivaldi with Cannons!), PFM (Violinos? What are those. We forgot them at home!), AD2 (If Kris refuses to duel John on his violin, it means the band are having a fight, otherwise you get transported to another galaxy!), Shankar when asked by Springsteen what chord he was playing on his double violin (you no worry about that. You just play and I join in to make it better!), Papa John Creech (these boys and girls don't know music, but they can play. I just add a few notes to make it better!) ....

"Progressive" or whatever crap they name it all, has a problem because the instruments that "made" progressive music are more important and never were played by anyone else, see? The blue guitar is more important than the music. The flying Dutchman ... wait a minute ... organ ... is just a funny show and surrealistic moment for fun of the audience that says absolutely nothing about the music ... the crazy improvisational moments that SH did, count, but those that Michael Karoli and many others in Europe ... go to hell ... that ain't progressive, that is some poor music, because we're English and know music and the rest of you fudgers get lost ... we wrote history, and they didn't because we sold more in a capitalistic society, instead of something else!

Pavlov's Dog has also. 

Same for the first album by The Raven and the Writing Desk ("The Recidivist").

Now, just because they have someone playing the instrument, doesn't mean it's at the level of playing and proficiency of the 70's. That's the biggest difference I see and hear.

Saxophone and flute have also lessened over the decades.