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Progressive Rock Guitar: Guitar Book & CD

$19.99 USD
$19.99 USD
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Progressive Rock Guitar Cover Image
Progressive Rock Guitar: Guitar Book & CD

Progressive Rock Guitar: Guitar Book & CD

A Guitarist's Guide to the Styles and Techniques of Art Rock

By Glenn Riley

Item: 00-22547
$19.99
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Description
From the second half of the 20th century into the new millenium, some bands have stretched the limits of rock. The great progressive rock artists of the world such as Yes, Kim Crimson, Queensryche, Dream Theater, and Symphony X have expanded the possibilities, exploring elements of classical, jazz and other styles while maintaining the excitement and edge of rock. This book provides a look at the inner workings of this music, providing the tools and inspiration you need to create your own progressive rock sound. You'll learn fascinating chords, odd time signatures, metric and harmonic modulations, exotic scales and advanced guitar soloing concepts.

Finally, here is guidance for the guitarist who's ready to rise above and beyond the confines of simple rock 'n' roll and push the boundaries where few dare to go. The CD demonstrates the examples in the book. 96 pages.

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Sample Pages

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Sample Audio
1 Chord Prog Etude --:--
2 Lucky 7 --:--
3 Prog Monster Etude --:--

Chord Prog Etude

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Additional Details
Publisher: Alfred Music
Page Count: 96
ISBN10: 0-7390-3537-1
ISBN13: 978-0-7390-3537-5
UPC: 038081231723
SKU: 00-22547

More about this title

Why we love this

Riley cuts through the mystique of progressive rock by breaking down the compositional and technical strategies that make the genre compelling. Rather than treating complex harmony and irregular meters as isolated concepts, he shows how they function together, making this less about showing off and more about building genuine musicianship. Guitar students hungry for something beyond standard rock patterns will find both the intellectual rigor and the creative permission they're looking for.

What to expect

Stepping into a world where the guitar becomes a vehicle for architectural ambition. Odd time signatures feel natural rather than forced, and chords open into unexpected harmonic territory while still anchoring the music's raw, driving energy.

Who it's for

Intermediate to advanced guitarists who've mastered standard rock vocabulary and want to explore the harmonic language and structural complexity that define prog rock. This works for self-directed learners and for teachers guiding students toward more sophisticated compositional and improvisational thinking. It's equally valuable for musicians who want to deconstruct the music of Yes, King Crimson, or Dream Theater rather than just admire it from the audience.

How to get the most out of it

  • Start with the CD demonstrations before diving into written examples. Hearing how these concepts actually sound in context prevents the material from becoming purely theoretical.
  • Work through odd time signatures in isolation first. Get comfortable in 7/8 or 5/4 by itself before attempting metric modulations that shift between them.
  • Treat the harmonic concepts as building blocks. Master one exotic chord or modulation type before layering multiple advanced ideas into a single passage.
  • Apply soloing concepts gradually to familiar chord progressions before tackling the book's original examples. This bridges the gap between learning a technique and using it musically.

How to use it

Assign this to students ready for independent study, or use targeted chapters alongside your curriculum when introducing concepts like modal interchange or metric modulation. It works well as a capstone resource for advanced guitarists who want to synthesize their technique into original composition.

Skills your students will build

  • Reading and performing in odd time signatures (5/8, 7/8, 11/8, etc.)
  • Harmonic and metric modulation techniques
  • Extended chord vocabulary (modal harmony, borrowed chords, polychords)
  • Exotic scale application (modes, diminished, whole-tone, symmetrical scales)
  • Advanced soloing over complex harmonic changes
  • Fusion of rock technique with classical and jazz harmonic concepts

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