Choosing a bansuri?

[bongoman]

Hi there

What a wonderful site! Thank you for the work in it.

I am wanting to learn bansuri - I played Western flute for some years in my youth and learnt some bansuri in Benares many years ago.

But I am puzzling over which to buy - someone suggested buying a G bass (26 inches long).

Does this sound like a reasonable choice?

[Guest]

But I am puzzling over which to buy - someone suggested buying a G bass (26 inches long).

Does this sound like a reasonable choice?

To select a bansuri you should think of two things:-
1. What kind of music do you want to play
2. What kind of tone do you prefer

The G bass is a medium sized flute. The advantage of that scale for you would be that it is the closest bansuri to the western silver flute and so the transition from a western flute wont be too difficult.

If you want to play classical/semi-classical Indian music then you should consider going for a longer bass flute like the E bass flute.

There is no fixed criteria and the matter is of personal choice.

[linus]

im an instrument buff constantly upgrading the list of instruments i'd like to play. the bansuri features high on my list. so which bansuri should a beginner pick up? i've fiddled with a few (since a friend of mine has a formidable collection of the bamboo flute) and i feel that while it's easier to grip the small one it's far more difficult to play that first note, unlike the larger ones that are uncomfortable to hold but easier to get started with when it comes to producing sound. so besides mere preference for a particular tonal quality(i personally prefer a lower pitched bass-ier tone) is there a technical choice to be made while a beginner picks his bansuri?

thanks,
linus (42)

[manu]

i feel that while it's easier to grip the small one it's far more difficult to play that first note, unlike the larger ones that are uncomfortable to hold but easier to get started with when it comes to producing sound.

I think that the number one factor for selecting a flute should be what sound you like. Because that way you will be motivated to keep trying and then other things don't matter.

Technically, just stay away from extremes in the beginning. Don't buy a very small or a very long flute. A medium sized flute like the G or A is a safe choice if you don't have a strong preference.

[linus]

i'd prefer a bass tone, but i guess i'll stick to your idea of playing an average sized flute. thanks a lot, manu.

linus (42)