Hello all!
This is my second tutorial on this page and I wanted it to be something very contrasting from the rest of the content. Hence, this...
I held a flute in my hand for the first time in my life, back when I was 12. And though I confess that I don't practice it much these days (also, I'm no music genius), it holds a special, evergreen place in my memory and heart. This write-up focuses on the very easy technique of playing some basic notes.
Happy learning!
The Flute
Flutes are of different types based on the type of sounds they produces. There are bass flutes or Piccolos and so many more! As we're focusing on a very basic aspect, I'll demonstrate on a basic plastic flute which I own.
This is what my flute looks like.
Section 1: Are Bansuri and flute the same?
No, they aren't the same thing.
- A Bansuri is a type of flute. It is usually made from Bamboo or other types of woods.
- A bansuri is always blown from sides with a tilted angle. Ever seen Lord Krushna playing a bansuri? That's how it is aligned and held. It produces softer and low pitched tones. It is not surprising, therefore, that bansuris are preferred for classical music and slow dances where a soft touch is required.
- A flute on the other hand, is held perpendicular to your lips. As a result, air is blown directly to the pipe resulting in more forceful and high pitched notes. Thus, the use of flutes is restricted to orchestras and bands where shriller sounds are intended. It is also used by beginners due to its easy usage.
Section 2: The Swarspatak
Indian classical music, the chromatic scale and the universal music notes focus on seven basic notes :
Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni
सा रे ग म प ध नि
C D E F G A B
Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti
How can I play the above notes?
A flute has six finger holes as shown below. We will alternately cover and open these to produce music!
And guess what? It's not as complicated as you must have thought it was.
Hold the flute in both hands. The left hand above the right one and follow the steps given below.
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| The six finger holes All you need: The index, middle and ring fingers of both your hands. |
- Use the three fingers mentioned above of your left hand to cover the upper three holes.
- Use the same three fingers of your right hand to cover the lower three holes. It must look something like this:
- Voila! The rest is a piece of cake.
Sa
The steps counted above lead to the basic Sa or Do. 6 holes covered? Check!
It looks like this:
Re
Uncover the lowest hole that is to say, remove the ring finger of your right hand. Here's Re:
Ga
Removs the middle finger of your right hand. You have two uncovered tone holes from below now. Ga or Mi looks like:
Ma
The quick learner that you are, you must have by now guessed what Ma or Fa must look like while playing a flute. If not, don't worry. Here's the pic:
Thus, Ma utilises only the three fingers of your left hand and only the upper three holes are now covered.
Pa
Well...see for yourself:
Dha
Dha utilises only a single finger of your left hand as only the topmost hole is covered.
Ni
Ni is the simplest of them all where no hole is covered.
Sa
In music, even if the number of tones is seven, they are usually found in octaves where the last note is one octave higher than the first.
The difference between the Sa you first learnt and this one is of a simple thing: An octave.
The final Sa is higher than the first Sa.
The final Sa is what is what beginners find a little tricky to recall and execute but really, it's fairly easy. Here's how it looks:
If you observe the image, you'll notice that I've uncovered the topmost hole by removing my left index finger and the rest is the same as the first Sa.
Hope you had a great time learning and this write-up helped you. If it did, share your amazing maestro skills with others too. Afterall, sharing your knowledge is the most melodious tune you can play!
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