--- url: 'https://kalasudha.com/en-fr/instrument/flute' title: Flute author: name: drupler url: 'https://kalasudha.com/en-fr/user/1' date: '2023-07-03T22:37:53+00:00' updated: '2026-11-06T00:23:56+00:00' type: product summary: 'The bansuri is a keyless bamboo flute linked with Krishna. Pannalal Ghosh made it a Hindustani concert instrument in the 1940s, and Hariprasad Chaurasia…' tags: - Aerophones - 'Bansuri (Flute)' image: 'https://files.kalasudha.com/styles/d12_standard/public/mcp-imported/flute-41.jpg?VersionId=4_zf58621fa0f456059ae110919_f10194bdaf20a8147_d20261105_m212059_c003_v0312047_t0033_u01793913659021&h=00546c34&itok=k_DLOLdp' published: true og: site_name: KalaSudha 'image:url': 'https://files.kalasudha.com/styles/d12_standard/public/mcp-imported/flute-41.jpg?VersionId=4_zf58621fa0f456059ae110919_f10194bdaf20a8147_d20261105_m212059_c003_v0312047_t0033_u01793913659021&h=00546c34&itok=k_DLOLdp' 'image:secure_url': 'https://files.kalasudha.com/styles/d12_standard/public/mcp-imported/flute-41.jpg?VersionId=4_zf58621fa0f456059ae110919_f10194bdaf20a8147_d20261105_m212059_c003_v0312047_t0033_u01793913659021&h=00546c34&itok=k_DLOLdp' 'image:type': image/jpeg 'image:width': '1200' 'image:height': '675' 'image:alt': 'Bamboo bansuri flutes on an embroidered cloth' --- Hindustani instrument · Transverse flute # Fluteबांसुरी A bansuri is a transverse flute cut from a single length of seasoned bamboo. It has no keys and no moving parts, only six finger holes, or seven in Pannalal Ghosh's style. [Ask for a quote](/en-fr/form/custom-instrument-quote?instrument_id=41) [Learn the flute ](#learn) ## Buy from KalaSudha £250 to £500 - Sold by quote or made to order - Packed for shipping and delivered worldwide - Serviced and repaired by us, wherever you bought it FamilyTransverse flute MaterialSeasoned bamboo Finger holes6 (7 in Ghosh style) OriginAncient India Buy from us ## Choose your flute [Ask about a custom order ](/en-fr/form/custom-instrument-quote?instrument_id=41) - Student ### Student flute From £250 Ours suit the learner on a first raga. [Ask for a quote](/en-fr/form/custom-instrument-quote?instrument_id=41) - Concert grade ### Concert grade flute Up to £500 Concert-grade flutes come from established makers in India and suit the performer playing a full alap. [Ask for a quote](/en-fr/form/custom-instrument-quote?instrument_id=41) ### What to look for A student bansuri and a professional bansuri differ in the bamboo and in how finely the holes are tuned; the key is a separate choice. Makers cut a concert bansuri from dense, even-walled bamboo, seasoned so the tube holds its pitch, and tune each hole against a reference note. Lower keys need longer flutes: a G-natural bansuri in the Horniman Museum's collection is 650 mm long. Ask your teacher which key suits your hands. KalaSudha sells student bansuris and concert-grade flutes from established makers in India. Ours suit the learner on a first raga and the performer playing a full alap. Ask us for a quote, or for a flute made to order. ### After you buy Delivered worldwideWe pack every instrument for international shipping; ask us about cases and insurance. Service and repairWe service and repair any flute, wherever you bought it, worldwide: ask us. Strings, parts and casesAsk us for strings, spare parts and cases, and about a size for a younger learner. Help with your instrumentAsk us through the chat on any page, or by email, for help with your instrument. Gifts, schools and travelAsk us about gift vouchers, class sets for schools, and flight cases and travel help. Read the flute care guide - **After playing:** Breath condenses in the bore, so wipe it with a soft cloth or cleaning rod, then a dry cloth. Stand a played flute upright, head up, until it dries, then store it flat in a cloth bag or padded case, away from sun and heaters. Warm a cold flute to room temperature first. - **Humidity:** Rapid changes split bamboo along the grain, and the monsoon is the riskiest time in India. Avoid air-conditioning vents and sudden moves from cool rooms to humid air. - **Oiling:** Oil the outside every few months with almond or mustard oil. Oil the dry bore no further than the blow hole, with mustard or walnut oil on a cloth, then wipe off the excess. - **Cracks:** Bind a small crack tight with fine thread set in shellac or resin; this slows the split but will not bring back the original tone. If pitch or tone changes, ask us; on cheaper flutes replacement often makes more sense. KalaSudha Academy ## Learn the flute with us [All courses ](/en-fr/courses) KalaSudha teaches the bansuri online and in workshops, and every beginner starts at Foundation level. You begin with the embouchure, the shape of the lips at the blow hole, until a clear first tone sounds. Children learn with us as well as adults: ask us about a starting age, and about a flute size for a younger learner. If you are taking up the bansuri again after a long break, our courses run in levels. Your teacher reviews where you stand, then you start again where you left off. [Ask about learning the flute](/en-fr/form/learner-enquiry?source_entity_type=node&source_entity_id=41) ### Your route, stage by stage 1. 1 Embouchure and first tones Beginners start here, at Foundation, in KalaSudha's courses. Hold the flute level, angled down to the right, with three fingers of each hand over the holes and the thumbs and little fingers supporting it. Set the blow hole against the lip and direct the airstream across it until a clear tone sounds. Build steady embouchure control before moving on to finger technique. 2. 2 Scale practice and sargam Practise the sargam scale (Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni Sa) up and down across two octaves. Map each syllable to its finger pattern, with Sa sounding on the top three holes closed, and build muscle memory for every note's hole combination. 3. 3 Gamaka and half-holing Develop half-holing, covering part of a finger hole, to produce komal (flat) notes and microtonal shades. Practise meend, the continuous glide between notes, and use embouchure and breath to move between octaves. Players in the Ghosh style cover the holes with the fingertips; Chaurasia-style players use the finger pads. 4. 4 Raga alap and composition Begin a raga through its alap, the unmetered opening, then move into jor, the pulsed section, and jhala, the fast close. Sustain long phrases with controlled breath and steady pitch. Then learn a short gat or bandish, a metered composition, in tintal or rupak. 5. 5 Concert repertoire and improvisation Build a repertoire of ragas for different times and seasons. Improvise within each raga's ascent, descent and characteristic phrases, across the comfortable range, which on Ghosh's flute ran just over two octaves, using the strong upper register. Practise full performances with tabla, anchored to the cycle. The instrument ## About the flute ### What makes a flute ### What is a bansuri? The **bansuri** is the side-blown bamboo flute of Hindustani classical music, and ours suits the learner on a first raga and the performer playing a full alap. It is cut from a single length of seasoned bamboo, with no keys and six finger holes, or seven in Pannalal Ghosh's style, so every note comes from breath and fingers. ### What makes a great bansuri Concert flutes come from dense, even-walled bamboo of Assam and Bengal, seasoned so the tube holds its tuning. Hole placement is the maker's critical craft: an experienced maker tunes each hole against a reference pitch and sands it true, because a misplaced hole cannot be fixed without spoiling its neighbours. Concert bansuris come in keys from C to A, most often G or C, and a longer, wider flute sounds lower and fuller. Where the Western concert flute uses keys, the bansuri player shapes pitch with the **embouchure** (lips at the blow hole), breath pressure and **half-holing**. Covering part of a hole gives komal and tivra notes, microtones and **meend**, the glide of raga. The unmetered alap asks for long, quiet phrases and efficient breath, maximum tone from minimal air, with rests placed at points of musical structure; some players use circular breathing. Long alap is the bansuri's hardest discipline, because tone and pitch rest on breath alone. Hariprasad Chaurasia, who trained with Annapurna Devi of the Maihar gharana, is among the bansuri's best-known players. ### History Sanskrit texts name the venu and vamsha, bamboo flutes, as instruments of celestial musicians and of **Krishna**. For over two thousand years, well before medieval notation, sculpture across South and Southeast Asia has shown the flute with gods, gandharvas, court musicians and cowherds. The **Natyashastra** (2nd century BCE to 2nd century CE) groups flutes of various sizes and materials among the susira (hollow, wind) instruments of drama. Folk and devotional players kept it. The Mughal-era classical stage, held by sarangi, sitar and sarod, thought it too narrow and too quiet. In the 1940s **Pannalal Ghosh** built a longer, wider-bore bansuri in G, opened a third octave and proved it on All India Radio and on record. **Hariprasad Chaurasia** trained in vocal music, then with Annapurna Devi, daughter of Ravi Shankar's guru Allauddin Khan, and from the 1950s built a style of full tone and long, singing phrases. His Yaman, Bhairavi and Darbari became reference recordings; he worked with John McLaughlin in Shakti and with Shyam Benegal, and drew new audiences at festivals in India, Europe and North America. The venu, carried by T. R. Mahalingam and Shashank Subramanyam, grew in parallel: one build, different vocabulary, ornament and practice. How a flute is made A concert bansuri starts as a single **internode** of bamboo, the length between two nodes, from mature plants of three to five years with dense, even walls and straight grain. Assam and West Bengal give the best; a Horniman Museum murali from Assam uses bijuli bamboo (Bambusa pallida). The culm seasons for months or years, because unseasoned bamboo shrinks, shifts the holes and changes pitch. A cork stops one end. The maker cuts or burns the blow hole just in from the node, drills pilot finger holes and enlarges them step by step against a shruti box or tanpura, sanding until each note is true. Each hole affects its neighbours, so the maker balances the whole flute, and a concert bansuri in G or C can take days to tune. Wall thickness shapes tone, range and octave tuning, and tuning varies between flutes. Thread, silk, nylon or ribbon bindings protect the ends, and the bore may be lightly oiled. Keys run from C to A in several bores: a larger bore gives volume and a fuller low register, a narrower one a brighter, more agile sound. ### At a glance ClassificationAerophone: transverse flute Primary materialSeasoned bamboo from Assam and Bengal, such as bijuli bamboo (Bambusa pallida) Finger holes6 holes (7 in Ghosh style), keyless; half-holing produces microtonal gamakas Key figuresPannalal Ghosh, Hariprasad Chaurasia, T. R. Mahalingam, Shashank Subramanyam Primary traditionHindustani classical (bansuri), Carnatic classical (venu) and folk traditions Concert pitch rangeKeys C to A; concert bansuris are most often in G or C. Many leading players set Sa on E, and most own flutes in several keys. Full specifications #### Physical dimensions Length (G concert bansuri)~650mm Length (C concert bansuri)~380mm Bore diameter (concert)19–25mm Wall thickness3–6mm Weight80–150g (typical concert bansuri) #### Material and bore Primary materialSeasoned bamboo (Bambusoideae subfamily), one internode Preferred sourceAssam and West Bengal, India Seasoning period6 months to 2+ years post-harvest Bore profileCylindrical (untapered) Blow hole shapeOval or elliptical Finger hole count6 (standard) or 7 (Ghosh-style) #### Finger hole placement and tuning Tuning methodMaker plays each hole against a shruti box or tanpura during construction; adjusts by sanding TemperamentJust intonation (not equal temperament) Microtonal techniqueHalf-holing produces komal/tivra variants and continuous meend (glide) Full chromatic accessVia half-holing across all six or seven holes Available keysC, D, E, F, G, A (and intermediate variants) #### Tonal range G concert bansuri rangeG3 to D6 (~3 octaves) C concert bansuri rangeC4 to G6 (~3 octaves) Usable octaves in performance2.5–3 octaves Third octave accessAdvanced embouchure control and increased breath pressure required #### Acoustic characteristics Frequency range (G bansuri)~196 Hz (G3) to ~1,175 Hz (D6) VolumeSoft to moderate; amplification common in concert settings Tonal characterWarm, breathy; strong fundamental with soft overtones Dynamic controlVia breath pressure and embouchure angle; very fine gradations possible SustainNotes sustain for breath duration only; no mechanical sustain Explore the music ## Hear the flute Hear KalaSudha's [recordings](/en-fr/releases) and [concert videos](/en-fr/videos). ### Recordings to start with - [ Mountain Dhun by Ajay Prasanna \| Live \| Raga Unison at Edinburgh Ajay Prasanna, Shahbaz Hussain, R. N. Prakash 9:20 ](/en-fr/video/mountain-dhun-by-ajay-prasanna-live-raga-unison-at-edinburgh) - [ Yaad Piya Ki Aaye \| Ajay Prasanna \| London Raga Fusion \| Flute, Piano, Tabla & Ghatam \| KalaSudha Ajay Prasanna, Shahbaz Hussain, Rekesh Chauhan, R. N. Prakash 12:32 ](/en-fr/video/yaad-piya-ki-aaye-ajay-prasanna-london-raga-fusion-flute-piano-tabla-ghatam-kalasudha) - [ Raag Hansdhwani Live in Edinburgh by Pt. Ajay Prasanna Ajay Prasanna, Shahbaz Hussain, R. N. Prakash 8:31 ](/en-fr/video/raag-hansdhwani-live-in-edinburgh-by-pt-ajay-prasanna) - [ The Soul of Sunset: Raag Marwa Aalap in Edinburgh by Pt. Ajay Prasanna Ajay Prasanna 19:31 ](/en-fr/video/the-soul-of-sunset-raag-marwa-aalap-in-edinburgh-by-pt-ajay-prasanna) - [ Raag Madhuvanti Jhala \| Flute \| Tabla \| Pakhawaj \| Music of India \| Purvi Festival 2023 Shanish Kumar 7:42 ](/en-fr/video/raag-madhuvanti-jhala-flute-tabla-pakhawaj-music-of-india-purvi-festival-2023) - [ Raag Madhuvanti Alap \| Flute \| Music of India \| Shanish Kumar Gaywali \| Purvi Festival 2023 Shanish Kumar 6:43 ](/en-fr/video/raag-madhuvanti-alap-flute-music-of-india-shanish-kumar-gaywali-purvi-festival-2023) ### Players - [ Ajay Prasanna Pandit of Benaras Gharana ](/en-fr/artist/ajay-prasanna) Ask us to book a flute player for a concert, event or recording. [Book a flute player ](/en-fr/book-indian-classical-musicians) Keep exploring ## More around the flute - [ Discipline Bansuri (Flute) Shape a raga phrase through tone, finger movement and planned breathing. ](/en-fr/instrumental/hindustani-classical/bansuri-flute) Questions ## Flute: common questions Buying, learning, care and the instrument itself. ### What is a bansuri? A [**bansuri**](/en-fr/instrument/flute) is a transverse flute cut from a single length of seasoned bamboo. It has no keys and no moving parts, only six finger holes, or seven in Pannalal Ghosh's style. The maker burns or drills the blow hole and the finger holes. The player controls pitch through the lips at the blow hole, breath pressure and **half-holing**, covering a finger hole in part, which gives the slides and bends of a raga. Until the 1940s it was not thought a concert instrument; Pannalal Ghosh made a larger [bansuri](/en-fr/instrumental/hindustani-classical/bansuri-flute) for the classical stage. ### How do I start learning the bansuri? KalaSudha teaches the [bansuri](/en-fr/instrumental/hindustani-classical/bansuri-flute) online and in workshops, and every beginner starts at **Foundation** level. You begin with the embouchure, the shape of the lips at the blow hole, until a clear first tone sounds. Children learn with us as well as adults: ask us about a starting age, and about a flute size for a younger learner. If you are taking up the bansuri again after a long break, our [courses](/en-fr/courses) run in levels. Your teacher reviews where you stand, then you start again where you left off. ### Who made the bansuri a classical concert instrument? Pannalal Ghosh (1911 to 1960) is generally credited with popularising the bamboo flute, the **[bansuri](/en-fr/instrument/flute)**, in modern Hindustani classical music. No Hindustani classical bansuri tradition appears to have existed in the 1930s and 1940s. Ghosh lengthened the flute, added a seventh finger hole and devised a bass flute for exploring the lower octave in ragas such as Darbari. ### How many holes does a bansuri have? A Hindustani **[bansuri](/en-fr/instrument/flute)** has six finger holes in line with the blow hole. Pannalal Ghosh added a seventh, played with the little finger of the lower hand, which his circle uses for tivra Ma in the lower octave. Britannica describes six or seven finger holes. Both are keyless bamboo flutes, but the Carnatic [venu](/en-fr/instrument/venu) has eight finger holes, with Sa fingered on the first two holes closed, and its eighth hole stays open except in special fingerings. ### What is the range of a bansuri? Sources give different figures for the **[bansuri](/en-fr/instrument/flute)**'s range. A six-hole bansuri covers about two and a half octaves and a seven-hole about three, while an enthusiast reference gives about two octaves as the working range. On the flute as Pannalal Ghosh used it, the comfortable range was just over two octaves, and the upper register projects strongly. ### How do I check a bansuri before buying? Tuning varies between flutes, so check the tuning of each **[bansuri](/en-fr/instrument/flute)**. Hole position and diameter set each note's pitch, and wall thickness affects tone, range and octave tuning. Look for cracks too: they come mostly from extreme temperatures, humidity and knocks, and can spread along the bamboo. ### What should I look for when buying a student or professional bansuri? A student bansuri and a professional bansuri differ in the bamboo and in how finely the holes are tuned; the key is a separate choice. Makers cut a concert bansuri from dense, even-walled bamboo, seasoned so the tube holds its pitch, and tune each hole against a reference note. Lower keys need longer flutes: a G-natural bansuri in the Horniman Museum's collection is 650 mm long. Ask your teacher which key suits your hands. KalaSudha sells student bansuris and concert-grade flutes from established makers in India. Ours suit the learner on a first raga and the performer playing a full alap. Ask us for a quote, or for a flute made to order. ### Where can I buy a bansuri outside India? You can order a bansuri from KalaSudha wherever you live: we sell by quote or made to order and deliver worldwide. We pack every flute for international shipping; ask us about cases and insurance. Bring us any bansuri for service or repair, wherever you bought it and wherever you live. Ask us for spare parts too. For help with your flute once it arrives, use the chat on any page or email . Gift vouchers, class sets for schools and flight cases for travel are available as well, on request. ### What is a good gift for someone learning an Indian classical instrument? A good gift for someone learning an Indian classical instrument suits the instrument they play and the stage they have reached, so ask their teacher if you are unsure. An instrument of their own, or a better one, also makes a gift: KalaSudha sells every instrument by quote or made to order. For something smaller, ask us for a case, or for strings and spare parts to suit their instrument. Lessons make a gift as well. KalaSudha teaches online and in workshops, and beginners start at Foundation level: see our [courses](/en-fr/courses). Ask us about gift vouchers. ### Why do bamboo flutes crack? Bamboo flutes such as the **[bansuri](/en-fr/instrument/flute)** crack mostly from extreme temperatures, humidity and hard knocks, and a small crack can spread along the bamboo. Bring the flute to room temperature before playing, avoid playing outdoors in the cold, and wipe the bore dry after each session. Store a played flute upright, out of its case or bag, while it dries. ### Can a cracked bansuri be repaired? Yes, a cracked **[bansuri](/en-fr/instrument/flute)** can be repaired. Work early, on a cold flute: run low-viscosity cyanoacrylate glue along the crack and press it closed for about 30 seconds. After about five minutes, wipe off the excess and rebind the section with thread. Keep the flute bound at both ends and in the middle. ### Is the bansuri used in folk music? Yes, the **[bansuri](/en-fr/instrument/flute)** remains a folk instrument as well as a classical one. A five-hole bamboo bansuri from Rajasthan, 210 mm long and collected in 1987 for a Cambridge museum, is played at seasonal dances and at Holi. In Assam the murali serves dance and song in several communities, and a Horniman example is made of bijuli bamboo. Museums file both as side-blown flutes. ### Can I book a bansuri player for a concert, event or recording? You can book a bansuri player through KalaSudha for a concert, event or recording: ask us through our page to [book Indian classical musicians](/en-fr/book-indian-classical-musicians). KalaSudha's [recordings](/en-fr/releases) and [concert videos](/en-fr/videos) let you hear our artists before you choose. ### What is the difference between the bansuri and the Carnatic flute? The **bansuri** of Hindustani music has six finger holes, or seven in Pannalal Ghosh's style, while the venu, the Carnatic flute, has eight. Both are keyless bamboo flutes, so pitch comes from the fingers, hole coverage and breath. The fingering differs too: a venu player sounds Sa with the top two holes closed, a bansuri player with the top three. Pannalal Ghosh brought the bansuri to the Hindustani stage in the 1940s, and T. R. Mahalingam made the venu a solo Carnatic instrument. ### Who are the best-known bansuri players? Well-known **bansuri** players include Pannalal Ghosh (1911 to 1960) and Hariprasad Chaurasia. In the 1940s Ghosh built a longer, wider-bore bansuri and proved it on All India Radio and on record. He added the seventh finger hole that his circle still uses. Chaurasia trained with Annapurna Devi of the Maihar gharana and from the 1950s built a style of full tone and long, singing phrases. ### Still have questions? Our support team can help you find the right answer. [Contact support](/en-fr/form/learner-enquiry?source_entity_type=node&source_entity_id=41) Talk to us ## Tell us about the flute you want Ask for a quote on an instrument made to order, or about learning to play it with our teachers. [Ask for a quote](/en-fr/form/custom-instrument-quote?instrument_id=41) [Ask about learning](/en-fr/form/learner-enquiry?source_entity_type=node&source_entity_id=41) Stay close ## Keep KalaSudha close. Receive news of concerts, learning opportunities, recordings and the work taking shape at KalaSudha. - Concert news - ·Learning opportunities - ·Recordings and stories We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at any time. Buy a flute from KalaSudha [Ask for a quote](/en-fr/form/custom-instrument-quote?instrument_id=41)