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Thứ Năm, 31 tháng 3, 2016

Information About Scandinavian Prog Rock

By Martha Graham


Prog is one of the subgenres of rock music. In most cases, the short forms prog or prog rock are often used. Others prefer using the term art rock to refer to this genre. The term progressive pop was in wide use before it started being abandoned for progressive rock instead. The United Kingdom is the country of origin of progressive pop and the main reason behind its development was elevating the genre to higher levels.

The United Kingdom was the country where prog started being developed, but other western countries participated in further development. Italy, Germany, and France are among western countries that helped in developing the genre. Similarly, artists in other European countries also developed their own versions that came to be known by their countries of origin. Scandinavian prog rock is one such version that was developed in Scandinavia. Psychedelic rock was the original genre from which progressive pop was birthed.

Efforts to develop the subgenre began in mid 1960s and progressed into late 1970s. Prog pop was primarily developed to give this music credibility and more artistic weight. Instrumentation and compositional techniques that bands started to adopt were borrowed from jazz and classical music. The intention was to earn the genre more critical respect and raise it to a higher level of musical sophistication.

The danceable beats that earlier characterized the old version were abandoned or incorporated to a lesser extent. Instead, lyrical content, rhythm, compositional structure, and harmony started being incorporated more. Thus, the listener has to put in more effort in order to understand and enjoy the songs. The subgenre borrows musical styles from a number of other genres such as folk and jazz, making it even more sophisticated.

The traditional song structure of verse/chorus form, which is dominant in popular music is not followed in prog pop. Artists play with song sections to generate classical-style suites that popular genres do not incorporate in songs. Harmony is achieved through thematic unity between sections. Transitions between acoustic and electric sections are the source of dynamic contrast. Also, bands commonly employ group improvisation as a technique.

In progressive pop, individuals receive less emphasis compared to the band. The traditional idea of a band accompanying a single, soloist does not exist. Typically, most songs run for 3-5 minutes, but there are also longer songs. There are artists who record songs that play for over 20 minutes. Such songs have often been recorded in response to too much criticism.

The public received this new genre with mixed reaction. From the year of being launched, there was a lot of criticism and critical acclaim at the same time. The genre has been described by many as paralleling classical music by renowned musicians in the industry. The cause of criticism was often the desire held by some artists to expand its boundaries even more.

As musicians worked to expand the boundaries of the genre, they also started to dismiss mainstream pop music in preference for the new version. This dismissiveness was taken as elitism. European adolescents, especially British ones also failed to identify with the exotic themes incorporated in songs.




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