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The name Bansuri comes from two Sanskrit words, Bans(bamboo) and Swar (musical note), basically this means an instrument for music made with bamboo. Bansuri though, has many different names in Indian culture, and that is because the flute is the instrument of lord Krishna, who is believed to have been the first flute player, God himself, that is why Bansuri in India is a very spiritual instrument with great importance, and it is used in many folk tunes across the land.
The ancient practice of wood-flutes
Bamboo and wood-flutes are some of the oldest musical instruments on earth, they can be found in countless aboriginal cultures around the world.
When mankind started creating instruments to accompany the voice, ancient cultures started with some sort of rhythmic instrument, primitive drums, and the next step on the evolutionary scale was flute making, and flute music. Some made with wood, but the most obvious material was hollow branches, like the bamboo.
The simplicity of this instrument represents our connection with nature in music, however, as human life has become more complex and technology has a strong influence in the creation of musical instruments, bamboo flutes are sometimes judged as not developed enough for the complexity of music nowadays. As humans we always seek towards ease through complexity of devices, instead of seeking ease through complexity of personal skill. Some very skillful Bansuri players can use the Bansuri as a chromatic instrument (playing the 12 semitones of an octave), this means they can play on any key using only one flute. In this way Bansuri is a super versatile instrument that can be used in any style of music from Indian Classical to Jazz.
We have to realized that too much comfort is not necessarily good for us and for nature. This is why I fell in love with Bansuri, to create the magical sound one has to earn it by tuning yourself first, a Bansuri player needs to connect to his own breath and become one with the bamboo. This takes time and disciplined practice, but it is worth it, the more you play the more you will enjoy your own sound. Bansuri is one of the instruments most like the human voice, that means the level of expression is huge - endless, you can create any ornament and feeling like the human voice, and this is why Bansuri music can touch us so deeply and why it is so popular in India.
Hindustani Indian Classical Music
Indian classical music is based on melody and ornamentation, there is no use of harmony, musicians are encouraged to go deeply into one mode or Raga, and explore the endless possibilities of creation.
Hindustani Indian Classical Music is one of the oldest styles of making music, and thanks to the Indian's love for tradition it is still alive nowadays, and not out of fashion at all. Young people around the country are still being drawn to this practice and Indian Classical Music is being played in every village, town and big city. We who are not born in India are blessed finding this marvelous tradition through the internet or through our travels. This precious knowledge has traditionally been passed from Guru to disciple in many generations, and therefor kept in its pure form, an incredible legacy. Dhrupad is the most ancient style of hindustani classical, its nature is very spiritual, some masters say that this is Nada Yoga (yoga of sound). This music induce the player and the listener to enter into states of peace and consciousness, you can not breathe deep and with control without feeling peace, therefor the instrument forces you to be peaceful.
Singing.
The most pure form of music is the vocal music, and the instruments learn to imitate the melodies and ornaments from the singers, that is why the Gurus always advise the students to sing with their instruments and become one with them. Indian Classical Music is based on ear training, the musicians train to be able to reproduce any phrase they hear in a particular raga, like a conversation with musical notes. This can be achieved by practicing call and response with a Guru.
After a long time of practicing this sacred art, one can hear the intervals of musical notes with much more clearance, and this is like a super power that can be used for any musical style. Developing your ear is to develop your musical soul, this is a training you take with you in what ever you do. Its an expansion of music inside you.
In my opinion, I believe that musicians should learn to sing even if they are not using singing as their main instrument or in public, but as the most important tool for music creation. Nowadays, because of technology, it has become very easy to create music with computers and software, but without it, we are back to who we really are. I believe that technology can be a very good tool for music but we must be careful not to loose the real essence of it. Instruments like Bansuri and others require that you train your ear to be able to play, and that is an amazing opportunity, it will improve your singing, and your listening too. But we must practice Indian Classical Music without expecting fast results, if we surrender and enjoy the practice and be humble, we can get hooked into it.
Improvisation
Another important characteristic of hindustani classical is improvisation. Improvisation is very important, however, the players must train how to improvise properly in a particular raga, and this takes time and mastery. Ragas have different ascending and descending structures and some specific phrases that identify them. That means that it has to be an organized improvisation, I like to think of it as a balance between tradition, composition and innovation. In this way there are endless possibilities for a musician in only one Raga, and there are countless Ragas out there to study, however, some masters advise to focus only on a few and learn them properly, this is the essence of the Bansuri spirit, to dive deep, instead of scatter, to develop inwards, and inspire simplicity.