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Bansuri
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Main page A bansuri is a side blown flute found in many parts of India and Nepal, and a Bansuri
Contents musical instrument that is common in the North Indian or Hindustani classical
Featured content music.[1] It is an aerophone produced from bamboo, and a similar flute is called
Current events Venu in the South Indian or Carnatic classical music.[2] The bansuri flute is an
Random article ancient musical instrument of the Indian subcontinent. It is called nadi and tunava
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in the Rigveda and other Vedic texts of Hinduism.[3][4] Its importance and
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operation is discussed in the Sanskrit text Natya Shastra.[5][6][7]
Interaction A 23-inch-long bansuri bamboo flute, often
A bansuri is traditionally made from a single hollow shaft of bamboo with six or
Help eight finger holes, but modern designs come in ivory, fiberglass and various used in concerts
About Wikipedia Other names Murali, Bansi, Baashi, Baanhi
metals. The six hole instrument covers two and a half octaves of music. The
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bansuri is typically between 30 centimetres (12 in) and 75 centimetres (30 in) in Classification Indian Woodwind Instrument
Recent changes
Contact page length, and the thickness of a human thumb.[1][8] One end is closed, and few Playing range
centimeters from the closed end is its blow hole. Longer bansuris feature deeper 2.5 octaves (six-hole), 3 octaves (seven-hole)
Tools tones and lower pitches.[1] The traditional design features no mechanical keys, Related instruments
What links here and the musician creates the notes he wants by tapping the various finger Venu
Related changes holes.[1][9] Musicians
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Special pages The bansuri-like flute is depicted in ancient Buddhist,[10] Hindu[11] and Jaina List of Indian Flautists
Permanent link temple paintings and reliefs, as well as is common in the iconography of the Hindu
Page information god Krishna.[12][13] it is intimately linked to the love story of Krishna and Radha.[14] The
Wikidata item bansuri is revered as Lord Krishna's divine instrument and is often associated with
Cite this page
Krishna's Rasa lila dance. These legends sometimes use alternate names for this wind
Print/export instrument, such as the murali.[15][12] However, the instrument is also common among
Create a book other traditions such as Shaivism.[16] The early medieval Indian texts also refer to it as
Download as PDF vamshi, while in medieval Indonesian Hindu and Buddhist arts, as well as temple
Printable version carvings in Java and Bali dated to be from pre-10th century period, this transverse flute
has been called wangsi or bangsi.[17]
In other projects Krishna with a bansuri is
sometimes referred to as Venugopal.
Wikimedia Commons Contents

Languages
1 Etymology and nomenclature
2 History A Bansuri recording (54 sec)

3 Construction

3.1 Musical notes

Brezhoneg 4 Playing
Catal 5 See also
Deutsch 6 References
Espaol 6.1 Bibliography
Esperanto 7 External links
Franais

Etymology and nomenclature [edit]

Italiano
The word bansuri originates in the bans () [bamboo] + sur ()
[melody].[citation needed]
Lietuvi
A phonetically similar same for the same instrument, in early medieval texts, is the

Sanskrit word vamsi which is derived from root vamsa (Sanskrit: [18]) meaning
Nederlands
bamboo.[17] A flute player in these medieval texts is called vamsika.[19]
Other regional names of bansuri-style, six to eight play holes, bamboo flutes in India

include bansi, eloo, kulal, kulalu, kukhl, lingbufeniam, murali, murli, nadi, nar, pawa,
Polski
pullankuzhal, pillana grovi, pulangoil, vansi, vasdanda, and venuvu.[20][21][22] Ancient
Portugus
regional innovations, such as those in the Himalayan foothills of India, developed more
complex designs, such as the algoza which is a "twin bansuri" in different keys
Suomi constructed as a single instrument, allowing the musician to play more complex music.
Svenska In central and south India, a similar innovation is called nagoza or mattiyaan jodi, and
Buddhist stupa reliefs in central India, from about the 1st century BCE, depict the
Trke
Edit links single and twinned flute designs.[23][24]
Musicians playing bansuri
History [edit]
According to Ardal Powell, flute is a simple instrument found in numerous ancient cultures. There are three legendary and
archeologically verifiable birthplace sites of flutes: Egypt, Greece and India. Of these, the transverse flute (side blown)
appeared only in ancient India, while the fipple flutes are found in all three. It is likely, states Powell, that the modern Indian
bansuri has not changed much since the early medieval era.[21][25] However, a flute of a somewhat different design is
evidenced in ancient China (di-zi) which Powell, quoting Curt Sachs' The History of Musical Instruments, suggests may not
have originated in China but evolved from a more ancient Central Asian flute design. It is, however, not clear whether there
was any connection between the Indian and Chinese varieties. [25]
The early medieval Indian bansuri was, however, influential. Its size, style, bindings, mounts on ends and playing style in
medieval Europe artworks has led scholars, such as Liane Ehlich, a Flute scholar at the Music school in the University of
Lucerne, to state that the bansuri (venu) migrated from India into Byzantium Empire by the 10th century and there on to
medieval Europe where it became popular just like India.[25][26]
The flute is discussed as an important musical instrument in the Natya Shastra (~200 BCE to 200 CE), the classic Sanskrit text
on music and performance arts.[5] The flute (Venu or Vamsa) is mentioned in many Hindu texts on music and singing, as
complementary to the human sound and Veena (vaani-veena-venu).[27][28] The flute is however not called bansuri in the
ancient, and is referred to by other names such as nadi, tunava in the Rigveda (15001200 BCE) and other Vedic texts of
Hinduism, or as venu in post-Vedic texts.[3][4][5] The flute is also mentioned in various Upanishads and Yoga texts.[29]
According to Bruno Nettl, a music historian and ethnomusicologist, the ancient surviving sculptures and paintings in the
temples and archaeological sites of India predominantly show transverse flutes being played horizontally (with a downward
tilt).[30] However, beginning in the 15th century, vertical end blowing style are commonly represented. This change in the
relevance and style of bansuri is likely, states Nettl, because of the arrival of Islamic rule era on the Indian subcontinent and
the West Asian influence on North Indian music.[31]

Construction [edit]
Bansuri is traditionally produced from a special type of bamboo, that naturally grows to
long lengths between its nodes (knots). These grow abundantly in Himalayan foothills
up to about 11,000 feet with high rainfall. These are particularly found in the
northeastern (near Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram,
Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura) and Western Ghats (near Kerala) states of India where
numerous bamboo species grow with internodal lengths greater than 40 centimetres
(16 in).[32][33]
The harvested bamboo with a desired diameter is cut, dried and treated with natural
oils and resins to strengthen it. Once ready, the artisans examine the smoothness, Bansuri is traditionally made from
bamboo.
straightness, and measure the dried hollow tube. They mark the exact positions for
hole, then use hot metal rod skewers of different diameters to burn in the holes. Drilling
and other methods of hole making is avoided as it is believed to damage the fiber orientation and the splits affects the music
quality. The burnt in holes are then finished by sanding, one end plugged, the flute ringed at various positions to stabilize its
form and shape over time, the unit tested for their musical performance. The distance of a finger-hole from the mouth-hole,
and the diameter of the finger-hole controls the note it plays. Adjustments to the diameters of various holes is made by the
artisans to achieve purity of the musical notes produced. The wall thickness of the bansuri determines the tone, range and
octave tuning. Once all the holes have reached the their performance range, the bansuri is steeped in natural oils, cleaned,
dried and decorated or bound with silk or nylon threads.[34][35]
There are two varieties of bansuri: transverse and fipple. The fipple flute is usually played in folk music and is held at the lips
like a tin whistle. Because the transverse variety enables superior control, variations and embellishments, it is preferred in
Indian classical music.[citation needed]

Musical notes [edit]

The swara (solfge) notes as designed into a
bansuri (descending representation).
create and share. Shorter lengths, for similar sized tapping holes, construct the G-key, while longer bansuri play the C-key.
Six holes are sufficient to produce the seven basic svaras: sa, ri (in Carnatic,
re in Hindustani), ga, ma, pa, dha, and ni. When all holes are closed, it
produces the bass scale, that is the root note of the bansuri (pa). With one
hole farthest from the closed end of the bansuri open, the instrument plays
the dha. Similarly, ni is produced with two farthest holes open, sa with three
farthest open, ri with four, ga with five, and ma is produced with all holes
open.[36]
Every bansuri by its design and construction has a specific key and tonal
center, corresponding to sa (sadja, natural tonic) of the svara scale.[37] This
key is achieved by variations in length, inner diameter of the instrument, the
relative size and placement of the tap holes. This allows the musician to
select a bansuri constructed in the A to G-sharp, for the music she wants to
Higher octaves are produced by increasing the speed of air blown by the musician, usually by pursing and puckering the
lips.[38][39]

Playing [edit]
A bansuri is typically held horizontally slanting downwards towards right by sound samples
the bansuri player. The index, middle and ring fingers of the right hand North Indian bansuri, E-key (1 min 39
cover the outer fingerholes, while the same fingers of the left hand cover sec)
the rest. The bansuri is supported by the thumb and little finger, while the sound samples
South Indian venu, E-key (39 sec)
airhole is positioned near the lips and air blown over it at various speeds to
reach the desired octave. For the seven-hole bansuri, the little finger Problems playing these files? See media help.
(pinky) of the right hand is usually employed.[40]
As with other air-reed wind instruments, the sound of a bansuri is generated from
resonance of the air column inside it. The length of this column is varied by closing or
leaving open, a varying number of holes. Half-holing is employed to play flat or minor
notes. The 'sa' (on the Indian sargam scale, or equivalent 'do' on the octave) note is
obtained by covering the first three holes from the blowing-hole. Octaves are varied by
manipulating one's embouchure and controlling the blowing strength. Either finger tips
or finger pads are used by bansuri players to partially or fully cover the tap
holes.[citation needed]
Fingering chart for a bansuri
In order to play the diatonic scale on a bansuri, one needs to find where the notes lie.
For example, in a bansuri where Sa or the tonic is always played by closing the first
three holes, is equivalent to C, one can play sheet music by creating a finger notation that corresponds to different notes. A
flutist is able to perform complex facets of Raga music such as microtonal inflections, ornamentation, and glissando by varying
the breath, performing fast and dextrous fingering, and closing/opening the holes with slow, sweeping gestures.[citation needed]

See also [edit]

Hindustani classical music
Venu
Flute
Bamboo musical instruments

References [edit]
1. ^ a b c d Ashok Damodar Ranade 2006, pp. 284286.
2. ^ Lochtefeld 2002, p. 747.
3. ^ a b Arthur Berriedale Keith (1995). Vedic Index of Names and Subjects . Motilal Banarsidass. p. 441. ISBN 978-81-208-1332-8.
4. ^ a b Suneera Kasliwal (2004). Classical musical instruments . Rupa. pp. 8586. ISBN 978-81-291-0425-0.
5. ^ a b c Rowell 2015, pp. 99103.
6. ^ Te Nijenhuis 1974, pp. 3033.
7. ^ Ananda Lal (2004). The Oxford Companion to Indian Theatre . Oxford University Press. p. 311. ISBN 978-0-19-564446-3.
8. ^ Bettina Bumer; Kapila Vatsyayan (1988). Kalatattvakosa: A Lexicon of Fundamental Concepts of the Indian Arts . Motilal
Banarsidass. p. 181. ISBN 978-81-208-1402-8.
9. ^ Dorothea E. Hast; James R. Cowdery; Stanley Arnold Scott (1999). Exploring the World of Music: An Introduction to Music from
a World Music Perspective . Kendall Hunt. p. 153. ISBN 978-0-7872-7154-1.
10. ^ Patricia E. Karetzky (2000). Early Buddhist Narrative Art: Illustrations of the Life of the Buddha from Central Asia to China, Korea
and Japan . University Press of America. pp. 44, 60. ISBN 978-1-4617-4027-8.
11. ^ Alice Boner (1990). Principles of Composition in Hindu Sculpture: Cave Temple Period . Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 157163,
186187. ISBN 978-81-208-0705-1.
12. ^ a b Pratapaditya Pal; Stephen P. Huyler; John E. Cort; et al. (2016). Puja and Piety: Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist Art from the Indian
Subcontinent . Univ of California Press. pp. 3738, 4749, 5960. ISBN 978-0-520-28847-8.
13. ^ Martinez 2001, pp. xxvii-xxviii, 325, 342.
14. ^ Sorrell & Narayan 1980, pp. 3536.
15. ^ Lochtefeld 2002, p. 370371, 449.
16. ^ Dalal 2014, p. 28, see entry for Shiva-dedicated saint Anaya.
17. ^ a b Jaap Kunst (2013). Hindu-Javanese Musical Instruments . Springer. pp. 2526. ISBN 978-94-011-9185-2.
18. ^ vaMza , Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Koeln University, Germany
19. ^ Emmie Te Nijenhuis (1992). Sagtairomai: A Medieval Handbook of Indian Music . BRILL Academic. p. 303. ISBN 90-04-
09498-9.
20. ^ Nettl et al. 1998, pp. 345, 350354, 360, 497.
21. ^ a b Peter Westbrook (2003), The bansuri and pulangoil, bamboo flutes of India, Flutist Quarterly, Vol. 28, No. 3, pages 14
22. ^ Dale A. Olsen (2013). World Flutelore: Folktales, Myths, and Other Stories of Magical Flute Power . University of Illinois Press.
pp. 1012. ISBN 978-0-252-09514-6.
23. ^ Alka Pande (1999). Folk Music & Musical Instruments of Punjab . Mapin. pp. 4446. ISBN 978-1-890206-15-4.
24. ^ Nettl et al. 1998, p. 345.
25. ^ a b c Ardal Powell (2002). The Flute . Yale University Press. pp. 1013. ISBN 978-0-300-09498-5.
26. ^ Liane Ehlich (1984), Zur Ikonographie der Querflte im Mittelalter . Basler Jahrbuch fr historische Musikpraxis, Volume 8,
pages 197211 (in German)
27. ^ Tarla Mehta (1995). Sanskrit Play Production in Ancient India . Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 149150. ISBN 978-81-208-1057-0.
28. ^ Martinez 2001, p. 127.
29. ^ Beck 1993, pp. 98110.
30. ^ Nettl et al. 1998, pp. 306 with Figure 1 p. 299.
31. ^ Nettl et al. 1998, pp. 306, with Figure 1 p. 299 and Figure 5 p. 304.
32. ^ Sir George Watt (1908). The Commercial Products of India . J. Murray. pp. 98106.
33. ^ K. K. Seethalakshmi; M. S. Muktesh Kumar; K. Sankara Pillai; et al. (1998). Bamboos of India: A Compendium . BRILL.
pp. 20, 8083, 123, 184. ISBN 81-86247-25-4.
34. ^ Peter Westbrook (2003), The bansuri and pulangoil, bamboo flutes of India, Flutist Quarterly, Vol. 28, No. 3, pages 127
35. ^ Dale A. Olsen (2013). World Flutelore: Folktales, Myths, and Other Stories of Magical Flute Power . University of Illinois Press.
pp. 1527. ISBN 978-0-252-09514-6.
36. ^ Lyon Leifer (2005). How to Play the Bansuri: A Manual for Self-instruction Based on the Teaching of Devendra Murdeshwar .
Rasa Music. pp. 17. ISBN 978-0-9766219-0-4.
37. ^ Ellen Koskoff (2008). The Concise Garland Encyclopedia of World Music: The Middle East, South Asia, East Asia, Southeast
Asia . Routledge. p. 980. ISBN 978-0-415-99404-0.
38. ^ Mark Shepard (2002). Simple Flutes . Simple. pp. 1921, 3135. ISBN 978-0-938497-18-9.
39. ^ G Dournon; M Helffer (1984). "Bansuri". In Stanley Sadie. The New Grove dictionary of musical instruments, Volume 1 .
Macmillan Press. ISBN 978-0-943818-05-4.
40. ^ Leifer, Lyon (2005). How to Play the Bansuri: A Manual for Self-Instruction Based on the Teaching of Devendra Murdeshwar.
Rasa Music Co. ISBN 0-9766219-0-8.
Bibliography [edit]
Beck, Guy (1993). Sonic Theology: Hinduism and Sacred Sound. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press. ISBN 978-
0-87249-855-6.
Caudhur, Vimalaknta Rya (2000). The Dictionary of Hindustani Classical Music . Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 978-81-
208-1708-1.
Dalal, Roshen (2014). Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide . Penguin Books. ISBN 978-81-8475-277-9.
Danilou, Alain (1949). Northern Indian Music, Volume 1. Theory & technique; Volume 2. The main rgs. London: C.
Johnson. OCLC 851080 .
Gautam, M.R. (1993). Evolution of Raga and Tala in Indian Music. Munshiram Manoharlal. ISBN 81-215-0442-2.
Kaufmann, Walter (1968). The Ragas of North India. Oxford & Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-34780-0.
OCLC 11369 .
Lochtefeld, James G. (2002). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism, 2 Volume Set . The Rosen Publishing Group.
ISBN 978-0-8239-2287-1.
Martinez, Jos Luiz (2001). Semiosis in Hindustani Music . Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 978-81-208-1801-9.
Nettl, Bruno; Ruth M. Stone; James Porter; Timothy Rice (1998), The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music: South Asia :
the Indian subcontinent , Routledge, ISBN 978-0-8240-4946-1
Ashok Damodar Ranade (2006). Music Contexts: A Concise Dictionary of Hindustani Music . Bibliophile South Asia.
ISBN 978-81-85002-63-7.
Randel, Don Michael (2003). The Harvard Dictionary of Music (fourth ed.). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
ISBN 978-0-674-01163-2.
Rowell, Lewis (2015). Music and Musical Thought in Early India . University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-73034-9.
Sorrell, Neil; Narayan, Ram (1980). Indian Music in Performance: A Practical Introduction . Manchester University Press.
ISBN 978-0-7190-0756-9.
Te Nijenhuis, Emmie (1974). Indian Music: History and Structure . BRILL Academic. ISBN 90-04-03978-3.
Wilke, Annette; Moebus, Oliver (2011). Sound and Communication: An Aesthetic Cultural History of Sanskrit Hinduism .
Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 978-3-11-024003-0.

External links [edit]

Carnatic Flute Fingering Chart

v t e Flutes and whistles

Bansuri Daegeum Dizi Fife Five-key flute Fue (Kagurabue Komabue Minteki Nohkan Ryteki Shinobue Yokobue)
Side- Irish flute Koudi So Simple system flute Tambin Venu Xindi
blown Piccolo Treble Soprano Concert Flte d'amour Alto Bass Contra-alto Contrabass Subcontrabass
Concert
Double contrabass Hyperbass
Anasazi flute Danso Floghera Frilka Fue (Hotchiku Shakuhachi) Gudi Kaval Kauau Ney Nose flute (Kalaleng
End- Nose whistle) Pinkillu Qina Quray Sodina Sopilka upelka Svirel Washint Xiao
blown
Pan Kuvytsi Larchemi Nai Miskal Paixiao Siku Soinari Wot
Atenteben Dentsivka Diple Dvoyanka Flabiol Flageolet Frula Fujara Hydraulophone Khloy Khlui Kuisi
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Recorders
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Vessel Gemshorn (Pifana) Hun Molinukai Ocarina Tonette Xun Shepherd's whistle
Other Chinese folk flute music Flute repertory Tone hole Uakti Vertical flute

v t e Indian musical instruments

 Wind (Sushir)
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Other
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Shruti box Venu
Dotara Ektara Gottuvadhyam Mohan veena Pena Rudra veena Santoor
Saraswati veena Sarod Seni Rebab Sitar Surbahar Swaramandal Tanpura
Veena Vichitra Veena Yazh
Dilruba Esraj Sarangi Sarinda Taus Carnatic Violin
Chande Chenda Damaru Dhaak Duggi Dhol
Chimta Ghatam Ghungroo Jaltarang Kartal Khanjani Khartal Manjira
Morsing
Bharatiya Sangeet Vadya Gamaka Indian classical music Jivari Meend

v t e Musical instruments
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Rhythm section
Hammond organ (Leslie speaker) Piano Synthesizer
Miscellaneous Digereedoo Turntables used as instrument Harmonica Studio as an instrument

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