Indian Bansuri Flute (Bass A) - Bamboo - High Quality Student Flute - Prince Flutes
This particular Bansuri flute has been made by hand out of carefully selected bamboo. The flute was made in India by the Indian company 'Prince Flutes', a family company that has been specializing in crafting bamboo flutes for decades. It is played in a similar way to the western concert flute. It's held horizontally and blown from the side. If you've never played such a flute before, it will take some practice to get it right.
It has six finger holes on top. It's tuned to A and plays in the major and minor scale. The flute is 61 cm long and is a bit tough to play for people with small hands. You play the A note by covering the three top holes. When you close all holes you play an E note. Therefore, in the western world we could say the flute is actually tuned to E. In effect, you can play in A major as well as in E major.
To play in the major scale, start with either all holes closed, or with only the top 3 holes closed (this would be the Indian way of playing a major scale). To play in the minor scale, start with 5 closed, or with only 1 closed.
How to play this flute?
- Aim your airflow against the edge of the embouchure hole
- This requires some practice and patience
- The flute is held horizontally, this too requires some practice
- There's 6 fingerholes on top, and no thumbhole on the back
- Cover the holes with the pad of the fingers, not the fingertips
The musical possibilities
- This flute allows you to play in major and minor scales
- A major, E major, C# minor, F# minor
- By half-covering holes you can also play tones outside of these scales
- The flute has a reach of over 2 octaves
