BANSURI MAINTENANCE
Tips for keeping you bansuri in good shape.
- DO NOT PLAY THE BANSURI IN THE COLD. If the bamboo is very cold on the outside and then you suddenly blow warm air into it without warming the outside of the bamboo first, the bamboo will expand inside but the outside will stay the same. This pressure will be too much for the bamboo to take and it may crack. This has happened to several people I know who ordered flutes from India (including myself on 1 occasion) and then upon arrival, they did not allow the flute to warm up (because it had been on a delivery van out in the cold). Make sure you allow your bansuri to adjust to room temperature before playing. Of course, it is exciting when you get something new, but is it worth taking the risk of losing it? As a last resort, you can try warming it with the palms of your hands, but it is best to allow the bamboo to adjust to room temperature first. The bansuri does not like extremes of temperature. DO NOT PLAY IT IN THE COLD. If you live in UK, avoid playing the flute outside if the temperature is lower than 16C. Above is a picture of a flute with a crack after having been played in the cold.
- DO NOT DROP THE BANSURI AND AVOID KNOCKS. It happens to us all sometimes. We put it on the table just for a minute and then suddenly hear it roll onto the floor or you have the bansuri in your hand and turn around and hit it against a wall or something. Do not take this risk or your flute may crack or be damaged. Make sure it does not drop onto hard surfaces.
- PROTECT YOUR FLUTE WITH THREAD BINDINGS. This will add strength and help avoid cracks. Luckily most professional flute makers put these on for you now. However if you do not have any, it is worth adding these. If a thread comes off, replace it. Binding is quite easy once you get used to it> If you want to learn how to do it, visit the following link: Thread binding
- DO NOT LEAVE YOUR FLUTE ON FLOOR. You or someone else might tread on it!
- TO OIL OR NOT TO OIL? Some flute players oil their flutes and others do not. Some swear that it is best not to and others swear that it is best if you do oil your flute. The decision is yours. If you do decide to oil yours, then you should select an appropriate oil such as mustard oil, almond oil or walnut oil. You should use a wooden dow and tie a loose piece of cloth to the top - tie it well or it will get stuck inside the flute. Also, you should not have to force the cloth inside the flute, the cloth should be loose enough so that it slides in easily, touching the sides of the bamboo interior. The cloth should not be dripping with oil, but lightly coated so that the inside of the flute becomes lightly coated with oil. Oil your flute up just before the blow hole. In terms of frequency, that also varies from player to player. Some players say that you should oil your flute once when you first get it and then never again. Other players say that you should oil the flute several times per year - maybe 4-6 times. Opinions vary a lot. Those players who do oil their flutes say that the oil helps protect the flute and make it last longer. The choice is yours!
- DO NOT TOUCH THE CORK - if the cork is moved, this will alter the pitch of that flute. Some flute players oil their flute just once when they get it and never again, whereas other players oil their flute frequently several times a year. This choice is yours and your decision may be based on the climate where you live. If the climate is very dry then you should oil the flute more frequently! It is difficult to know whether oiling the flute actually helps protect it or not, since every piece of bamboo is unique and different and will have a different life span. NEVER oil a wet bansuri, for example after having played it. Make sure that the bamboo is dry before oiling it.
- AVOID MOLD AND CLEAN THE FLUTE IF MOLD FORMS. After playing your flute for some time, you may notice that mold begins growing inside the flute around where you blow into it. The mold varies in appearance. Black or white spores may appear and you may notice an unpleasant smell. If this happens, it means that bacteria has formed and you must kill the bacteria, otherwise you will be breathing that in. Some players refuse to clean their flutes at all and will advise you not to do this. Others on the other hand make sure they clean it. My advice is that if you intend to keep your flute for a long time, then you should clean your flute if this happens but this is your choice. Some players simply use a small amount of anti bacterial soap sometimes mixed with water depending on its strength and then using a dow with a piece of cloth attached, they wipe off the mold. Other players use just a cloth to try to wipe off the mold. In any case, you should not clean your flute too regularly. Do it only when absolutely necessary. I personally use milton spray. I spray a small amount of Milton into the embouchure where I see the mold and then use a dow with a small piece of cloth attached to wipe off the mould. This cleans it perfectly every time and kills the bacteria. Usually the flute will smell of Milton for a while after however and you should take a lot of care if choosing this method ensuring that you do not touch the cork. Also, ensure that whatever soap you use, it does not contain any type of liquids that may damage the bamboo. AVOID PLAYING THE FLUTE AFTER EATING- CLEAN YOUR TEETH otherwise you will be breathing the odour of your dinner into the flute and this will create bacteria. Make sure your breath is fresh before playing the flute to avoid having mold form.
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BANSURI FINGERING CHART
CLICK ON CHART TO ENLARGE
The image below shows a fingering chart for bansuris players using the seventh hole. This style is used by players who follow Pannalal Ghosh's school of thought, as opposed to Hariprasad Chaurasia's and involves covering the seventh hole to produce the note "ma".
The chart below is very useful, especially for the highest register:
The third octave in the chart above does not work on my flutes, so below I demonstrate alternate fingerings for the 3rd octave:
THE THIRD OCTAVE ON THE BANSURI
On my flute this works best (X = HOLE CLOSED/ 0 = HOLE OPEN:
PA'': 0XXXXX
DHA'': XX000X
NI'': X0XXXX or XXXX0X
SA'': X0X000
