BackThe musical shorthand
The musical shorthand
PremiumIf music in India is abundantly diverse, so is the terminology associated with its many genres and styles. Film music too has its own set of unique terms, short codes, phrases often coined and used almost exclusively by sessions musicians, particularly those who were active in the pre-digital, pre-multi-track recording days. These sessions musicians have largely been an anonymous lot, with no one caring to acknowledge them on album covers. Often, they may find due place in the credit roll at the end of a film, but since that is usually the time when viewers are rushing out of theatres trying to beat exiting crowds to make a quick getaway, the names of the musicians seldom register clearly or only with diehard fans of music. But apart from their musicianship, sessions musicians are also repositories of little-known anecdotes, information, legends, myths, facts and inside stories about the music industry. For years, groups of musicians from different parts of the country congregated in the many studios in Mumbai to record the millions of songs that form a unique and integral part of Indian films. Large orchestras would record parts and interludes written for each song by the respective arrangers who worked with composers and music directors.
For example, what would you do if you were asked to play a rhythm pattern called “78"? You or I could just sit there looking completely befuddled, but a sessions musician would know instantly that he had to play a specific rhythm pattern that became exceedingly popular in 1978! And if 78 isn’t funny enough, how about making sense of “gumboot"! Yes, that’s right. Rhythm players use the term to indicate the specific sound produced on the dholak. At times, names of composers and music directors form the basis for new coinage. For example, a rhythm pattern used typically by Rajesh Roshan would be notated as RR. Just say RR and the entire rhythm section will start playing the same groove. Say BL and the rhythm they will play is one popularized by Bappi Lahiri. And if you think you are ready now to decode these terms, how about figuring out what “sargam theka" could mean?
Sargam or solmization is the system of singing a swara with an associated syllable, for example, sa, re, ga, ma. So would the rhythm section be playing solfège in the sargam theka? No, they simply play the rhythm pattern that became popular in the 1979 Rishi Kapoor starrer Sargam. Remember the popular “dafli waale dafli bajaa…" track from the film? It is the groove from that track that has been immortalized as “sargam theka", says Pratap Rath, experienced and popular percussionist from the Mumbai film industry, who patiently explained these terms to me, and to whom I am deeply grateful. He also mentioned the sheng-dana thekaa but to figure that one out, you will need to join a recording session and recite with the rhythm section detos ka malaa sheng-dana sheng-dana.
Write to Shubha at musicmatters@livemint.com
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