Technicality or Creativity?

What matters more in Progressive Music?

 I mean, I consider myself a prog rock fan, but I don't particularly enjoy the mainstays (better known) of the genre. Take for instance Dream Theater (don't hit me please!!!) The operatic singer grates on me, the keyboards churn my stomach and I find the solos superfluous and over the top. The early stuff sounds the same and the later stuff sounds like Tool. But there's One thing I will not deny. They are all very techincal and talented musicians.

 On to my next example, which is Tool (not my fave, I'm a Schizoid Man) which is not as technical in the string departments but I find to be far more inspiring and limit pushing than former. They get a clearer point across with less flair (excusez Danny sil vous plait!) and leave room for evolution from album to album. The concepts aren't as thought out and aren't as easy to grasp but aren't shoved in your face either. I also enjoy musicians who "don't even play their instruments" like Squarepusher, Luke Vibert and Aphex Twin who are extremely technical.

So who is it Yngwie Malmsteen or Johnny Greenwood?

I think you can tell from my very prejudiced preface who I would pick but I want to hear from you.

... And yes I expect to get severely flamed for giving a negative opinion on Dream Theater.

Exactly, it's all taste. Also, nice username.

1loveac1d wrote: I also enjoy musicians who "don't even play their instruments" like Squarepusher, Luke Vibert and Aphex Twin who are extremely technical.

I don't think Squarepusher fits into that category

But to answer your question, insofar as they can be seperated I'd prefer creativity to technicality. The problem being that a lack of grasping techicality limits how creative one can be - if Kurt Cobain had spent years perfecting his writing technique without improving on guitar, his guitar playing wouldn't have got any more interesting. I'm sure his songwriting could have done, but even the most interesting tunes need something interesting going on in the playing too, elsewise they can get dull mighty quickly!

i think an even blend of both is more desireable than a predominance of one over the other....i know this isnt prog but the best example i can think of this is jimi hendrix, as technical as he was creative and original, imo

Edited by hopelevre

Okay Goose, so i forgot that Squarepusher is a Bass virtuoso, Good call though... But its still awesome company I put him there with. And also, I consider drum-machines an instrument, hence the quotations.(anyone who doesn't buy it, sit down with a TR-303 for a few hours)

But I what I am trying to say is what album falls flat harder?

An overly technical unoriginal album? ala DT (sorry)

or

An underly technical overly creative album. ala Skinny Puppy's Download.

Now, the answer for me is while I turn both off at reasonably the same time, one out of boredom, the other out of the urge to vomit, I return the vomit- er I mean Download, because of the "wtf were they on?" effect. I Care more about what going on in the songs on one bad album than the songs on another. i just generally find you can remember why you don't like a technical album quicker than you can with an artsy album...

In My Inflated Opinion however, King Crimson is the perfunctory example of technicality meets creativity. All the technicality of DT and all the creativity of Radiohead yet precursor to them both.

if the question is which falls flat harder i say it is the technical/insipid one.....pouring something new over the ears will always provide some sense of novelty for some time, while the other can come across as pretentious as i think we all are aware

Edited by hopelevre

you are right, the creativity has to have some knowledge to spring forth from, but i thought it was an issue of predominance rather than all/nothing

i agree that creativity and technicality must jive just right to make great music.. i think one could take any prog band and see that this jive holds true for most of the bands.. there are exceptions on both aspects, but for the most part, i think it's the mix of the two that make the music just right.. that's why we all love it!

Does Tori Amos qualify as prog?  Magnetizm, charisma, technical proficiency, unity, radiates erogyny, manifests many a universe, and she's just bloody mad

Edited by mwb498