The Bansuri is named after the combination of two words; Bans which means bamboo and Sur which means musical note. The Bansuri is made of a single length of bamboo and has six to eight open fingers holes. Bansuri or Flute (literally Bamboo Flute) is a cylindrical tube made of bamboo with uniform bore and closed at one end. Bansuris or Flutes are of different kinds and lengths and number of holes varies. The length can vary from eight inches to tow and half feet that is 30 inch. There is mouth hole in every flute. In addition to it there are 6 to 8 holes arranged in a straight line. The range of the bansuri or flute is about 2 and half octaves. Long bansuris or flutes have a rich, deep and mellow tone whereas in small bansuris or flutes the tone is high pitched.

The Bansuri is held in a horizontal position with a slight downward inclination. The two thumbs are used to hold the bansuri or flute in position. The three fingers of the left hand, excluding the little finger and the four fingers of the right hand are used to manipulate the finger holes. The player blows into the mouth hole, thus setting in vibration, the column of air inside the tube. The lowest octave of the scale is produced by altering the effective length of the tube by covering the holes with the finger. The player can produce any interval by opening or closing the available holes with his fingers.

Although the bansuri is among the most ancient musical instruments of Nepal and India, its status as a folk musical instrument in Nepal and a concert instrument for north Indian classical music is a relatively recent phenomenon. This favorite instrument of folk musicians and shepherds for thousands of years was brought into the fold Nepalese traditional music by many Nepalese villagers and some legendary maestros of India.

PARTS OF THE BANSURI:

We will now take a closer at the Bansuri (Bansuri Flute). As in other musical instruments bansuri too has the parts of its own. We will explain in details the parts of the Bansuri below;

Dandi: The dandi is the main body of the bansuri. Bansuri may be constructed from a variety of materials, but reeds, canes and bamboo are the most common. Ideally they should be constructed so that they taper towards the embouchure mukha randhra. They are therefore larger at the open end.

Mukha Randhra: This is the embouchure is placed, or the blowing hole. The Professional quality bansuris are invariably of the transverse variety. However, there are also a number of fipple flutes which are also available. These are sometimes found among folk musicians and they are frequently given to children as toys. The transverse variety yields much better control by allowing techniques to bend the notes to the desired pitches.

Swor Randhra: These are the finger holes. They are the holes that are used to play the melodies. The numbers of holes in bansuri may vary from six holes to up to eight holes. The diameter of the holes may be different.

Garbha Randhra: This is the other end of the bansuri. It should remain un occluded at all times.

Rassi: The body of the bansuri tends to crack. This is simply one of the undesirable qualities of bamboo and reed. This cracking may be reduced or eliminated by tightly binding the body with twine. This is know as Rassi. One trick used by craftsmen to assure an even and reproducible tension is to tie a fixed weight to the end of the string and slowly turn the body of the bansuri to wrap the twine around it.

BRIEF HISTORY OF BANSURI:

The name Bansuri has its roots in the word Bans means bamboo. Originally used as a folk instrument and to accompany dance (sometimes semi-religious) the bansuri has only recently in this century been used in classical Indian music where it is accompanied by Tablas and the Tambor which provides a tonal drone. The bansuri with its pastoral association and the chosen instrument of Lord Krishna, is one of the oldest musical instruments of Nepal and India: it is mentioned in Vedas and is depicted in the Buddhist art of 2000 years ago. One Sanskrit verse credits the bansuri as the source of swarajnana - the knowledge of music. The Hindu deity Lord Krishna is often pictured as a shepherd who plays the flute and it is often associated with magical or seductive powers. In addition the Bansuri enjoys a distinguished place in the history of Nepalese and Indian music and mythology.

In India the flute has been known by many names in addition to bansuri: Algoza, Bansi, Kolalu, Kukhl, Murali, Nar, Pava, Pillankuzhal, Pillangrovi, Pulangoil, Vanu, and Vamsi. Under this variety of names the flute was used in both sacred and secular contexts up until at least the sixteenth century. In the fifteenth century after the invasion of the Moghuls the development of gharanas or schools of music came about in the courts of North India leading to the advent of what has become know as Hindustani music. The flute was left out of the repertoire for the most part as it was seen as too basic of an instrument. The flutes high pitch was considered unsuitable for the full range of expression. In addition there was no established form of construction or pitch center for the flute.

In the beginning of this century there were at least three different kinds of flutes in use. Transverse (side-blown), end blown and fipple flutes (similar to a recorder), which were made of a variety of materials: metal, wood, and bamboo. They were used in a variety of pitches and ranged in size from fifteen to sixty centimeters (6 to 30 inches).

MAINTENANCE OF BANSURI:

If it is Bamboo Flute, bamboo is a natural material, pay attention not to subject the bamboo to quick temperature and climate changes such as going in an air conditioned room from the outside on a hot sunny afternoon. If such is the case, leave the instrument in its protective environment for 5 to 10 minutes before taking it out to play. The hot breath passing through the bamboo will make too drastic a drop in temperature in too short a time resulting in sudden contraction of the bamboo which may result in instant crack. The condensation inside the instrument should be wiped dry after playing. The inside bore, the blowing hole, the finger hole and the end grains should be oiled every few months depending on frequency of use and climate. Use good quality oil. Any eatable nut oil can be used. The outer skin is very durable, so requires no maintenance. The binding is designed to prevent the bamboo from expanding and contracting too much which is the main reason for cracking. It should not be removed and it won't come loose with normal use. The binding material, waxed nylon strings, will deteriorate over time. While oiling your bansuri or flute do not let any oil get on the binding.

If it is Metal Flute, keep flute away from heat, dust, water and moist. Regularly cleanup your bansuri. Don't let any stains remain on the flute. While storing always use air tight packet for storing your bansuri. Always keep your bansuri away from heat, dust and water.

BANSURIS WE OFFER:

We offer varieties of Bansuris in different sizes and price range. Bansuris we offer are of great quality at reasonable price. This fascinating musical instrument "Bansuri" is found enjoyed all over the world The Bansuri we offer are beautifully decorated with hand carvings. Though simple yet great Bansuris at reasonable price are available in our stock. The Bansuris are made from finest wood or metal. Sometimes other material such as bone, brass, silver, copper are also used to make more stronger or beautiful. Our Bansuris have perfect sound which come in excellent quality. Since sound is the primary concern so to be a good Bansuri it has to produce perfect sound therefore our Bansuris are selected and tested for a perfect sound. All our Bansuris are tested, rechecked and selected for the quality and sound. Our Bansuris are shipped within 12 hours of order received through DHL and reached to the customer within 5 to 6 business days after it is shipped. We also have Bansuri Wholesale Offer. Please Contact Us for detail.