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Friday, January 18, 2008

This song is sooooo long...

The above statement seems to be the main reason why many people do not get into progressive rock, metal and similar genres of music. Why is it that certain individuals prefer short songs and wish for longer ones to end? I cannot say. What I can say is my own opinion about the subject.

I look at it this way. If some music is good, great or even fantastic to the listener, why would he/she want it to end? I love the 20 – 30 minutes song, which some refer to as an epic. During those minutes I often find myself in a state similar to when I watch an exciting movie. The pictures are painted by the instruments and often tell a story full of passion and emotions. When its over it can leave you with a great feeling that mostly promts you to come back for more.

I guess I am just like the typical movie, game or sports addict except with music I find one major difference: Music doesn't "steal" you time as many other "addictions". Its much easier to do things simultaneously while listening. I just do my things...accompanied by the best soundtrack I can imagine.

1 comments :

stringray said...

"Why is it that certain individuals prefer short songs and wish for longer ones to end?"

For proggers like us it is of course hard to understand, that for the majority of people music is just a fine little melody, and nothing more. This fine little melody will become boring if one hears it for a longer moment, so there is a reason for the pop industry to keep their products short. (yes, I intend here to give it such a non-creative name).

Call me an elitist, when I say that proggers have a way bigger interest in music. Indeed, it is arrogant to say that a prog fan has more musical interest than a musician who simply likes to write pop songs. Someone who likes music is not a worse individual than me because of his different taste, and my taste doesn't make me better than him.

Hmm, how can I take the curve now....
Oh, yes. I'm a deep progger at heart, and you know it already, I play in a doom band. And, hell, I like it.
it is great to play almost no notes as a rhythm guitarist, while my cabinet shakes the air, the snare sound punches my chest, and the bass drum blows gusts at my feet. ;)
Back at home, I listen not only to prog metal bands, but also a couple of prog rock, and yet a couple of "weird" bands you cannot adress to any genre. [time to praise progulus here]. And I sit on my computer and try to put my own progmetal project together rather slowly.
So why prog, if it can be done so easily? I think it is just the love for all the details you get in prog. Prog just takes it's time to let things happen you would hardly hear in any other genres. There are so many things music is capable of, and without prog you'd never learn to know it all. Therefore the song has to be a bit longer; how would you manage to put 27 time changes into a 5 Minute song if you're not Mr. Bungle?

BG, you say music paints picture in your brain? Well that doesn't happen in mine. (Except for "Suite Sister Mary". I could go out and start shooting the video) When I listen, i just listen. The music is there, and there is nothing else I need to suite me, even no imagination.

Wait, that sounds familiar. I don't watch tv, I don't do sports, gaming, social networking, web 2.0, etc...

I'm alarmed now!
What was the number for anonymous addicted?