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The SwarShala Indian music software includes Bansuri and over 100 other perfectly sampled virtual Indian instruments.
The Bansuri has its origin in the Indian subcontinent. It is a side-blown flute that is made from bamboo. Bansuri is used widely in Indian classical music. It is also known as astunava or nadi in the Rig-Veda and other religious books of Hinduism. In the Sanskrit text called Natya Shastra, the operations and importance of Bansuri are discussed. The word Bansuri originated from two words, baans and sur. Baans is a Hindi word for bamboo, and sur means musical note.
A Bansuri is conventionally made from an empty solo pipe of bamboo. It has six to seven holes to cover with fingers and produce sound. Variations in modern times also include Bansuri made from metals, ivory, and fiberglass. This musical instrument of six holes covers two and a half octaves of music. The thickness of Bansuri is typically around a human thumb while it is between 30 to 75 centimeters long. One of the sides of Bansuri is closed, and a few centimeters below this closed side start holes for blowing and creating music. Shorter bansuris produce high pitch sounds, while on the other hand, longer Bansuris produce high pitch and deeper sounds. Traditional instruments have no mechanical keys, and players create music by blowing and tapping blow holes in different styles.
The flute is a simple musical instrument found in several ancient cultures. History says that the birthplaces of flutes are India, Egypt, and Greece. The side-blown or transverse flute can be found only in Indian history, while the fipple flute can be found in all three cultures. As Bansuris are made from bamboo, they are created individually and differently according to the feature of bamboo being used and the requirement of the flute player. Typically a good bansuri is produced by using a special bamboo that is long between its knots. These kinds of bamboos grow abundantly on the Himalayan side with heavy rainfall. This type of bamboo can be found in India's Northeast and the Western Ghats. Bamboos found in these areas have more than 40 centimeters of length between their nodes.
This special bamboo is produced, cut, dried, and then specially treated with oils to strengthen it. Then artisans measure their length, check their hollowness, mark the place of holes carefully, and then use hot rods to burn the holes. Burning holes make the holes smoother and help produce fine sound once Bansuri is ready.
Try the free SwarShala demo that includes Bansuri along with various other Indian instruments by clicking on the "Try a Demo" button below.