How would you improve prog?

I'd improve it by making the fans less snobbish and dismissive about pop music. And less snobbish about artists who manage to successfully strike a chord with people. Just less snobbish in general.

Certainly we need more stritch, manzello and flarinet. I personally think we also need more contrabass sarrusophone.

wiz_d_kidd wrote: I'd put more emphasis on the music, instrumentation, composition, and arrangements -- and less on the vocals.  It seems that anyone who can open their mouths thinks they can sing.  If you wanna sing, make sure you have something interesting to say, and make sure your vocals are fully integrated with the instrumentation (as if it's another instrument), and not just a bunch of odd-ball notes and unnecessary runs.  My rule of thumb for any singer is to replace your exact vocal performance, note for note, including all the unnecessary runs, with keyboard, violin, or some other instrument and see how it sounds with the rest of the band.  If it doesn't sound right, you ain't singing right!  Good prog doesn't need vocals.  It should earn it's place in the band.

ReactioninG wrote: I wish some of the new bands actually sounded like old prog.

Why? Wasn't there enough prog produced during the 70s? I actually prefer music to sound original. Thus, to improve prog, I would suggest that artists try to find new ways to convey the essence of prog, rather than try to sound like old prog. However, I must say that I'm quite impressed with the amount of great prog being produced in the 21st century.

moshkito wrote: Master of Time wrote: I think prog could use more diversity. Different experiences and cultures bring in more influences and different approaches. Let’s face it, prog is still largely white guys, I think more diversity would breathe some life into the prog scene. There is plenty of that all over the world, specially with cultural influences ... however, they are not considered "progressive" by the standards that are defined in this board, and the discussion of lesser bands here, being a database, is forever banned to the last item listed amidst 10K entries ... and this makes a lot of people think that it is not worth the discussion, when the lack of a more open ability to listen to different things are the reason why a lot of folks do not know more music. It is always one of the weirdest things ... you get folks posting from Chile, Brazil, South Africa and new Zealand, and their countries do not have anything "progressive" ... and they are posting about Genesis, and ELP and this and that ... and it is like they can not recognize the "progressive" or "prog" idiom, if their life depended on it. It is down right scary ... just like those WD stories ... cardboard versions of old stories from around the world, and you believe them as original and new, because of the colorful presentation ... and other countries in this world are no less affected by it than we are ... !!! You can't improve "prog"! Now I ask you ... how do you improve "Stravinsky"? Or "Beethoven"?  And all of a sudden the question comes off as silly, and inappropriate within the history of music and its creativity designs ... we just refuse to CREDIT it for its abilities and can only thing of COPIES ... and never something else original and creative. Let me ask you something ... how to improve "you" and your question?

Frenetic Zetetic wrote: moshkito wrote: Master of Time wrote: I think prog could use more diversity. Different experiences and cultures bring in more influences and different approaches. Let’s face it, prog is still largely white guys, I think more diversity would breathe some life into the prog scene. There is plenty of that all over the world, specially with cultural influences ... however, they are not considered "progressive" by the standards that are defined in this board, and the discussion of lesser bands here, being a database, is forever banned to the last item listed amidst 10K entries ... and this makes a lot of people think that it is not worth the discussion, when the lack of a more open ability to listen to different things are the reason why a lot of folks do not know more music. It is always one of the weirdest things ... you get folks posting from Chile, Brazil, South Africa and new Zealand, and their countries do not have anything "progressive" ... and they are posting about Genesis, and ELP and this and that ... and it is like they can not recognize the "progressive" or "prog" idiom, if their life depended on it. It is down right scary ... just like those WD stories ... cardboard versions of old stories from around the world, and you believe them as original and new, because of the colorful presentation ... and other countries in this world are no less affected by it than we are ... !!! You can't improve "prog"! Now I ask you ... how do you improve "Stravinsky"? Or "Beethoven"?  And all of a sudden the question comes off as silly, and inappropriate within the history of music and its creativity designs ... we just refuse to CREDIT it for its abilities and can only thing of COPIES ... and never something else original and creative. Let me ask you something ... how to improve "you" and your question? You know something? You're alright, Moshkito .

Alright? He may have a point and I largely sympathise with it, but he effectively (as per usual) takes fellow PA members hostage whilst making it. Now I do know several posters from South America, New Zealand, Japan, Holland etc etc who all happen to know and adore their own musical produce and yes quite often they will talk about this in the open forum...along with a chat or two about ELP and Genesis.
Then again we've been over this so many times before with Mosh, so I guess there is no way of getting through to him. Over the last 8 years or so I've seen him make this exact same post in oh so many different layouts, and they all have a tendency to make grand sweeping generalisations about how low brow his fellow PA members are....yet mostly he is making false claims about people he doesn't know. I certainly don't know where he gets his research from, because it sure as hell isn't the threads I read.


Edited by Guldbamsen - January 15 2018 at 13:24

moshkito wrote: Master of Time wrote: I think prog could use more diversity. Different experiences and cultures bring in more influences and different approaches. Let’s face it, prog is still largely white guys, I think more diversity would breathe some life into the prog scene. There is plenty of that all over the world, specially with cultural influences ... however, they are not considered "progressive" by the standards that are defined in this board, and the discussion of lesser bands here, being a database, is forever banned to the last item listed amidst 10K entries ... and this makes a lot of people think that it is not worth the discussion, when the lack of a more open ability to listen to different things are the reason why a lot of folks do not know more music. It is always one of the weirdest things ... you get folks posting from Chile, Brazil, South Africa and new Zealand, and their countries do not have anything "progressive" ... and they are posting about Genesis, and ELP and this and that ... and it is like they can not recognize the "progressive" or "prog" idiom, if their life depended on it. It is down right scary ... just like those WD stories ... cardboard versions of old stories from around the world, and you believe them as original and new, because of the colorful presentation ... and other countries in this world are no less affected by it than we are ... !!! You can't improve "prog"! Now I ask you ... how do you improve "Stravinsky"? Or "Beethoven"?  And all of a sudden the question comes off as silly, and inappropriate within the history of music and its creativity designs ... we just refuse to CREDIT it for its abilities and can only thing of COPIES ... and never something else original and creative. Let me ask you something ... how to improve "you" and your question?

I'd give it a better taste, a crunchier texture, and add some whole grain options.

Seriously, what a question! You might well talk of "improving" an individual song, album, or even band (though the notion of "improving" art is very subjective), but to think of making some single change to the whole, vast, diverse (largely subjective) genre (that is not a single, definable genre) is ridiculous and smacks of either arrogance, or an inability to be satisfied with what you have.

Not to get too heavy on you.

Edited by Peter - January 16 2018 at 06:52

Bigbobby10 wrote: I want to have a band that only uses Mellotrons (must have at least 5 members)