Indian Bansuri Flute (Bass E) - Bamboo - High Quality Student Flute - Prince Flutes
The largest and lowest sounding bansuri flute. Only recommended for people with large hands or experienced bansuri players.
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 E and plays in the major and minor scale. The flute is 80 cm long and is very tough to play for people with small hands. You play the E note by covering the three top holes. When you close all holes you play a B note. Therefore, in the western world we could say the flute is actually tuned to B. In effect, you can play in E major as well as in B 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
- E major, B major, C# minor, G# minor
- By half-covering holes you can also play tones outside of these scales
- The flute has a reach of over 2 octaves
