Is Prog For Musicians Only?

progressive music is for everyone with a functioning set of two ears and an equally functioning brain inbetween.

iguana wrote: progressive music is for everyone with a functioning set of two ears and an equally functioning brain inbetween.

John Peel who promoted the progressive scene for over a decade on both American and then for most of his career British radio,  in the late 70's became a born-again punk, before his untimely death repeatedly stated "Prog is bollocks, absolute bollocks. I felt I had ordinary level qualifications musically and with prog I needed advance levels". Something dubious about his first statement, but some truth in the second, in particular when the prog music/rock scene started in the UK. The experimental underground music tended to be played by more accomplished musicians building upon but going well beyond the rudiments of rock and roll, attempting to marry other musics with rock. The college and university student audiences were welcoming listeners, wanting something more intellectually challenging.

Some people are natural musicians who can appreciate clever chord changes and complex rythyms without having to actually play an instrument.  There is quite a difference between having a musical brain and being a musician.  Musicians take their interest that step further and spend the time to actually learn the physical side of an instrument.  Not many have the manual dexterity to be Rick Wakeman but that doesn't mean that you can't appreciate his talent.

NOT

BTW, I'm a prog musician myself(well...I believe in it) and I hate when somebody labels prog as "Music for Musicians only". Personally I dislike so-called "bombastic" or way too experimental bands.When I hear no melody at least for 5 minutes,only heartless virtuosity or head-blowing avantgarde, I usually turn this off

this could have been a good debate about the difference between the people from the 70s and the people of today, their taste, their need for sub-level entertainment vs. highly intelectual & aesthetic entertainment, their need to discover and experiment vs. snugness; and also, a good debate over the motivations and goals of the 70s media and the media of these days.

Among the people I know, few prog fans are musicians, though most of them would like to be musicians, but they do not study to be a musician because it is frustrating when you start playing and compare your level with the level of the great musicians.

Just to mention, I'm a novice musician, learning to play the piano after I learned to play the guitar.

something more: most prog-fans are not musicians, but prog DOES encourage fans to take on learning to play musical instruments. i praise it for this.

I've been listening to prog music for about 35 years now ... I gave up trying to play an instrument about 32 or 33 years ago because I was just no good at it

I do not believe that prog music is only for musicians. Music is a form of art to be appreciated by everyone.  You can enjoy a painting, a poem, or a film without understanding the construction or creation of it.  Although, a musician may understand more about the music it does not make the experience any better or more valid.