Welcome readers, to the second semester of my passion blog! I look forward to writing about Dream Theater and progressive rock and metal in general over the next 7 weeks, building on my previous commentary while introducing new readers to the wonderful genre of progressive metal, also known as ‘prog’. Prog is a genre meant to evolve the field of music by combining the power of metal with the beauty of classical music. Dream Theater has pioneered the genre over the years and continues to innovate musically to this day. For the last two years, I have been an avid fan of prog, and have enjoyed learning about its nuances and unique qualities.
Classical music is known for its long orchestrations, variety in instruments, and melodies that wander and evolve. Instrumental showmanship combined with graceful dynamics make classical music a truly wonderful art. Rock and metal, on the other hand, are generally more boisterous, utilizing the power of the electric guitar and the drum set to infuse the music with energy. The electric guitar’s versatility allows for everything from serene and soaring rock melodies to powerful metal riffs. Specifically, in metal, the double bass drumming brings a heavier sound that can give pace to a beat or punctuate each note while driving the song. Prog beautifully combines these aspects, taking the musical craftsmanship of classical music and bringing it to life with the tenacity of rock and metal.
The result is a genre that is known for its deep and conceptual lyrics, focus on virtuoso instrumentals, and combination of seemingly clashing musical styles. For me, it is the perfect genre because it has everything I’m looking for. As a drummer, the percussion instantly hooked me, and the diverse intricacies of each song kept me engaged. I find more opportunities for mental engagement, as the rhythms are unique and ever-changing, and the melodies full of twists and turns.
To understand the musical difference between prog and non-prog music, simply compare this drum set to most others.
You may ask, what makes prog music more “unique” than other music? Well, this is where the fun begins. An important characteristic of prog is its use of irregular time signatures (learn more). Most music is written in either 2/4, 3/4, or 4/4, meaning you could count to the beat by counting in time to 2, 3, or 4. Rhythms like these are typically easier to pick up on and dance to. Prog bands, however, will often incorporate unusual time signatures such as 5/4 or 7/4 into their songs. Since fewer artists venture into this realm of music, the resulting compositions are fundamentally more unique.
Here’s a 1995 video of former Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy breaking down some odd time signature examples from Dream Theater songs.
Other ways that prog music is different from other music include frequent and substantial variation in dynamics, major use of minor chords, longer rhythmic patterns, longer song times, and frequent instrumental trade-off, unison, and solo sections. If intrigued, try some of it out! A few Dream Theater songs I recommend are Barstool Warrior, Looking Glass, and Metropolis Part 1. To explore the heavier side of Dream Theater, try out Awaken the Master and Answering the Call. For a great mix of both, try Learning to Live. Be advised, only one of the aforementioned songs is under 6 minutes!
Over the next 6 weeks, I look forward to analyzing a song or two, discussing other prog bands, and comparing/contrasting two iconic prog drummers. If you are interested in Dream Theater and my own journey through prog, check out my passion blog posts from last semester. I also have some lyrical analyses in my RCL blog.
See if you can figure out where I got this post’s title from. Have a great rest of the week.
Douglas, what an intriguing introduction to progressive music. I was not really aware of the diverse time signatures and how much they varied from other genres, but it is a genre of music I have not very deeply explored. The first time I listened to Dream Theater, my immediate response to the music was a bit of confusion because it was a style I was not accustomed to. In a way, it sort of reminds me of how heavier metalcore was an acquired taste for myself since I grew up with Ozzy Osbourne (usually Black Sabbath), AC/DC, Whitesnake, Bon Jovi, and the like. As I got older, I explored some harder rock bands, coming to really like Three Days Grace, Asking Alexandria, and Shinedown. In time, I became more interested in bands like Bring Me the Horizon, The Amity Affliction, Point North, Memphis May Fire, Attack Attack!, We Came as Romans, Crown the Empire, blessthefall, and some others I am not thinking of. I still listen to a pool of all of those artists’ productions, and sometimes I mix in things by STARSET, Skillet, and Avenged Sevenfold. I think I may have to try Dream Theater again with some of the heavier songs that you mentioned since the last time I listened I thought it was good, but a bit unnatural to my typical music taste. Also just a wild guess – was your title based off of ‘Learning to Live’?
I’m excited to get back into the spirit of understanding more of Dream Theater with more context! I didn’t know that prog was its own music genre and that it had subtle but effective changes such as drum rhythm (side note: I also used to play drums, but I haven’t touched a set since I was in 7th grade). The irregular rhythms and variations in dynamics do sound a bit off-putting upon my initial read, but I’m willing to give them a shot and see if this is really the future of music. I won’t lie that hearing the same songs repeatedly on the radio gets a bit boring, especially when different songs that sound similar begin to blend. Dream Theater and the prog genre looks to change that, and I’m excited to see how it goes. Have you tried to play any songs in the prog genre yet? If so, was it difficult to learn how to play in a different metric than before?
I never knew that there were artists who incorporated classical music into metal or vice versa. I think it’s really cool how even music is interdisciplinary. I don’t really listen to metal, but some of the J-pop songs I like to listen to have classical-like elements. Although in my opinion, classical melodies are relatively simpler and more predictable compared to traditional pop songs, the mixture of new and classical music provides a new genre that’s still comfortable to listen to. I look forward to reading your song analyses.