The Bansuri

A bansuri is a side blown flute originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. It is referred to as nadi and tunava in the Rigveda and other Vedic texts of Hinduism. A bansuri is traditionally made from a single hollow shaft of bamboo with six or seven finger holes and covers around two and a half octaves of music. The bansuri is typically between 30 centimeters (12 in) and 75 centimeters (30 in) in length, and the thickness of a human thumb. Longer bansuris feature deeper tones and lower pitches.

The traditional design features no mechanical keys (as seen in the flutes of western classical music) and the musician creates the notes they want by tapping the various finger holes. The word bansuri originates from the words bans [bamboo] and sur [melody]. The flute is a simple instrument found in numerous ancient cultures. According to different legends the birthplaces of flutes are 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. The modern Indian bansuri has not changed much since the early medieval era.

HISTORY AND MYTHOLOGY

Indian Origin 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. It is mentioned to have been complementary to the human sound and the Veena in many Hindu texts on music and singing. The flute is however not called bansuri in the ancient texts, instead being referred to by other names such as nadi, tunava or as venu as seen in the post-Vedic texts. The flute is also mentioned in various Upanishads and Yoga texts. It is said that Lord Krishna played Raag Kedar on the flute in Gokul and everyone was mesmerized.

Greek Origin

Greek mythology relates that the flute was invented by the goddess of wisdom and warfare, Athena. Athena was a talented flute player, as she created it, but others ridiculed her when she played due to her cheeks. In disgust, she threw away the flute and said whoever picked it up and played it would be severely punished. A satyr (a Greek mythological creature, half human and half horse)named Marsyas picked up the flute. He was a wonderful player and challenged Apollo to a contest. Apollo won and punished Marsyas for thinking he was better than him by skinning him alive. Athena was pleased with this punishment, living up to her first vow.

CONSTRUCTION

A bansuri is traditionally produced from a special type of bamboo that naturally grows to long lengths between its nodes. These grow abundantly in Himalayan foothills up to about 11,000 feet with high rainfall. These are particularly found in the northeastern states (near Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura) and Western Ghats (near Kerala) of India where numerous bamboo species grow with internodal lengths greater than 40 centimeters (16 inches). 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 and straightness and measure the dried hollow tube. They mark the exact positions for the holes, then use hot metal rod skewers of different diameters to burn in the holes. Drilling and other methods of hole-making are avoided as it is believed they damage the fiber orientation and the splits affects the music quality. The burnt-in holes are then finished by sanding, one end plugged, flute ringed at various positions to stabilize its form and shape over time and the unit is tested for its 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 are 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 their performance range, the bansuri is steeped in natural oils, cleaned, dried and decorated or bound with silk or nylon threads, ready to be used by the musician.