How do prog rockers remember all those notes, playing the same song without any musical sheets?
perhaps they are not human…(but angels…)
Pretty solid argument.
Prog rockers remember all those notes, therefore they are angels.
Seriously though…
Muscle memory?
You know, like typing these at the speed of light and yet not being able to name all the QWERTY keys [in the correct order top to bottom] if your life depended on it.
I know. I tried.
Been then I am a chimp, right? 
Prog rock in its finest compositional form. Seven out of ten rock critics would offer you something from the early Yes if you wanted an example of good prog rock.
When it gets back to that off time groove at 6:00… you heard it from me first. You got Squire on bass, Bruford on drums and Howe on guitar. You love it, but it’s difficult to call it a ‘rock’ riff and there is something progressive about it in a structural way. It’s not a typical rhythm or time that rock is usually written with and in.
Song writing became more experimental and compositional, getting back that classical song writing integrity. Song’s are conceived and composed, not just made up out of a few chords in ten minutes like most mainstream music is in the studio… and prog rockers are angels.
How could I forget. I’ve been neglecting Rush lately and I shouldn’t do that. The Necromancer from Caress of Steel 1975. A prog rock masterpiece.
Three fellows. What’s called a power trio in rock lingo. These dudes could reproduce their studio stuff almost flawlessly live. This song is a dramatization of some Lord of the Rings content. Remember this is seventies analog recording. No fancy digital shit. These dudes, beside King Crimson and Yes, pwned progressive rock in the seventies. Black Sabbath didn’t do anything like this and neither did Kiss or Led Zeppelin. Rush was distinctly progressive because it stood so far away from those other rock/metal bands of that time. Who was even kinda like Rush from 1970 to 1980?
Typing words from memory is not muscle memory…and the muscle memory required to type fast is only 26 units…
Well, in that case, who gives a fuck? 
Besides, you’re not typing words from memory…your fingers go to the letters on the keyboard as though on automatic pilot.
Please keep this thread on-topic. Thanks
They just play notes they know will usually work together, same as jazz. It’s a skill, but i don’t think they actually ‘know’ what all the notes are prior to playing them.
Once you know say, a keyboard inside out, you can pretty much play anything and it will just kinda work. Sometimes it sounds a bit shit but then comes back on track and they just blag it.
Doesnt work when you consider that they can play back a song note for note.
True. But they are humans like us, they probably remember the whole piece. On the other hand some pianists know Chopin by heart, and rappers say a whole mass of words. So yes i think you are right, and maybe such people practice endlessly until entire compositions are as if recorded in their heads. good ole mirror neurones eh.
This would explain why a lot of compositions sound very different, depending on which particular recording you listen to.
Just watch Pink Floyd doing their live version of “A Saucerful of Secrets” at Pompei.
youtube.com/watch?v=WyVxpgMHwuE
Listen to the same song recorded in studio, for the album of the same name:
youtube.com/watch?v=YLW0n2sLCG4
In my book, this is one of the best songs ever written, but their best version of this song comes from their Ummugumma Live album, which is an awesome album, but virtually forgotten now: