Flute

Flute/Bansuri (Vanshi,Venu,) In India, the flute is called Bansuri, i.e., one which is made of bamboo. Flute is the one of the most ancient musical instruments, played in its different shapes and sizes all over the world. It is made of various materials like bamboo, wood, metal, etc. Though the flute has evolved over the ages and is played on the concert platform, it still is comparatively, the simplest instrument as far as its form and structure are concerned. As a classical instrument, the Indian flute is even simpler than its western counterpart. Made of bamboo, it is intrinsically nearer to nature than the western metal flute which has an additional feature of keys. Unlike the western concert flute, the bamboo flute has usually only six holes to draw all the notes by maneuvering on holes directly with fingers, instead of by keys. The texts on classical Indian music state that before the development of string instruments, the musical scale was determined on the flute. It was also the basic instrument for accompaniment to vocal music. The different sounds of the air passing through worm- eaten perforations in bamboo inspired earlier man to carve an instrument from this plant and which gradually evolved into the flute. The evolution of an instrument, needless to say, takes place according to the needs of the music. The present form of the Indian flute is almost well suited to Indian classical music. However, many experiments have been carried out to make this instrument more capable of expressing the intricacies of raga sangeet. 1

The history of bamboo flute as a classical solo instrument is only about hundred years old. The pioneer in this field, who established the flute on the classical Indian concert platform, was the veteran Pannalal Ghosh who made valuable contribution in making the flute compatible to the ‘raga sangeet’(classical Indian music). Later, Pt. Raghunath Seth contributed further in this direction by adding a key, which made possible to play the ragas (melodies) earlier found difficult to render on the bamboo flute. As far as the playing technique and mastery over the instrument are concerned, Pt. Hariprasad Chourasia’s contribution is unparalleled. His name has become a synonym of the Indian flute. Yet, there is still a vast scope for bringing about innumerable innovations by experimenting with the instrument. The present young generation of flautists, some of whom also make the instrument, are further exploring and experimenting and, hence, enhancing various facets of the flute. Understanding the needs of classical Indian music, that is –raga sangeet, I realized the improvements required in the key, primarily introduced by my guru, Pt. Raghunath Seth, to maneuvre particular holes(lower madhyam and teevra madhyam) otherwise unmanouvreable by fingers. Picking up the idea from the western flute, I have made changes in the previous key to increase its potentiality- by making its use swift, easier and foolproof. Taking inspiration from the folk flute, I have incorporated a thumb- hole in my flute, which I found necessary, to play some important phrases of ragas. These additions have proven extremely useful in rendering raga sangeet.

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The concept of raga is an unique feature of classical Indian music, found in no other music in the world. It is a highly evolved system of music- in terms of aesthetics as well as its science. When we speak of classical Indian music, it is to be understood as Raga sangeet, as expounded by scholars. Broadly defined, a raga is a melodic structure, which is improvised within a set of rules. The core feature of the Indian music is that it is based on a natural scale (diatonic scale) and hence cannot be played on keyed instruments which are tuned to a tempered scale. This characteristic of the Indian music also determines its nature of being a solo art form. A four- stringed lute, called tanpura or tamboora, is an indispensable instrument which provides not only the ‘tonic’ but the backdrop of a wide range of harmonics. One of the greatest exponents of classical Indian music, Pt. Kumar Gandharva, has defined the tanpura, thus,-“The sound of the tanpura is a canvas for a musician to paint his colours of melodies.” The word flute evokes myriad images in the Indian mind, as it is intimately woven into the Indian ethos. The flute- playing cowherd god- Krishna- is a symbol of various aspects of the Indian thought- religious, philosophical, spiritual, aesthetic, and erotic mysticism . The divine strains of lord Krishna’s flute, beckoning his consort Radha and the other cowherdesses, forms a recurrent lyrical theme in literature, dance, music, painting and sculpture, representing the epitome of romance and aesthetic pleasure. The flute, inseparable in Krishna’s hands has found varied portrayal- from being an earthly symbol of love, of the other woman who is the object of Radha’s envy, to the highest philosophical interpretation as the primordial sound. Bamboo flute is the instrument of Indian music that truly reflects the art, thought and culture of the country.

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