Written by
SHARDA RAJAN
A music director composes a song , makes a tune first & get it written or composes a tune for a ready lyrics … Ok ?
If an M D can compose a song , how come he cannot make music & has to look for an arranger to make music ?
If an arranger can make music , how come he cannot make a song & become M D ?
Are there any Goan music directors in Hindi films ?
During the 60 s Goan musicians dominated the music scene . arranging , playing violins & other western instruments like keyboard , guitars etc & soon they started growing big for their boots , looking down upon Indian notation musicians ,
Shankerji tells me that Shri Ramprasad Sharmaji , Father of Pyarelalji ,seeing the situation , started taking many young students , training them in notation writing , arranging & playing various western instruments .And before you know a huge crop of young bright arrangers , & musicians pop up , mushrooming in the arena taking over the reigns & till today they are ruling the music world .
Who is an arranger & what is his role in a song recording ?
If you see in the dictionary , it says an arranger is the one who puts things in a neat order ….just arranging things ..not making .
This means the arranger has nothing to do in composing music .
An arranger’s job is to write all the music composed by the music director & fix up chords , seconds & counters for the melody , with the chords related to the music the composer has composed .
He has to write the different notation for different parts of different instruments & give the sheet music to all the musicians
There are 7 notes in music & each one has a chord .
A chord is formed with three alternative notes of the main note .
That is , if the main note is nr 3 , the chord would be of notes nr 1 , nr 3 & nr 5 ……… Got it ?
There are 5 notes chords & other types of chords also .
In India we mostly use 3 notes chords .
Suppose you play a music which goes around the first , second & other notes & comes to stand in nr 3 note , you fix up the chord of nr 3 note , which is 1 , 3 & 5th notes combined .
Like this you fix up the chords for the whole song as per the notes of the song .
The rhythm guitar’s chord is played putting 3 finger tips on different frets on different strings & stroke playing all the three notes at the same time .
The piano chord is played either playing all three notes at one time , hitting three keys at one time or playing the notes of the chord one after the other in the tempo of the rhythm , like in the starting of song , Dost dost .
The backing of the song is played in the keyboard with all the three notes playing at one time , holding it long without a break .
Take one single note from the chord & give to the bass guitar & the bass part is taken care of .
All the music play in the back of the song going along with these chords only .
The piano , rhythm guitars , bass guitar , cellos , violas & counter melody violins , while the whole main music is being played in the main track by the main violins & other solo instruments .
The arranger writes all these parts , fixing the chords as per the tune & music & gives the different notation papers to different sets of musicians .
Next comes fixing the counters & seconds .
All these are also played with the three notes related to the main musical note .
For instance , if the musical note is nr 5 , the chord is of 3rd, 5th & 7nth notes combined .
The counter part is played in long notes in variation of different arrangement of these three notes only … you can either play 5th 3rd & 7nth … or 5th , 7nth & 3rd .. or 7nth 3rd & 5th .. or 7nth 5th & 3rd…
In these variations you play the counter part changing the patterns according to the notes of the song .
All these notes have to be fixed , written to be given to the musicians .
This is the job of the arranger , to fix the notes that are aligned with the main music .The whole backing goes on moving in the three notes of the chords , which he calculates & writes .
He is not doing any creative job like composing or making tunes .
He is just fixing the chords & music pieces made out of the chords ………….
This is a mere calculation , like in algebra , geometry or in pythagorian theorems .
A square + B square is equal to C square .
A is 10 . so A square becomes 100 , multiplied by 10 into 10 .
B is 8 , so B square becomes 64 , multiplied 8 into 8 .
That makes C square 164 , that is 100 + 64
Then , how much is C ? … How much ?
You have to find a number , which if multiplied by the same number results in 164 ………….. The number is 12.8.something….
Thus you go calculating which note comes where & you decide which octave they should play .
In writing this notation you have to follow the music which is already composed by the music director .
Mostly all arrangers bring out the backings beautifully .Because all the backings are done mathematically , no question of good or bad .
But all the arrangers dont have S J music ..
Sebastianji got S J music …… He had all the scope in S J music to bring out the best in him , putting all the right notes in all the right places in a right pattern .
S J ‘s rich orchestra with their magnificent violins & other instruments gives him a vast space & his expertise comes out in full bloom with them .The music going in jumps & bumps , layers & layers of pieces intertwining each other , the S J orchestra , lets him weave the backings going along with the main music ..
Sebastian’s dil works with his dimag fixing the phrases to start & fade out in proper place ………..
I respect all those who have worked with S j … I really do ..
But I cannot let you make a judgement on the role of an arranger in S J music without letting you know what part an arranger plays in the music ……
Sebastian was a very clever , level headed , sensible person .
He will not make any dumb statement , like he had any hand in composing S J music .. It is some self found all knowers , who go shooting their mouths , as if they are the final authorities ……..
Apart from S J orchestra , you cannot find the sparkles in any of his other assignments … To a certain level .. yes .. but not in such a grandeur like in S J orchestra …..
Why ?……. Can you tell the answer ?
Seb is not going to do a special arrangement for S J & do a third rate job for others…… will he ?
He is going to put the same amount of dil & dimag in all his assignments.. right ?.. Whether it is S J orchestra or others’ he will do his job thoroughly .His brilliant brain will work full throttle for all his assignments ….
Then how come his work with S J only shine so brightly ?
Why this volume of sheen & sparkle is missing in his other assignments ?
The secret is that , S J ‘s out of the world orchestra is what makes his work sparkle ……..not the other way round !
The champs have made the mind blowing music , fabulous patterns , fantastic phrases , new new combinations , marvellous rhythm beats …………………no wonder Seb shines & sparkles ….
Have you noticed something ?
S J did not only have the magical touch in their music .
They had this other magical touch also … that who ever comes to
work within their wavelength is going to be touched by the Glory Goddess !
So many people , singers , actors , & others got their glory which S J music brought for them ..
Whether it is Subir sen , C H Atma , Mubarakji or me , the arranger , assistant , everyone gets their fame just because they worked with them .
Even those so called journalists , who tried to bad mouth them got their fame because they were talking about the Maharajas of music ..
How the sun makes all the planets in the whole universe glow , their magic touch will make everyone glow , who ever comes in their shadow …….
Sebastianji was great in his arranging job ….But he knew his limits ..
He could have easily become a music director .. if he had wanted ..
He refused to take the offers saying , ‘That is not my job ‘
Yes .. Making music & composing songs are something absolutely different from arranging ..
