Is Prog For Musicians Only?

Nope, I started listening a few years ago as a non-musician.

Prog convinced me to become a musician. So it works both ways.

I think its a valid question. I have a huge respect for people like you who dont play instruments but still can appreciate and analyze awesome stuff like prog. Its just the simple fact that most people you show prog to will be like "ya its talented but its too weird and complex and you cant dance to it. I only think people that obsess over the notes could like it"

Theres not enough musicians to sell music to, the general public would be nice.

Prog-rock isn't exclusive for musicians, but maybe the guys who aren't musician can't understand the prog-rock in all his dimensions

GHOSTNOTE wrote:       I am a drummer, who has loved progressive rock for many years and i have noticed that myself and other musicians i haved jammed with over the years can relate with this style of music, but people who do not play a musical instrument do not.      So ultimitly is prog rock for musicians only?

I have wondered the same thing for a long time. I am not a musician,  and while I love prog,  I can turn on the radio and listen to something if it's soft. But my friend can't stand anything on the radio,  it makes him sick.  

I am about to start guitar theory lessons and am excited to find if it "unlocks" a new level of prog for me.

I think the short answer is yes,  if you don't understand music,  anything really suits your needs.  But as you become more educated in music, begin to understand the complexities, prog begins to affect you more than main stream.   So, I think that while prog isn't exclusive to musicians,  I think if you really understand music, that a new level of prog will be opened to you, and you will be able to appreciate it more.

The T wrote:   So I'll say 90% prog-lovers are musicians....I know others that aren't but at least they love art....they love literature, they love good cinema...THEY LOVE THEIR BRAIN TO BE CHALLENGED AND PLAYED WITH....

This man speaks the truth.


PS,  this is an EXCELLENT topic.. This is something I have really pondered for a long time.  Thank you.



Edited by giantenemycrab - February 27 2007 at 21:33

The T wrote: I agree... off course you can like Prog if you're not a musician, but you'll miss one of its best elements: the musicianship, the possibility of analyzing structures, keys, harmonies, drum playing, etc, and get amazed (or dissapointed) by what you hear.   Non-musicians tend to like their music just for entertainment sake, just as something better than silence for moments like eating, working, etc...or they want music with a purpose, namely music that helps them dance..... they just won't sit down througha 20+minute epic.... what fun will it be to them? for them, short, 3-4 minute pieces are more than enough...surely they can love some aspects of prog, too, but they won't appreciate them in their whole magnitude as a musician can.   So I'll say 90% prog-lovers are musicians....I know others that aren't but at least they love art....they love literature, they love good cinema...THEY LOVE THEIR BRAIN TO BE CHALLENGED AND PLAYED WITH....

I have to disagree. If you've ever read about certain metropolitan 'Intelligentsia" (I may have mispelt that, proof of my level of intelligence), you get to notice that they love art, literature, good cinema; but it always seems to be something only "they" "get. In other words, if there is a whiff of popularity, of the "hoi polloi" enjoying it, "they'll" quickly dismiss as being cloying, simplistic, beneath them  etcccccc.
I would say 90% of prog lovers are music lovers. The remaining 10% are likely w**kers who believe that it somehow makes them better than others.
To quote a Zakk Wylde loving metal fan buddy of mine - if you really want to "objectively" settle the question of what or who is best, you go by numbers. His example - "I hate Britney Spears, but she's outsold System of a Down, so there".

Let's remember that musicians have different philosophies and views on what Music is and what it should be.

I don't have much musical talent, but I like art, literature, especially if it's more challenging than the average.

Edited by Norbert - March 08 2007 at 13:25

It's not for musicians only: I have a friend who has an enormous prog collection and he doesn't play anything.

Dr. Occulator wrote: Just because you can't bake a cake doesn't mean you can't enjoy it.

Moogtron III wrote: Dr. Occulator wrote: Just because you can't bake a cake doesn't mean you can't enjoy it.   True, but prog is so much more than a cake. It's haute cuisine

but the analogy holds-- you don't need to be a chef to have a developed palate and to appreciate quality food.