What should I be practicing? – Bansuri Tips

Posted by himanshunanda.com on March 31st, 2021

Bansuri is an expressive instrument with a wide range of scope and techniques. This leads to the very simple question; “what and how to practice?”. We will discuss the various elements of bansuri practice in this online flute lesson.

In this comprehensive online flute lesson, we will discuss the following.

Long notes, bansuri techniques & raga practice.

• Long notes - Practising the long notes is the most beneficial practice for any bansuri practitioner. We breathe in and then play one swara/note; Sa (Shadaja - the aadhara swara). We continue this for at least ten minutes. Then we play each note from the lower Pa (mandra pancham) to the higher Pa (taara pancham) five times at least.

Visit this free online bansuri lesson to understand how to practice the long notes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-m1AlaGdFyU

Long notes help build a strong base and understanding of the swaras. It also makes the blowing/phoonk proper, clear, and powerful. This develops an understanding of how to regulate the breath/prana along with developing the concentration of the mind. The benefits of practicing the long notes are endless and become more and more interesting with time.

• Bansuri Techniques - Bansuri techniques are lifelong exploration. These are the expressional elements of the bansuri. Practicing techniques with the proper guidance of a teacher who is a knower of these techniques help to express various emotions while performing a raga or any piece of music. Bansuri techniques include the practice of -

• Sapat - Playing straight notes without any modulation. It helps us understand the bansuri and increases the speed of playing as well.

• Chain practice - Here, we make chains of particular patterns of paltas/alankaras. We practice a phrase for understanding it better and perfecting it.

• Tonguing - It is very fascinating for the audience to see the performer play various jod-jhalla elements at a high speed. which is possible only because of tonguing. Here, the tongue strikes the lips fast creating a break in the sound of the bansuri imitating the upward and downward stroke of Sitar/Sarod.

• Khatka - It is a heavy strike on a particular note using our finger to decorate or embellish the note. It also marks the importance of the notes and to keep count of the rhythm while playing a note for a longer time.

• Murki - Murki is moving around a note in a particular pattern at a fast speed. While playing the murki, it should feel like the pattern played is an extension of the note we are focusing on. We make sargams of various patterns and practice the murki as paltas.

• Gamak - It provides a roundness and heaviness to the notes. It is a very important element of classical music.

• Meend - Meend is a glide from one note to the other. We practice the glide to make the swara smoother. The focus is especially on not giving any extra importance to notes within the two notes.

• Raga practice - It involves practicing all the elements of bansuri in a particular raga. It also includes the practice of bandish (composition); the practice of alap-jod-jhalla and the practice of taans, tyahis and nibadh alap (alap bound with rhythm).

Practice of all these elements are very important to become a professional bansuri player. For enthusiasts, we need to be certain of what we want to do with the instrument and the amount of time we have. If we have an hour, we should practice the long notes and one chain alankara. If we have more time, we must explore various other elements of the bansuri and practice. (Read Tips To Improve Your Bansuri Technique) We should always keep learning and exploring the instrument. We can opt for live online flute classes, online bansuri lessons, or a self-learning flute portal like The Mystic Bamboo. Learning and practice always complement each other, one is incomplete without the other.

Explore these bansuri techniques in-depth in THE MYSTIC BAMBOO self-learning bansuri course.