Dr Neeraj Dubey
According to Storr’s, “Music is so naturally united with us that we cannot be free from it even if we so desired”. The true goal of music-its proper enterprise-is melody. All the parts of harmony have as their ultimate purpose only beautiful melody.What is it about melody? Why is it so important? Melody is natural. It is one line. It can be imagined. It can be heard in your mind. This means it is one of the greatest vehicles for unlocking creativity. Melody to me is the heart and soul of music, because melody is something we can all relate to. Rhythm by itself does not imply melody or harmony.Melody and harmony are the bread and butter of music. Harmony by itself may imply a melody, but usually not a very memorable one. Melody is the only aspect of music that can truly stand on its own, and this is why it’s so crucial to get it right.Melody is certainly an important part of music , classical or of whatever kind , but in classical music , it’s far from being everything . It is what you remember from your favorite music.Indian classical music is a genre of South Asian music. It has two major traditions. The North Indian classical music tradition is called Hindustani, while the South Indian expression is called Carnatic. The Indian classical music has two foundational elements, raga and tala.
The raga forms the fabric of a melodic structure, the tala measures the time cycle. The raga gives an artist the ingredients palette to build the melody from sounds, while the tala provides her with a creative framework for rhythmic improvisation using time. Some experts believe that not only the genre, rhythm and tone of the work are important, but the fact on which it was a musical instrument to play the melody. The sound of a single musical instrument affects a certain organ of the human body. For example stringed instruments (violin, guitar, harp and cello) – have a salutary effect on the cardiovascular system. In addition, the sound of strings causes a person a sense of gratitude, compassion and sacrifice. Playing the piano and piano harmonizes the mind, clears the thyroid leads to normal operation of the genitourinary system. Organ sounds normalize the energy flows in the spine and stimulate brain activity. Wind Instruments purified bronchi and improve the respiratory system, as well as a positive effect on blood circulation. In turn percussion treated liver and the blood system. “Every melody synchronizes the operation of the internal organs. Lets discuss about old Hindi songs Vs New Hindi songs!!! Maximum old songs are good as compared to new songs. No of new songs per month is higher than old ones… But quality of songs is reducing day by day… Some of the Music Directors are still contributing a lot in current days (like A.R Rehman), but some others are trying to increase no of songs by copying from others.).
Think about R.D Burman, maximum song composed by him is evergreen. But can you expect the same from the music directors of current days. Old Hindi film lyrics had depth of thought and emotion. But can the same be said of contemporary songs? The nineties songs were rich in melody and had superlative lyrics. The songs really touched our heart. The songs were such that when we were happy we enjoyed the lyrics n when we were sad we understood the lyrics. The lyrics were just the mirror of our emotions. They have made a mark in our heart. First, there were the lyricists who were top notch Hindi/Urdu poets with names like Sahir-Ludhianvi, Majrooh-Sultanpuri, Asad-Bhopali, Hasrat-Jaipuri, Shakil-Badayuni, Shailendra, Anand-Bakshi. They gathered with Music Directors like Kalyanji-Anandji, Shankar Jaikishan, Laxmikant-Pyarelal, Naushad, O P Nayyar and singers like Lata, Rafi, Kishore, Manna Dey, Mahendra kapoor,Mukesh & many more and if it was a Raj Kapoor film, Raj himself would join the discussion. Together they would discuss and rehearse the situation and mood of the song and then record it live with the orchestra. It was heavenly music.They are evergreen songs. Today’s songs are just mashing up of electronically produced tracks n just catchy lyrics rather words strung together which rhyme. They have a very less shelf life. They are forgotten the morning after the party. It’s an interesting mix of old techniques and new technology. Living legendary singer Asha Bhosle says technology takes some of the soul out of the process but admits it is much easier than when she first started. She used to have to stay up all night because everything was done live and the song had to be perfect all the way through. One tiny mistake by any of the musicians and everyone had to start over again. In the thirty years since 1985 music tastes appear to have changed. Consider this song on YouTube, “DJ Wale Babu Mera Gana Chala Do”- has 68M hits. It’s hard to tell if expectation is driving cause or if the effect is diminishing expectation. The trend of music in our films has changed drastically.
About 15 years ago, I had predicted that there will be a revolution in the Indian music industry and it happened. We are completely influenced by the West. There is a lot of noise in music today. I don’t like the current music scenario. Most of the songs lack melody and soul. There have been some really good numbers but they are far and few. Most of the songs today do not have any recall value. People want to hear foot-tapping party numbers and that is why composers are making songs for the feet and not for the heart. I also feel that relying on technology rather than roping in real singers has hampered the quality of music. Composers are in a hurry to give short-term hits than focus on the music and make something melodious. I miss the originality that is lacking today.
The current situation is such that everybody wants to dance. Be it old or young, everybody wants to dance at weddings. So they do not have anything to do with melody… all they seek is rhythm to dance to. So there is no question of melody… any song that is rhythmic is preferred, Grammy award winning Hindustani classical musician Vishwa Mohan Bhatt says that all the songs in Bollywood films sound the same and lack melody. “All songs sound the same now. The songs are influenced by western beats, disco. Film music is all about dancing now. But there are composers like AR Rahman who value classical music. Some songs were presented with sound that echoed the depth of suffering that the music might heal. State-of-the-art music studios have made certain instruments redundant and present day culture has made a mockery of the lofty standards with abstract and unintelligible lyrics. The old charm seems to have died. “People have changed with time.
They now SMS, use mobile phones and the Internet to communicate. So the writer also needs to change his style to stay relevant,” adds a fellow lyricist. Some present day songs are wacky with a mix of folk and fusion and a pinch of odd lyrics. Tracks such as ‘Ishqyaun Ki Dhishqyaun,’ ‘Tattad Tattad’ and ‘Ram Chahe Leela,’ for example. ‘Tooh’ from ‘Gori Tere Pyar Mein’ rocks at the weddings, but ‘Tooh’ is actually a derogatory usage in Punjabi. Even the numbers, ‘Gandi-Baat,’ and ‘Saree Ke Fall Sa’ from ‘R… Rajkumar’ are catchy and big hits but do they really enrich the sequence? Many such songs are popular with the younger generation.
The raving ‘Badtameeez Dil’ is a trendy romantic anthem of sorts keeping the current lifestyle and culture in mind. One might fall in love with these love songs that have an old world charm. But the subtler elements of sensibility are missing. The Author likes to conclude this article with these beautiful quotations, “Wake up, live your life and sing the melody of your soul.” “Life is not a battle to win but a melody to sing.” “Words are weapons stronger than he knows. And songs are even greater. The words wake the mind. The melody wakes the heart.” “Music shouldn’t be just a tune, it should be a touch.”
(The author is Sr Faculty (Computer Engg) GCET- Jammu (J&K)
feedbackexcelsior@gmail.com
Follow our WhatsApp channel