FLUTE
Flute is one among the three celebrated musical instruments of India (the
other two are veena and mridanga). It has various names such as bansuri, venu,
vamshi, kuzhal, murali and so on.
The flute was used in the Vedic period. In ancient India,
flute was commonly used in the religious music of the Buddhists. It is used
Flute is a cylindrical tube made of bamboo with uniform bore
and closed at one end. Flutes are of different kinds and their lengths and
number of holes vary. The length can vary from eight inches to two and
a half feet. There is a mouth hole in every flute. In addition to it there
are 6 to 8 holes arranged in a straight line. The range
of the flute is about 21/2 octaves.
Long flutes have a rich, deep and mellow tone whereas in small flutes the
tone is high pitched.
The
flute is held in a horizontal position with a slight downward inclination. The
two thumbs are used to hold the flute in position. The three fingers of the
left hand, excluding the little finger and the four fingers of the right hand
are used to manipulate the finger holes.
The
player blows into the mouth hole, thus setting in vibration, the column of air
inside the tube. The lowest octave of the scale is produced by altering the
effective length of the tube by covering the holes with the finger. The player
can produce any interval by opening or closing the available holes with his
fingers.
Bamboo
flutes used in the north are longer than those used in the south. South India
and Bengal are popular for horizontal flute. Vertical flutes are popular in
the north and the west. These are held vertically and played through a mouthpiece. There
are a number of artists who have excelled in this instrument. One of the
most notable flautist is Pandit Hariprasad
Chaurasya.
