Progressive rock
A rock style that draws on classical and jazz structures, favouring long forms, odd metres and extended instrumental passages.
Progressive rock treats a rock band as an ensemble capable of extended composition, and its guitar parts reflect that ambition: riffs in unusual metres, modal rather than blues-based soloing, clean arpeggios and dynamic range between quiet and very loud. Because the material is often notated and arranged in advance, progressive players tend to be strong readers and technically versatile. The genre introduced many rock listeners to odd time signatures and to the sound of a guitar used for texture rather than riffing.
Example: A long piece that changes time signature several times and builds a quiet passage into a loud instrumental section is progressive rock.
See also
Related
- PageOdd time
- PageModes
- PageRiff
- PageAmericana
- PageBebop
- PageBluegrass
- PageAaron Dessner
- PageAce Frehley