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The bansuri, one of the oldest musical instruments in India, is a side-blown flute made of bamboo or reed with six or seven holes, and used in Hindustani classical music as well as light music and film music. The bansuri is associated with the Hindu God Krishna, who is often depicted playing it.
Other names by which a bansuri is known in India are bansi and murali.
There are two varieties of bansuri: the transverse, and the fipple. The fipple variety is usually played in folk music and is held away from the lips like a whistle. Because of the flexibility and control it offers, the transverse variety is preferred in classical music.
Bansuris vary in length. They range from about 12 inches up to about 40 inches. 20-inch bansuris are common.
Another common and similar Indian flute played in South India is the venu.
Playing
The index, middle, and fourth fingers of both hands are usually used to play the six hole bansuri. For the seven hole bansuri, the fifth finger (pinky) of the right hand is used for the last hole. The sound from a bansuri comes from resonance in the air column inside it. The length of this column can be varied by closing or opening the holes. At the same time, keeping a hole half-open helps in getting a flat note. The 'sa' (on the Indian saptak scale, or equivalent 'do' on the octave) note is obtained by covering the top three holes from the mouth-hole. The higher and lower octaves are played by changing one's embouchure. The flat portion of fingers, and not the tips, are used to cover the holes as this gives better control and ease while playing the half-holes. While playing, the seating posture is also important and care must be taken so that the back is not strained for long hours. Bansuris of different sizes are used to play different octaves. The longer bansuris with larger bore are usually for lower octaves and the slimmer ones for higher octaves.
Famous bansuri players
- Krishna, according to Hindu mythology
- Pandit Pannalal Ghosh
- Gour Goswamy
- Pandit Devendra Murdeshwar
- Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia
- Pandit Ronu Majumdar
- Deepak Ram
- G. S. Sachdev
- Jayanta Banerjee
- Vijay Raghav Rao
- Raghunath Seth
- Steve Gorn
Notes, References and Sources
- Indian music (chandrakantha.com)
- MusicalNirvana - Bansuri
- How to play the Bansuri: A manual for Self-Instruction by Lyon Leifer
External links
- Anubodh Bansuri: Neo-Bansuri
- Lyon Leifer's home page
- bansuri.org
- Flauto Bansuri
- Bansuri lessons on Know Your Raga
- Deepak Ram
- Prasad Bhandarkar
See also
"Bansuri"