{"id":7086,"date":"2019-04-01T15:30:14","date_gmt":"2019-04-01T22:30:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/blog\/?p=7086"},"modified":"2023-11-01T12:15:53","modified_gmt":"2023-11-01T19:15:53","slug":"a-drummers-guide-to-prog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/beat\/a-drummers-guide-to-prog\/","title":{"rendered":"A Drummer’s Guide To Prog"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is an excerpt from The Drummer’s Toolbox: The Ultimate Guide To Learning 101 Drumming Styles<\/a>. The book goes into even more detail about prog drumming!
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Prog: A brief introduction to the genre<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Progressive (or prog) refers to music that pushes the boundaries of a particular genre. Two of the most popular progressive music genres include progressive rock and progressive metal. Some notable characteristics of these styles include complex musical arrangements, the use of odd time signatures and time signature changes, the fusion of multiple musical styles, and the incorporation of conceptual lyrical content relating to one central theme or story.<\/p>\n

The early years<\/strong>
In the late 1960s, popular rock bands like the Beatles, the Yardbirds, and the Beach Boys began to venture away from writing predictable three minute, radio-friendly songs. They began drawing influence from other genres of music (\u201cGood Vibrations<\/i><\/a>\u201d by the Beach Boys and \u201cLove You To<\/i><\/a>\u201d by the Beatles), writing music that exceeded the standard radio length (\u201cI Want You (She\u2019s So Heavy)<\/i><\/a>\u201d by the Beatles), and pushing the boundaries of rock music into unexplored territory – lyrically, rhythmically, melodically, and harmonically. This is what laid the foundation for progressive (or prog) rock music.<\/p>\n

The golden years of prog rock<\/strong>
By the early to mid 1970s, prog rock had developed into its own distinct musical subgenre. This music featured complex arrangements, the use of odd time signatures and time signature changes, the fusion of many musical styles (like jazz, classical, and folk music), and conceptual lyrical and musical content relating to one central thematic idea (check out concept albums like \u201c2112<\/i>\u201d by Rush and \u201cTales from Topographic Oceans<\/i>\u201d by Yes). During this era, prog rock bands like Rush, Genesis, Yes, King Crimson, and Emerson, Lake & Palmer defined the sound of progressive rock music.<\/p>\n

The rise of prog metal<\/strong>
With the rise of other rock and metal subgenres like punk rock, heavy metal, and glam rock during the 1970s, very few new prog rock bands emerged from the late \u201870s until the mid 1980s. However, in the mid \u201880s, metal bands like Queensr\u00ffche, Fates Warning, and Voivod began fusing elements of prog rock with heavy metal – resulting in a subgenre known as progressive metal. \u201cOperation: Mindcrime<\/i>\u201d (Queensr\u00ffche) and \u201cPerfect Symmetry<\/i>\u201d (Fates Warning) are notable examples of records that paved the way for early prog metal music.<\/p>\n

During the 1990s, prog metal also developed into a distinct metal subgenre. Bands like Meshuggah, Dream Theater, and Tool were releasing iconic prog metal albums like Chaosphere<\/i> (Meshuggah), \u00c6nima<\/i> (Tool), and Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory<\/i> (Dream Theater). These records were milestones in the subgenre\u2019s development that helped shape the prog metal sound into what it is today.<\/p>\n

The current state of prog music<\/strong>
Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, some of the leading prog rock and metal bands have included:<\/p>\n

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\"Animals\n

Animals as Leaders<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"Periphery\n

Periphery<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"The\n

The Mars Volta<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"Porcupine\n

Porcupine Tree<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"TesseracT\n

TesseracT<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"Between\n

Between the Buried and Me<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Because of the innovations that rock musicians made back in the \u201860s and \u201870s, progressive rock and metal music have evolved into some of the most unique, creative, and technical subgenres to ever exist.<\/p>\n

Learn prog rock drum beats<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Because prog rock and metal music are so diverse, it\u2019s impossible to create a list of essential beats, fills, and techniques required to play this style. Nevertheless, one of the best ways to start approaching prog rock and metal is to learn from the drummers who play it. And why not learn from the masters like Neil Peart, Bill Bruford, and Gavin Harrison?<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s take a look at five transcriptions played by some of the world\u2019s greatest prog rock drummers:<\/p>\n

Yes – \u201cHeart of the Sunrise\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/strong> (0:49)
Drummer: Bill Bruford<\/p>\n

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Genesis – \u201cSupper’s Ready\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/strong> (18:17)
Drummer: Phil Collins<\/p>\n

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Frank Zappa – \u201cKeep It Greasy\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/strong> (0:36)
Drummer: Vinnie Colaiuta<\/p>\n

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Rush – \u201cLa Villa Strangiato\u201d<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 (4:30)
Drummer: Neil Peart<\/p>\n

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Porcupine Tree – \u201cThe Sound of Muzak\u201d<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 (0:00)
Drummer: Gavin Harrison<\/p>\n

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