nepal music

8/3/2019 Nepal Music

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The bansuri (Hindi: ,Nepali:, Marathi:

Assamese: , Bengali: ) is a transverse alto flute of

Bangladesh, India and Nepal made from a single hollow shaft of bamboowith six or seven finger holes. An ancient musical instrument associated

with cowherds and the pastoral tradition, it is intimately linked to the love

story of Krishna and Radha, and is depicted in Buddhist paintings from

around 100 AD. The Bansuri is revered as Lord Krishna's divine instrument,

and is often associated with Krishna's Rasa lila; mythological accounts tell

of the tunes of Krishna's flute having a spellbinding and enthralling effect

not only on the women of the Braj, but even on the animals of the region.

The North Indian bansuri, typically about 14 inches in length, was

traditionally used as a soprano instrument primarily for accompaniment

in lighter compositions including film music. The bass variety

(approximately 30", tonic E3 at A440Hz), pioneered by Pt. Pannalal Ghoshand elevated to heights of global renown by the brilliance of Pt.

Hariprasad Chaurasia has now been indispensable in Hindustani Classical

music for well over half a century. Bansuris range in size from less than

12" to nearly 40".



Bansuris range in length from less than 12 inches

(called murali s) up to about 40 inches (shankha

bansuris). 20-inch bansuris are common. Anothercommon and similar Indian flute played in South

India is the venu, which is shorter in length and

has 8 finger holes(This type of Indian flute is

played by the famous Carnatic Musician Shashank

Subramanyam). The index, middle, and ring

fingers of both hands are usually used to finger

the six hole bansuri. For the seven hole bansuri, the little finger (pinky) of the lower hand is

usually employed. Fingering chart for a Bansuri



The sound of a bansuri is generated from resonance of theair column inside it. The length of this column is varied byclosing or leaving open, a varying number of holes. Half-

holing is employed to play flat or minor notes. The 'sa' (onthe Indian sargam scale, or equivalent 'do' on the octave)note is obtained by covering the first three holes from theblowing-hole. Octaves are varied by manipulating one'sembouchure and controlling the blowing strength. Variousgrip styles are used by flutists to suit different lengths of Bansuris, the two prominent styles being the PannalalGhosh grip, which uses the fingertips to close the holes, and the Hariprasad Chaurasia grip, which uses the pads(flatundersides) of the fingers to close the holes.[4] Whileplaying, the sitting posture is also important in that one

should be careful not to strain one's back over long hours of practice. The size of a Bansuri affects its pitch. Longerbansuris with a larger bore have a lower pitch and theslimmer and shorter ones sound higher.



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 D, one can play sheet music by

creating a finger notation that corresponds todifferent 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 dextrousfingering, and closing/opening the holes with

slow, sweeping gestures.

nepal music

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