Bear said:
Where's DT Jesus? I still have his Definition of Prog by Matthew A Rink that I got at the Portnoy forum years ago!! I still think its the most comprehensive meaning that I have ever read.
Bear
Main Entry: 1pro·gres·sive
Pronunciation: pr&-'gre-siv
Function: adjective
1 a : of, relating to, or characterized by progress b : making use of or interested in new ideas, findings, or opportunities c : of, relating to, or constituting an educational theory marked by emphasis on the individual child, informality of classroom procedure, and encouragement of self-expression
3 : moving forward or onward
"Such an effort would be remiss, however, if I didn't state clearly that which I think progressive music IS NOT. For my own part, I happen to think that way too much emphasis is placed on the idea that the "progressive" adjective suggests, or even requires, that the genre's music be some sort of ever-evolving entity. I believe this notion to be laughable. I feel that the title "progressive" is no more than a descriptive term by which to classify music with certain qualities, not an instruction that obligates the music to a strict sense of development. In truth, it is more accurate in my mind to attribute the origin of the term "progressive" to that of "music that has progressed beyond that of conventional music" rather than "music that is continually progressing". So, while I certainly have no desire for a stagnant, repetitve prog rock scene, I think it is considerably off the mark, excessively broad, and perhaps overly idealistic, to cling to the ideal that "progressive" music implies constant change. "
This makes everything else he says destroy the fabric on which the term was originally applied to
as well as destroying any honest aspect that may be given to esthetics. If a piece of art doesn't have an ideal applied to it, a goal that the artist wants and works towards reaching, than what is the point of the piece of art? He states that it is excessive to cling to the ideal that "progressive" music implies constant change. If "progressive" in his sense doesn't mean what it says in the definition below than what does it apply to? Business? Technology? Why was it applied to art? Can art be progressive; anything can be progressive, especially art! King Crimson is the embodiment of my example; they are an ever-evolving entity, raising the bar with each album. Each successive album may not top the one before it, but it progresses from it. If not the album, in the case of their 80's material, than it applies to the era of their career, which is still qualifies for the word Progressive, yes, attached to the ideal. He calls it overly idealistic, where does the ideal start and what's wrong with reaching for a higher ideal? Yes, this gets way deeper than into the topic in this forum, but it applies to what a lot of people are going to be reading. I'm not going to proceed to discuss his moral premise on which stands, but although it will be seen as overly dramatic, his stance on the term Progressive, as an artist, makes me want to vomit. Thus my 2 cents on such a comprehensive review of "Progressive Music". I'm not bashing you Bear, I think everyone will agree if they just read that introduction a little deeper, reading what it really applies and what is most likely flying over the author's head.
Now for my definition of "Prog"; "Prog" has 2 definitions as far as I'm concerned. The band was Progressive at one time and then just stopped dead in their tracks. Example of this would be Dream Theater, the complete opposite of this would be King Crimson, who is always progressing. It can also be a set of bands that are emulating the style of another bands progression, or one time progression. No offense to any of the bands that I'm labeling "prog" but an example of this would be Wastefall, PoS is progressive and Wastefall heavily emulates their style. They might add a tinge of their own thing but the amount of influence PoS has on them waters down any sense of progression they would like to maintain. "Prog" doesn't necessarily have to refer to rock and metal genres, if there is a Trumpet player out there who is heavily emulating Miles Davis, I'm sure their are than he is guilty of being "Prog" as well, its just more common among metal and rock bands I think. Just like "Prog" is the abbreviation of progressive, the examples are abreviations of the artist/businessman who is embodies the definition of progressive.
uke:
