Is Prog really a genre?

You can't technically determine if something is prog or not. You gotta feel that. As for Genesis/Rush similarities, they mostly lie in the feel. The rhythms have a certain angularity to them - lots of syncopation, frequent use of 7/8 and other odd meters. Both Genesis and Rush use analog synths, and incorporate the so called "bass pedals" into their arrangements. The thing about prog is that it's a very broad genre that has this sorta continuum. If you take two extreme ends, you won't find much similarities, but the path between those spots is very clearly marked.

If you're familiar enough with a lot, and I mean A LOT of prog rock acts, you're gonna be able to tell what makes progressive rock the genre it is. The human mind has the ability to analyze common concepts between different objects and the more information you process, the more precise and logical your categorizations become. You will eventually start to notice patterns. Just, explore the genre and develop your taste.

Edited by Hrychu - February 20 2024 at 22:44

"Prog" is not a genre, obviously. Why would you think it is? But "Rock" is, and obviously both Rush, Genesis and many other bands fit into it.

^ To paraphrase your question: How can bands A and B be in the same genre when there are differences between them? The answer is obvious.

Philibert wrote: MikeEnRegalia wrote: ^ To paraphrase your question: How can bands A and B be in the same genre when there are differences between them? The answer is obvious. But isn't the chasm between Trespass and Led Zeppelin III too wide!?

No. It is actually a genie.

Note that due to sock puppetry, the posts for the account by.the user who started this topic were all expunged. So the original first post of this topic is gone, as well as others by that user. It’s easier to batch deal with these.

Edited by Logan - February 21 2024 at 04:02

There's a difference between "Prog" and "Progressive" music. Prog music nowadays refers to music that is quite complex, with long pieces, a lot of instrumental parts, sudden changes of tempo, odd meters, etc. Progressive music on the other hand, is the type of music that is mainly written for listening, is quite challenging to both the artist and the listener, innovative, incorporates influences from other genres, such as classical, folk, world, etc. So we could say that, while prog is mostly a genre, progressive is more an approach to writing music. 

Atavachron wrote: Basically, no-- "Prog" is a word given to the penchant for rock musicians in the 1970s to be too ambitious for their own good and make some of the most pompous music on the planet.   Great times.

Prog IS a genre.

A genre is nothing more than a collection of music that has a set of similar attributes (however vague or specific those attributes be) that allows one to discriminate and make the decision "Does band X belong to this set?"

If you say prog is not a genre, then you are denying the ability of anyone to say whether a band is prog or not. Hence, Dolly Parton, Brahms, and LL Cool J are all prog.

If you disagree, then there must exist a set of attribute to their music that says they do not belong to the collection of music we call prog.

Similarly, there exist a set of attribute that allow one to say that Yes, Sonar, and Pikapika Teart DO belong to the collection of music we call prog.

Once you establish any means of declaring a band as prog or not, then you have defined prog as a genre.

And the means, or attributes, that allow you to make that decision may be vague or specific, objective or subjective, intuitive or definable, complete or incomplete -- but they exist, and you use them every day when you are faced with the question "Is band X prog or not?"

If someone asks you what kind music you listen to, and you answer "prog", as one might equally well have answered country, classical, jazz, rock, R&B, rap -- then prog is a genre.

In fact, go to sites like Bandcamp, and look at their list of genres. There they include Prog Rock as a sub-genre of Rock.

So if you continue to deny that prog is a genre, then you must instruct all who run this website to admit ALL bands, include Dolly Parton, Brahms, and LL Cool J to their database.

LAM-SGC wrote: wiz_d_kidd wrote: Prog IS a genre. A genre is nothing more than a collection of music that has a set of similar attributes (however vague or specific those attributes be) that allows one to discriminate and make the decision "Does band X belong to this set?" Can of worms opened, to keep on flogging this horse to death. You know what everyone is going to ask, so just list five of those real attributes that apply to all prog bands.