common characteristics of prog:
1.long, very long compositions...not all prog songs are long but most prog bands specialize in very long epics...and they are often in the form of suites...thick as a brick by jethro tull for example is 40 minutes long.
2.most prog songs are epics or suites...a lot of them have overlapping parts and contain songs within the song.
3.complex lyrics dealing with themes such as religion, fantasy, science fiction, history, war, insanity, philosophy, literature and stream of conciousness...there can also be political themes in prog music...which bands like ELP, jethro tull and genesis used a lot.
4.most prog albums are not a random collection of songs, instead they are based around a certain theme or storyline...and some prog albums have characters in their storylines...for example pink floyds the wall is about a rock star simply known as pink.
5.unsual vocal styles and multi part harmonys...the harmonys are often opera or folk influenced...yes, gentle giant and magma are good examples of prog bands with strange vocal harmonys.
6.the use of instruments not commonly used in rock music...genesis and jethro tull commonly used flute and recorders...a lot of yes songs features sitar parts..gentle giant incorperated many instruments into their music such as violins, cello, mandolin, saxophones, recorders and horn sections...prog bands are also known for popularizing the moog synthesizer...most prog bands feature uncoventional lineups instead of the standard guitar/bass/drums ensemble...rush are one big exception to this rule. =)
7.use of odd time signatures, scales and tunings...some prog bands offten play off each other instrumentaly to create a off ballance effect.
8.solo passages for almost every instrument, in other words with most prog bands, every instrument has equal importance.
9.coordinations withen the rhythm sections...bassists and drummers will often play off each other and different rhythms and progessions from the rest of the band...chris squire and bill bruford are good examples, also tony levin.
10.strong classical influences, and a lot of prog bands do interpretations of classical pieces...ELP have done adaptations of bach pieces for example.
11.linking the music with visual art...either with exotic and elaberate album covers or live performances that include light shows, props and animation sequences...pink floyd is a great example.
12.use of sound effects, to add depth to the story or concept, pink floyd use this a lot, as can be heard on DSOTM.
13.most prog bands are made up of classicly trained musicians with plenty of skill, though there are exceptions.
14.the fusion of many different styles and genres...yes for example blended hard rock, jazz, folk, classical, country, worldbeat, middle eastern and avant garde elements....jethro tull blended folk, classical, blues, jazz and heavy metal.
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