--- url: 'https://kalasudha.com/en-gb/instrument/flute' title: Flute author: name: drupler url: 'https://kalasudha.com/en-gb/user/1' date: '2023-07-03T22:37:53+00:00' updated: '2026-10-19T22:10:37+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 image: 'https://cloudfront.kalasudha.com/kalasudha-web-prod/s3fs-public/styles/d12_standard/public/2025-06/Grand-Piano.jpg?h=d1cb525d&itok=WXoyVsmX' published: true og: site_name: KalaSudha 'image:url': 'https://cloudfront.kalasudha.com/kalasudha-web-prod/s3fs-public/styles/d12_standard/public/2025-06/Grand-Piano.jpg?h=d1cb525d&itok=WXoyVsmX' 'image:secure_url': 'https://cloudfront.kalasudha.com/kalasudha-web-prod/s3fs-public/styles/d12_standard/public/2025-06/Grand-Piano.jpg?h=d1cb525d&itok=WXoyVsmX' 'image:type': image/jpeg 'image:width': '1200' 'image:height': '675' 'image:alt': Grand-Piano --- [ Instruments ](/en-gb/instruments) Flute 1. [ Home ](/en-gb) 2. 3. [ Instruments ](/en-gb/instruments) 4. 5. Flute Aerophones Aerophone / woodwind (transverse flute) Intermediate Ancient India; formalised for Hindustani concert use in the 1930s and 1940s Hindustani classical Bansuri tradition # Flute (बांसुरी) The bansuri is a keyless bamboo flute linked with Krishna. Pannalal Ghosh made it a Hindustani concert instrument in the 1940s, and Hariprasad Chaurasia carried it worldwide. Practitioners 1 Videos 6 Price Range £30 - £500 Student bansuris start at £250, and concert-grade instruments from established makers in India cost up to £500, depending on key, bore size and maker reputation. [ Request Quote ](/en-gb/form/custom-instrument-quote?instrument_id=41) ## History & Origins ### 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 or eight finger holes, 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's Vrindaban Gurukul in Mumbai trains new players. 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. ## Construction & Craftsmanship ### Construction Process 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; the maker Anubodh writes that a well-tuned flute has long been more chance than routine. 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. ### Maintenance & Care - **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. ### Quick Facts Category Aerophones Family Aerophone / woodwind (transverse flute) Difficulty Intermediate Origin Ancient India; formalised for Hindustani concert use in the 1930s and 1940s Classification Aerophone: transverse flute Primary material Seasoned bamboo from Assam and Bengal, such as bijuli bamboo (Bambusa pallida) Finger holes 6, 7 or 8 holes, keyless; half-holing produces microtonal gamakas Key figures Pannalal Ghosh, Hariprasad Chaurasia, T. R. Mahalingam, Shashank Subramanyam Primary tradition Hindustani classical (bansuri), Carnatic classical (venu) and folk traditions Concert pitch range Keys 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. ### Price Range £30 - £500 Student bansuris start at £250, and concert-grade instruments from established makers in India cost up to £500, depending on key, bore size and maker reputation. [ Request Quote ](/en-gb/form/custom-instrument-quote?instrument_id=41) ### Statistics Practitioners 1 Videos 6 ## Technical Specifications Detailed specifications for the Flute Physical dimensions Material and bore Finger hole placement and tuning Tonal range Acoustic characteristics Physical dimensions Physical dimensions specifications | Specification | Value | |---|---| | Length (G concert bansuri) | ~650mm | | Length (C concert bansuri) | ~380mm | | Bore diameter (concert) | 19–25mm | | Wall thickness | 3–6mm | | Weight | 80–150g (typical concert bansuri) | Material and bore Material and bore specifications | Specification | Value | |---|---| | Primary material | Seasoned bamboo (Bambusoideae subfamily), one internode | | Preferred source | Assam and West Bengal, India | | Seasoning period | 6 months to 2+ years post-harvest | | Bore profile | Cylindrical (untapered) | | Blow hole shape | Oval or elliptical | | Finger hole count | 6 (standard), 7 (Ghosh-style) or 8 (extended range) | Finger hole placement and tuning Finger hole placement and tuning specifications | Specification | Value | |---|---| | Tuning method | Maker plays each hole against a shruti box or tanpura during construction; adjusts by sanding | | Temperament | Just intonation (not equal temperament) | | Microtonal technique | Half-holing produces komal/tivra variants and continuous meend (glide) | | Full chromatic access | Via half-holing across all six or eight holes | | Available keys | C, D, E, F, G, A (and intermediate variants) | Tonal range Tonal range specifications | Specification | Value | |---|---| | G concert bansuri range | G3 to D6 (~3 octaves) | | C concert bansuri range | C4 to G6 (~3 octaves) | | Usable octaves in performance | 2.5–3 octaves | | Third octave access | Advanced embouchure control and increased breath pressure required | Acoustic characteristics Acoustic characteristics specifications | Specification | Value | |---|---| | Frequency range (G bansuri) | ~196 Hz (G3) to ~1,175 Hz (D6) | | Volume | Soft to moderate; amplification common in concert settings | | Tonal character | Warm, breathy; strong fundamental with soft overtones | | Dynamic control | Via breath pressure and embouchure angle; very fine gradations possible | | Sustain | Notes sustain for breath duration only; no mechanical sustain | ## Available Instruments Browse our curated selection of Flutes Showing 1 instruments ### বাঁশি £30.00 [ Request Quote ](/en-gb/form/custom-instrument-quote?instrument_id=41&product_id=28) [Get Details](/en-gb/product/28) ### Looking for Something Unique? Contact us for custom-made instruments tailored to your specific requirements [ Contact for Custom Order ](/en-gb/form/custom-instrument-quote?instrument_id=41) ## Your Journey to Flute Mastery Follow this structured path from absolute beginner to accomplished performer 1 ### Embouchure and first tones 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. 20% 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. 40% 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. 60% 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. 80% 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. 100% ## Media Gallery Watch performances, see details, and explore the Flute in action [ Live Performance 9:20 ### Mountain Dhun by Ajay Prasanna | Live | Raga Unison at Edinburgh 6 months ago ](/en-gb/video/mountain-dhun-by-ajay-prasanna-live-raga-unison-at-edinburgh) [ Live Performance 12:32 ### Yaad Piya Ki Aaye | Ajay Prasanna | London Raga Fusion | Flute, Piano, Tabla & Ghatam | KalaSudha 7 months ago ](/en-gb/video/yaad-piya-ki-aaye-ajay-prasanna-london-raga-fusion-flute-piano-tabla-ghatam-kalasudha) [ Live Performance 8:31 ### Raag Hansdhwani Live in Edinburgh by Pt. Ajay Prasanna 9 months ago ](/en-gb/video/raag-hansdhwani-live-in-edinburgh-by-pt-ajay-prasanna) [ Live Performance 19:31 ### The Soul of Sunset: Raag Marwa Aalap in Edinburgh by Pt. Ajay Prasanna 9 months ago ](/en-gb/video/the-soul-of-sunset-raag-marwa-aalap-in-edinburgh-by-pt-ajay-prasanna) [ Live Performance 7:42 ### Raag Madhuvanti Jhala | Flute | Tabla | Pakhawaj | Music of India | Purvi Festival 2023 1 year ago ](/en-gb/video/raag-madhuvanti-jhala-flute-tabla-pakhawaj-music-of-india-purvi-festival-2023) [ Live Performance 6:43 ### Raag Madhuvanti Alap | Flute | Music of India | Shanish Kumar Gaywali | Purvi Festival 2023 1 year ago ](/en-gb/video/raag-madhuvanti-alap-flute-music-of-india-shanish-kumar-gaywali-purvi-festival-2023) ## Featured Artists Renowned Flute players and performers ## [Ajay Prasanna ](/en-gb/artist/ajay-prasanna) Pandit Ajay Prasanna is a widely acclaimed international flautist from a distinguished musical family. He carries the legacy of his father, Pandit Bholanath Prasanna, who was one of the best flautists Flute [ ](https://www.facebook.com/FluteAjayPrasanna/ "Facebook") [ ](https://www.instagram.com/ajayprasannaflute/ "Instagram") ## Past Events Browse our archive of past performances [ ](/en-gb/event/oxford-raga-unison-duet-of-winds-and-drums) ### [ Oxford Raga Unison: Duet of Winds and Drums ](/en-gb/event/oxford-raga-unison-duet-of-winds-and-drums) Date THU, NOV 13 Time 7:00 PM - AP [Ajay Prasanna](/en-gb/artist/ajay-prasanna) • - KS [Kousic Sen](/en-gb/artist/kousic-sen) **Holywell Music Room** Early Bird [ View Details ](/en-gb/event/oxford-raga-unison-duet-of-winds-and-drums) [ ](/en-gb/event/raga-unison-at-southampton-wind-drums-and-strings-double-bill-concert) ### [ Raga Unison at Southampton: Wind, Drums and Strings | Double Bill Concert ](/en-gb/event/raga-unison-at-southampton-wind-drums-and-strings-double-bill-concert) Date FRI, NOV 14 Time 7:00 PM - AP [Ajay Prasanna](/en-gb/artist/ajay-prasanna) • - KS [Kousic Sen](/en-gb/artist/kousic-sen) • - GM [Giuliano Modarelli](/en-gb/artist/giuliano-modarelli) • - DC [Debasis Chakroborty](/en-gb/artist/debasis-chakroborty) • - RN [R. N. Prakash](/en-gb/artist/r-n-prakash) **Turner Sims Southampton** Early Bird [ View Details ](/en-gb/event/raga-unison-at-southampton-wind-drums-and-strings-double-bill-concert) [ ](/en-gb/event/london-ragas-fusion-flute-piano-tabla-ghatam-in-dialogue) ### [ London Ragas Fusion: Flute, Piano, Tabla & Ghatam in Dialogue ](/en-gb/event/london-ragas-fusion-flute-piano-tabla-ghatam-in-dialogue) Date SAT, NOV 15 Time 7:30 PM - AP [Ajay Prasanna](/en-gb/artist/ajay-prasanna) • - R [Rekesh Chauhan](/en-gb/artist/rekesh-chauhan) • - SH [Shahbaz Hussain](/en-gb/artist/shahbaz-hussain) • - RN [R. N. Prakash](/en-gb/artist/r-n-prakash) • - GM [Giuliano Modarelli](/en-gb/artist/giuliano-modarelli) **The Duke's Hall** Early Bird [ View Details ](/en-gb/event/london-ragas-fusion-flute-piano-tabla-ghatam-in-dialogue) [ ](/en-gb/event/raga-unison-at-edinburgh-wind-drums-and-strings-double-bill-concert) ### [ Raga Unison at Edinburgh: Wind, Drums and Strings | Double Bill Concert ](/en-gb/event/raga-unison-at-edinburgh-wind-drums-and-strings-double-bill-concert) Date SUN, NOV 16 Time 5:30 PM - AP [Ajay Prasanna](/en-gb/artist/ajay-prasanna) • - DC [Debasis Chakroborty](/en-gb/artist/debasis-chakroborty) • - SH [Shahbaz Hussain](/en-gb/artist/shahbaz-hussain) • - GM [Giuliano Modarelli](/en-gb/artist/giuliano-modarelli) • - RN [R. N. Prakash](/en-gb/artist/r-n-prakash) **Assembly Rooms** Early Bird [ View Details ](/en-gb/event/raga-unison-at-edinburgh-wind-drums-and-strings-double-bill-concert) [ ](/en-gb/event/bansuri-workshop-in-london-with-pandit-ajay-prasanna) ### [ Bansuri Workshop in London with Pandit Ajay Prasanna ](/en-gb/event/bansuri-workshop-in-london-with-pandit-ajay-prasanna) Date WED, AUG 19 Time 6:00 PM - AP [Ajay Prasanna](/en-gb/artist/ajay-prasanna) **The Tate Institute** Early Bird [ View Details ](/en-gb/event/bansuri-workshop-in-london-with-pandit-ajay-prasanna) [ ](/en-gb/event/london-ragas-breath-into-sound-pandit-ajay-prasanna) ### [ London Ragas: Breath into Sound | Pandit Ajay Prasanna ](/en-gb/event/london-ragas-breath-into-sound-pandit-ajay-prasanna) Date THU, AUG 20 Time 7:00 PM - AP [Ajay Prasanna](/en-gb/artist/ajay-prasanna) • - KH [Kayam Hussain](/en-gb/artist/kayam-hussain) **The Tate Institute** Early Bird [ View Details ](/en-gb/event/london-ragas-breath-into-sound-pandit-ajay-prasanna) ## Frequently Asked Questions What is a bansuri, how is it made, and how is it played? A [**bansuri**](/instrument/flute) is a transverse flute cut from a single length of seasoned bamboo. It has no keys and no moving parts, only six or eight finger holes. 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](/instrumental/hindustani-classical/bansuri-flute) for the classical stage. Who made the bansuri a Hindustani classical concert instrument? Pannalal Ghosh (1911 to 1960) is generally credited with popularising the bamboo flute, the **[bansuri](/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 finger holes does a bansuri have? A Hindustani **[bansuri](/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. What range does a bansuri have? Sources give different figures for the **[bansuri](/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. What should I check before buying a bansuri? Anubodh, the flute maker, says finding a well-tuned **[bansuri](/instrument/flute)** "has been more a thing of chance than routine", so check the tuning of each flute. An Acoustical Society of America paper notes that hole position and diameter set each note's pitch, and wall thickness affects tone, range and octave tuning. Look for cracks too: Anubodh says they come mostly from extreme temperatures, humidity and knocks, and can spread along the bamboo. Why do bamboo flutes crack, and how can I prevent it? Anubodh, the bansuri maker, says bamboo flutes such as the **[bansuri](/instrument/flute)** crack mostly from extreme temperatures, humidity and hard knocks, and a small crack can spread along the bamboo. Anubodh advises bringing the flute to room temperature before playing, avoiding cold outdoor playing, and wiping the bore dry after each session. It also advises storing a played flute upright, out of a case or bag while it dries. Can a cracked bansuri be repaired? Anubodh, the bansuri maker, repairs a cracked **[bansuri](/instrument/flute)** early, on a cold flute, by running low-viscosity cyanoacrylate glue along the crack and pressing it closed for about 30 seconds. After about five minutes it wipes off the excess and rebinds the section with thread. Anubodh keeps bindings at both ends and in the middle of its flutes. Is the bansuri played in Indian folk music? Yes, the **[bansuri](/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. Have more questions? Contact our support team and we'll be happy to help! Ready to start learning Flute? 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