The Story Of the Bansuri

The History of the Bansuri

The bansuri is an ancient instrument associated with cattle herders and the sacred love of Krishna and Sri Radha playing the bansuri. It is the sacred instrument of Lord Krishna, linked to spiritual awakening and the divine call to his followers. Indian stories depict the ancient flute as having a profound influence not only on women but also on the surrounding animals.

The word “bansuri” comes from the root “banse” in Hindi, meaning bamboo. In ancient times, the bansuri was used as a folk instrument to accompany dancers at weddings and religious events. It was only in the last century that the bansuri was introduced into Indian classical music. In the 1940s in India, Pannalal Ghosh succeeded in transforming the flute from a simple folk instrument to a significant one in both classical and popular Indian music. Today, it is common to hear the bansuri accompanied by the tabla (a pair of Indian drums) and the tanpura – an instrument that creates a drone note.

The bansuri has a rich history and has undergone many transformations to its present form. Initially, it was played from the end of the cylinder (like the nay) and later as a flute. A look at history books shows that the bansuri was made from various materials: metal, wood, and, as has become standard today, bamboo.

In India, there are two variations of the bansuri: North Indian and South Indian. For playing classical and folk Indian music, a 7-hole bansuri – known as the North-Indian system – is used. The South Indian bansuri, called Venu, is used for playing Carnatic music; it has 8 holes.

Making a Bansuri

The craft of making a bansuri is a delicate and complex art. The bamboo’s flesh needs to be thin, and the cavity should be round and straight. A quality bansuri will be without partitions inside the bamboo. Given that bamboo is a natural material, it is challenging to find bamboo canes with these characteristics, which makes the instrument relatively expensive and difficult to make. Moreover, only certain species of bamboo are suitable for making a bansuri, for example, Pseudostachyum grown in the states of Assam and Kerala.

We offer professional Bansuris, with reeds coming from Kerala, which is the best source of bamboos for Bansuri. If you’re looking to buy a bansuri check the quality. We have teachers from all around the world ordering them, and the playing experience is very good, in terms of sound and ease of play.

How to Play the Bansuri?

Producing a clean sound is the most critical task in playing the bansuri. 99% of players will give up on the first day of playing because it takes several days for the sound to stabilize and become clean. But once a good sound is produced, you won’t quickly forget it, and you won’t be able to stop playing. Therefore, it is very important to invest a lot in producing a clean sound in the early days. To produce a sound, place the hole against the middle of the lower lip and blow air so that half of the air enters the flute and half goes out. As a start, do not cover all the holes. One or two holes will suffice. Note that if the holes are not perfectly covered – no sound will come out. A very important point in playing the bansuri is balancing the instrument, with four balance points. Both thumbs support from below along with the right index finger, and the lips provide counterbalance in the opposite direction.

Famous Players

Great masters of the bansuri like Pannalal and Hariprasad Chaurasia have brought bansuri playing to where it is today. A short list of the most famous artists in India today includes:

• Pravin Godkhindi
• Kailash Sharma
• K S Rajesh
• Keshav L. Ginde
• Deepak Ram
• Mujtaba Hussain
• Flute Raman, Ravichandra Kullur
• Naveen
• A. R. Rahman, known for his numerous works in Bollywood productions

Professional players often use a bansuri in the scale of E for performances and concerts. However, it is important to note that this is a difficult scale, and it is common to start with G or G#.