Hi all,

I made a mistake with the other instance of this poll.

Please VOTE HERE.

Thanks

O

I am the first to vote. Unusual song structure. why?

Because IMHO, what defines prog rock from the rest of rock is that it is not based on a standard "song" structure (verse-chorus-verse-chorus-verse...). None of the other categories are exclusive to prog and none are enough to define the genre

It's impossible to name a single element - it's always a combination, and depending on the situation some are more important than others.

I think that the most important thing for me is that the musicians use the appropriate elements to "implement" the music they are imagining in their minds. That means that they don't confine themselves to genres too much, or to the style they are known for etc.

If the song demands a piano ... use a piano, even if up to this moment the band never used one. The same applies to song structure, melody, tempo, ... everything.

rockandrail wrote: I am the first to vote. Unusual song structure. why? Because IMHO, what defines prog rock from the rest of rock is that it is not based on a standard "song" structure (verse-chorus-verse-chorus-verse...). None of the other categories are exclusive to prog and none are enough to define the genre

I think you're right up to a point but there are classic prog songs that have this standard structure e.g Roundabout is pretty much verse-chorus-verse-chorus-middle 8-solo etc etc. Also a lot of the songs on Lamb Lies Down on Broadway do as well.

I don't think there is a single most important element - it's all in the mix as they say.

For me, what defines prog is the number and sustainability of those moments where identifiable prog elements all come together and fuse into something beyond mere rock music - it's usually a band effort, and it doesn't have to be complex at all;

For example, a simple chord sequence but with added "soft sixths" played on a guitar, with contrapuntal walking bass and lightly detuned Mellotron, topped off with a flute, leading to a single note played on a guitar and held shimmering in space for several seconds can be more proggy than intense serialism and random free-style jazz fusion with 13/16 time signatures, polyrhythms and multiple simultaneous key signatures.

For a start, most of the latter was done in the 1920s in Avante-Garde music - so it's not really progressive. Anyone can count. And free-style jazz has been done to death over the last half century or so - well before rock'n'roll was born. 

Structure is quite important too though - if the structure jumps out at you as a standard rock song, then the piece clearly has to work pretty hard in the other elements to be convincing prog, IMO.

It's also about creating something new - literally progressive - or as new as it can be, given that rock music is currently 50 years old. Being progressive means it stands out above the horde that went before and does not just one, but many things that show a new way of presenting old material combined with a good understanding of that old material to underpin it.

It must be about presenting old material, since recorded notes are at least 1,100 years old and drums even older.

And it's about the ROCK as well.

'coz that predates drums!

 Well driven, justified, colourful, original, clever, creative and touching diversity.

I'm going to agree with the mass group voting for unusual song structure.  This is the most defining element of progressive music, because this is one thing that every progressive band has.  Between Progressive Rock, Progressive Metal, and what some know was Progressive Jazz, each song or album has a unique structure.  Structure is what brings me personally to progressive music.  In the age of "pop" music, songs are being lowered to a simple verse-chrous-verse style of structure.  In progressive music, the creative possibilities are limitless because of the ability of musicians to keep a song moving forward.  Progressive songs are always going somewhere.  Non-progressive songs just kind of state themselves and the listener is waiting for the next song to start.

As i said structure is the only definate for every progressive band.  Just looking at the list, not every progressive band is going to be using Moog or other synth sounds.  Many progressive bands don't even use synths.Classical does not influence many progressive bands either.  Yes, many progressive bands are classically influenced, but there are many jazz and blues oriented progressive bands.  Song length is somewhat similar to, but not always a definate for progressive music.  It seems that structure is really the only thing that is universal about progressive music.