The musician and composer Fernando Grecco presents his listeners with a diversified musical experience through the album “Vir a Ser”. Recently, he released the music video for the instrumental track “Antes da Palavra”, a musical piece that not only captivates with its smooth melody, but also offers a vibrant touch of rhythm.
The musical collaboration on this track is notable, with the special participation of the talented violinist Ricardo Herz, a longtime partner of Grecco’s on the “Borandá” phonographic label. The track also stands out for the work of Marcelo Lemos on guitar, Igor Pimenta on bass and Pedro Henning on drums, all contributing to the richness of the composition.
Grecco shares insights into the creative process behind this song, revealing how the track evolved from an acoustic guitar chord progression to a unique melody. The absence of lyrics in this instrumental piece offers room for imagination, allowing listeners to create their own narratives as they engage with the music.
The music video, directed by Chrys Galante, complements the atmosphere of the song. Beginning introspectively and contemplatively, the video gradually transforms, synchronizing perfectly with the rhythms and changes in intensity of the music. Grecco notes that this particular track was influenced by the group Shakti, led by guitarist John McLaughlin.
Fernando Grecco explores unique musical territory by balancing catchy instrumental elements with a more introspective approach. “Before the Word” is not only a demonstration of musical skill, but also an invitation to a sensory journey, where music communicates directly with the listeners’ emotions, transcending language barriers.
How would you describe the composition process behind the instrumental track “Antes da Palavra”? How does it differ from the other songs on your album “Vir a Ser”?
I started in D (with the 6th string of the guitar retuned to this note, 1 tone below the original) and the cadence I am referring to modulated from E dominant to C major, which transposed to D dominant, goes to B flat major. Probably whoever listens to Codajás will not notice any resemblance because the compositions are very different, but he had that inspiration. The initial arpeggios of “Antes da Palavra” were made through chords on the guitar that I doubled with the voice, without following cadence to B flat major, and from there I composed the rest of the song, which starts slowly at the beginning (at 67bpms ) and accelerates (to 100 bpms) in the exposition of the main theme, which has rhythms inspired by the east (in tabla beats, for example) and baião. 1 tone below the original) and the cadence I am referring to modulated from E dominant to C major, which transposed to D dominant, goes to B flat major. Probably whoever listens to Codajás will not notice any resemblance because the compositions are very different, but he had that inspiration. The initial arpeggios of “Antes da Palavra” were made through chords on the guitar that I doubled with the voice, without following cadence to B flat major, and from there I composed the rest of the song, which starts slowly at the beginning (at 67bpms ) and accelerates (to 100 bpms) in the exposition of the main theme, which has rhythms inspired by the east (in tabla beats, for example) and baião. 1 tone below the original) and the cadence I am referring to modulated from E dominant to C major, which transposed to D dominant, goes to B flat major. Probably whoever listens to Codajás will not notice any resemblance because the compositions are very different, but he had that inspiration. The initial arpeggios of “Antes da Palavra” were made through chords on the guitar that I doubled with the voice, without following cadence to B flat major, and from there I composed the rest of the song, which starts slowly at the beginning (at 67bpms ) and accelerates (to 100 bpms) in the exposition of the main theme, which has rhythms inspired by the east (in tabla beats, for example) and baião. Probably whoever listens to Codajás will not notice any resemblance because the compositions are very different, but he had that inspiration. The initial arpeggios of “Antes da Palavra” were made through chords on the guitar that I doubled with the voice, without following cadence to B flat major, and from there I composed the rest of the song, which starts slowly at the beginning (at 67bpms ) and accelerates (to 100 bpms) in the exposition of the main theme, which has rhythms inspired by the east (in tabla beats, for example) and baião. Probably whoever listens to Codajás will not notice any resemblance because the compositions are very different, but he had that inspiration. The initial arpeggios of “Antes da Palavra” were made through chords on the guitar that I doubled with the voice, without following cadence to B flat major, and from there I composed the rest of the song, which starts slowly at the beginning (at 67bpms ) and accelerates (to 100 bpms) in the exposition of the main theme, which has rhythms inspired by the east (in tabla beats, for example) and baião.
Instrumental music often allows listeners to interpret and feel the music in unique ways. What is your view on this interpretative freedom in relation to the track “Before the Word”?
Although some things in my music and lyrics are more direct and literal in terms of the message along with the compositions, recently I’ve been increasingly moving towards styles of composition that leave part of the interpretation of the work’s supposed meanings up to the listener. I think this can happen both in songs (with more poetic, lyrical lyrics and less obvious metaphors) and in instrumental music. I have found it much richer, whether as a composer or listener, to approach this approach, leaving the “space for the other”, an expression sometimes used in psychoanalysis to describe more subjective and human relationships, contrasting with more direct and objective forms of communication, where the meaning is all given, leaving no room for the other to have his own interpretation
The music video for “Antes da Palavra” has a reflective and smooth atmosphere. How did you and director Chrys Galante work together to capture the essence of the music through imagery?
In general, at the beginning I thought of the clips as records of the moment of recording in the studio, and I decided to record all the recording sessions of the last “leave” of 10 songs that I recorded between May and June 2022 to complete Vir a Ser. So the starting point was always the recording sessions in my studio, which also happened with Antes da Palavra. From then on, as with the other songs, we sought with Chrys, within budget limits, as everything was done independently, an additional video recording session that could enrich and give more meaning and beauty to those watching the clip. and listening to music. This becomes clearer through the playlist of clips already released, some with dancers (Maracatu da Verdade), cartoon (Amor Impossível),
In this case, in “Antes da Palavra”, as the studio images would have an even greater relevance, due to the participation of Ricardo Herz, we opted for takes of me playing the 12-string guitar and singing in an external environment in the studio garden, as well wooded, and during the day, which we believe has brought a nice result because of the composition’s more expansive climate.
You mentioned that the song was influenced by guitarist John McLaughlin’s group Shakti. How do these influences manifest themselves on the track and how have you incorporated them into your own style?
When I wrote the song in 2018, I didn’t think much about this influence, but when I sent the first Pre-production version to Alê Siqueira, who co-produced the album with me, at the end of 2019, he said that it sounded like an Indian theme to him. , because the chord used (dominant with the fourth or eleventh interval) is one of the “ragas” or scales used in Indian music. He quoted a Beatles song at the time (if I’m not mistaken, the song Within You Without You from the Sargent Peppers album, composed by George Harrison), which has violins doubling the melody. I like this specific song, but I don’t consider myself a Beatles fan, so when he talked about India and violins, I immediately remembered John McLaughlin’s Shakti (who is on a big tour this year celebrating 50 years of the group’s creation), which also I had L’s violin. Shankar in the first formation, this one, a super influence for me. However, unlike Shakti, which mixes jazz with Indian music, and has a lot of improvisation and virtuosity, speed, scales, “Antes da Palavra” is more like an instrumental song, where the instrumentalists are privileging the main theme of the composition, without many “frills” and solos.
I believe that my main influences are already established in my style of playing and composing, whether they be musicians I admire such as John McLaughlin, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, Pat Metheny, Bill Frisell, Chick Corea, Carlos Santana, among many others) or composers singers like Milton Nascimento, Edu Lobo, Tom Jobim, João Bosco, LôBorges, just to name a few.
Despite “Vir a Ser” being my first authorial album of songs (in addition to my EP Repente da Palavra), I have been involved with music for almost 40 years now, since I started playing the guitar at the age of 15 in 1984, so a good part of influences is already rooted in my style and in the aesthetic choices I make both in composition, interpretation and musical production, and other less obvious and more recent ones continue to be incorporated.
The presence of violinist Ricardo Herz and the other musicians adds to the track’s rich texture. Can you share a little bit about the dynamics of collaborating with these talented artists?
I insisted on the album to call great musicians that I admire, and luckily for me São Paulo is full of them! I met Ricardo Herz through my work as founder, curator and producer of Borandá, at the time through his work on the violin in a duo with Antônio Loureiro playing vibraphone that we launched in 2014. I did a first pre-production work, sending a already well advanced version of the track (but still with drum loops, without the other musicians) with me playing bass, in addition to the 12-inch guitar, synthesizers and vocals. From this version, Herz recorded several ideas for fiddle violins at his house, I think about 8 tracks, which he sent me before recording the base. I chose parts of this rendition of his, incorporated them into the original arrangement, and sent them back to him and the musicians,
The “ostentatious base band” as I sometimes joke with them, has Igor Pimenta on bass, Marcelo Lemos on guitar and Pedro Henning on drums and they were already known to me for having formed the band that accompanied me on the 2018 authorial show ” Repente da Palavra”, so nothing more natural than inviting them to this recording, in addition to having recorded the basis of another track, the rap “Inevitável Fim” that closes the album. All of them are related to instrumental music.
Igor Pimenta has a beautiful authorial instrumental album, in addition to another released by Borandá with instrumental interpretations by the Beatles for viola caipira, played by Neymar Dias, and acoustic bass. Marcelo Lemos is a friend who was the first one I asked to join the band in 2018, and he is part of the instrumental music group “Projeto Coisa Fina”, with whom he has already toured Europe. And Pedro Henning, who has a new studio producing a lot of beautiful things, in addition to being married to the great flutist Mayara Moraes, with whom he also plays his instrumental work. A great privilege and joy to have these wonderful musicians lending their talent to my album!
As a musician, writer (only song lyrics and a few poems for now) and engineer (I’m not a lawyer), you explore many creative areas. How do you see these different facets influencing your musical work?
Despite the fact that I am often very interested in some field of knowledge or artistic manifestation and dive deep in the search for knowledge, moved by intellectual or aesthetic curiosity, I end up, after some time, and naturally, looking for other areas and objects of investigation. Among the subjects I have already been involved in, I can mention bicycles, philosophy and psychoanalysis, electronic equipment, whether computers or studio equipment, and of course the various fields linked to music, be it composition, performance, improvisation, music production, executive and publicity.
I believe that music, especially popular music, whether song or instrumental. It offers the possibility of gathering, catalyzing and synthesizing all this knowledge and life experiences, in this way being able to seek and give meaning to our earthly life experience.
The absence of lyrics in “Before the Word” allows the song to convey emotions in a unique way. Do you think that instrumental music has the power to connect emotionally with the audience in the same way as songs with lyrics?
For a long time I was super connected to instrumental music, and I thought that when I started my career I would follow this trend, which, as I said above, had a rehearsal balloon with the Zanzibar Quartet. However, since I was very young I always liked songs, I grew up listening to radio (when there was more diversity in programming) and television (when soap operas had soundtracks by big names in MPB) but I didn’t consider myself able to write lyrics. I lost my fear when I started doing (and studying) psychoanalysis, and understanding the role of language in shaping the subject and our individuality.
I believe that song and instrumental music are complementary. It is very relative to think that the song can reach a larger audience by having the lyrics as a reference. I believe the most important thing is the artist’s need, which comes from within, and is very changeable and ephemeral. I prefer to think that I can use a song with lyrics or instrumental music when the moment in life or the situation requires it.
Besides “Antes da Palavra”, what are your favorite songs from the album “Vir a Ser” and why?
Frank Zappa (also one of my great references) used to answer this question that he didn’t like any of the songs on the new record, because he played and listened to those songs.
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