Effective Ear Training Techniques Unveiled: Practical Tips and Perspectives
Today, in our Whatsapp group, we had a discussion on the question put up by Ravi Shankar from Bangalore that “I have a basic question regarding ear training. If we play Sa or any note on different scales of bansuri, obviously it will sound different in different scales as the frequencies will be different. Then […]
How to make Alankars
For beginners, it is a common dilemma as to what to play and how to play Alankars (ornamentations)? So, whether we have to play only a set group of notes? Or, we can create / make our own Alankars for practice? For this, the answer is: It is all about logical sequencing of notes. Which […]
Songs that contain Sargam in lyrics
It is a good idea, for beginners and amateur flute players, to practice songs which already have Sargam in them, like, this Asha Bhonsle Song – “Piya Bawari…” which has Sargam inside its lyrics. Why? Because you can play such songs on any flute without actually worrying about the ‘scale.’ And then once you have […]
Why the 5th hole on Bansuri is bigger than others?
The other day, on our Whatsapp group, we had an enlightening discussion on the question put up by Milind Bhagwat that why the ‘Dha’ hole on all Bansuri is bigger in diameter than other holes? This question coincidentally generated another question as whether the 5th hole is a ‘Dha’ or a ‘Ni’ hole? Here is […]
How to play Bansuri (Bamboo Flute)
STEP 1: Buy a Bansuri (Bamboo Flute) of medium size – preferably C or G Scale to begin with. STEP 2: If you can produce a sound from Bansuri, good. If not, then keep it aside and pick up a Pen Cap. Place the open part on your lower lip. Blow air into it. Keep […]
How do I find out my Flute’s scale?
How to find out the scale of Flute? It is a very common dilemma of many who are new to Flutes. Picking up a flute is easy, blowing it correctly to get the right sweet tone is a bit challenging, but then, playing your flute in sync with a particular scale is the most daunting […]
How to produce SARGAM or notations of a song?
I have been asked by many that “How to produce SARGAM or notations of a song?” Well, I will be answering this question purely based on my own experience of “trial and errors”. Since I am not a trained musician, I may be technically wrong while letting you know how do I produce SARGAMs, but […]
Do not stop experimenting – A case study
WHILE PRODUCING SARGAM/NOTATIONS DO NOT STOP EXPERIMENTING There are two versions of a song called “Har kisiko nahi milta, yaha pyar zindagi me“. One from a movie called “Jaabaaz” (1980) and other from a movie called “Boss” (2013). This is one of my favourite songs, and the only song till now which I love to […]
Frequenty Asked Questions on Bansuri?
As a beginner, which Bansuri I should purchase? As a beginner, you should go for a medium size bansuri (12 – 15 inches long) of scale C or G, as these are neither too big nor too small. Many beginners give up on Bansuri when they do not succeed in making sounds on Bansuri. But, […]
Indian Sargam Vs Western Notes
Following chart may come handy while translating western notes of any tune or song into Indian Sargam, and vice-versa. Scale C D E F G A B Indian Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni Western Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti The letters in all the above rows (column wise) generally follow a sequence. For […]
Playing Bansuri is like Typing
@Darshan Gupta has asked a question, which I myself used to wonder sometime back. I’m sure there will be many of you with this same or similar query: “Sir actually m confused that which notes m playing on bansuri.. those are correct or not…For example… if m playing swar dha thn how I get to […]
There is only one Tivra swar
Many people, especially those who have just picked up learning flute, have a doubt that blowing harder on flute might produce Tivra sound for any note. This is not correct. Blowing harder produces sound of that note on its Higher pitch. For example, if you play “kora kagaz tha“, which is a duet song, you can […]
How to read Indian notations
The SARGAM (Indian notations) posted in this website are arranged in the following manner. Readers can take a clue from it and decipher the notations. The following is how generally the Indian notations are written, but it is not the thumbrule. You may find notations written in other style at other places. But, for this […]