Is Prog really a genre?

Awesoreno wrote: But what IS music?

Cristi wrote: David_D wrote: "Is Prog really a genre?".  If Prog is short for Progressive Rock, not the way PA uses this term, but it can be defined as a genre, like the way RYM does it.  what's wrong with the PA definition? https://www.progarchives.com/Progressive-rock.asp#definition

MikeEnRegalia wrote: ^ I use genres to narrow down the range of possibilities when I'm looking for new music. Not always, sometimes I don't pay any attention. But there are times when I'm looking for something specific, or maybe I'm tired of certain styles or genres due to overexposure. Avant is a good example - sometimes I'm drawn to it, sometimes the idea of dissonant madness doesn't seem right and I'm looking for melodic stuff instead. I think genres can be useful IF you see them as something optional, focus on inclusiveness instead of divisiveness, and not take them too seriously.

Hugh Manatee wrote: It does become somewhat ridiculous to me when genres get split into "sub-genres" and "sub-sub-genres" and so on and on...

MikeEnRegalia wrote: ^ I think that the usefulness of genres varies greatly, some are more descriptive and make more intuitive sense than others. Take "Swancore" as an example. What does that sound like? Swans? It's not descriptive at all. "Gothenburg Metal" is another example of a non-descriptive genre, it only makes sense to those who are already familiar with the key releases. On the other hand, genres like "Funeral Doom" or "Psychedelia" make perfect sense, even those who have never heard a single release get a vague idea of what to expect.

^^ And yes, "melodic death metal" is a much better way to describe that music. 

^ You either didn't read what I wrote or didn't understand ... well, whatever.

^ Of course everyone's mileage varies when it comes to the usefulness of genres. To you "Gothenburg metal" is perfectly fine. On my website I'm trying to limit the introduction of genre with (to me) questionable potential for usefulness to the typical user. A few weeks ago I accepted "psychedelia", but I would not add "swancore". Not adding "funeral doom", since that can be expressed well through a combination of the "funereal" adjective with the existing genre of doom metal.

Edited by MikeEnRegalia - February 26 2024 at 02:54

^ One does not need to support everything that "has been around for a while" ... by either accepting or rejecting these labels we all shape language through usage. My "funereal doom" is close enough IMHO. Using descriptors (adjectives) is an alternative way of categorizing music which has the advantage that it is maximally descriptive, with the drawback that it annoys old-school genre enthusiasts 

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