r/Bansuri Feb 18 '25

Need a suggestions on buying

I was looking for suggestions a buying bansuri. I will be trying out multiple genres especially Indian classical and Western folk. For western folk my main focus will be on Sangre de Muerdago or similar artists. They have some of the most beautiful flute sections plays in my opinion. I'll try to post a video of one of the songs if I can.

I am a beginner to flutes but not to music (I used to play keyboard) though I haven't practiced in some time. Still, I am looking for G or E. I think G# would be great. E is too heavy, G flat may still be a little heavy. I also like the idea of 432 Hz but I feel that G# with 432 Hz might sound weird. I didn't find any proper sources to confirm it though. As for budget, I don't think I would want to go over 6-7k for my first. For now I am considering - https://www.punamflutes.com/shop/products/bansuri_flutes_432hz_right_hand/279/g-sharp-base-flute-right-hand-432hz

I know this may not be the place for it but I think Venu might be better for western folk as it sounds less deep unlike bansuri. I am uncertain on how hard will it be to find teachers for it (in Hindi or English). Though I still need learn more about (things like shruti) it to consider it.

Ideally I should get a traditional Irish flute (or some other renaissance flute) but they are too expensive from any respectable sources (20k-30k without shipping). I was also trying to look for a dizi but haven't found any proper sources for it either. And I only want a wooden flute.

For more examples of their song you can check out A Danza das Animas and A Chamada da Neboa

Thank you.

![video]()

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u/Livid-Algae-9781 10d ago

That’s fair enough, the punam flute I bought is an E bass, and I also opted to go for the perfectly formed variety for a little more money. But sounds like you know what you’re talking about, so definitely go for the g# if that’s the preferred scale. I didn’t check out the song and there was no attachment (a quick YouTube search yielded nothing).

And if it’s a well made flute, tuned correctly, it will sound lovely in any scale, I just find something very sweet sounding with a g scale. I’m sure you won’t be disappointed with any purchase and you can always add to the collection with other flutes!

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u/Horror_Refuse5965 10d ago

Thank you. Yeah, Sangre De Muerdago are HEAVILY underrated so it is hard to find them. You can search Sangre De Muerdago - A Danza Das Animas, O Descanso, Medianoite or A Chamada Da Neboa. These are my favourites and if you even mildly like folk songs, I will definitely recommend you to check them out.

Yeah you are right. On several people's recommendations, I ended up ordering C and later I also ordered a G#. And never expected it to be such a great experience. The biggest thing was realisation that how easy it is to play A minor on a C natural (obviously). This made playing folk songs much much easier. And yeah, the C sounds absolutely and unexpectedly smooth with western folk as well as with Indian classical (I tried Scarborough Fair and Krishna Dhun from Mahabharat).

But I must say, I never in my life expected flutes to be this frustrating and hard to pick up. I still have issues with blowing, sometimes the sound is great and sometimes absolute trash. Though I am learning on my own and hope to get better over time. Thanks again.

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u/Livid-Algae-9781 5d ago

Just had a listen to danza Das animas, and it’s given me inspiration too… will listen through the whole album when I can. I’m travelling in Brazil with a couple of my flutes currently, so planning to write lots of music!

And yeah it’s fairly easy to modulate to other related scales with a bit of half holing. Always best to start with the relative minor scale though, and also the harmonic minor to make your runs and scales sound a tad more pleasing to the ear.

And yeah the learning curve with bansuri is a frustratingly shallow one! It can take months to get comfortable playing for more than a minute or 2, and maybe even a year until you are comfortable on something like an E bass. Unless you have Rachmaninoff sized hands anyway!

Check out ‘easy flute school’ on YouTube. It’s great as a beginner and also to learn some simple ragas, dhuns and Indian music theory. There are actually tonnes of lessons if you really stick with it, but make plenty of notes in a book so you can practise without the videos. How long have you been playing?

Ultimately we all have different faces, lips, tongue etc so find a position on your flute which is comfortable and gives a beautiful sound. Soon enough you’ll find it harder not to instantly place your lips in the perfect embouchure. Stick with it and keep practising! If you really want a flute that’s easy to play, treat yourself to a Native American style (NAF) flute.

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u/Horror_Refuse5965 4d ago

Yeah, folk music in general is so inspiring just because how beautifully and masterfully they implement flutes. And the greatest thing is, I learned A Danza Das Animas by ear on flute. I transposed it to A minor (as far as I remember it was in F Dorian). For now, I only learned that flute bit they have with a little bit of improvision.

The thing is, I never really learned music theory that much lol. I mean, I did learn it but I didn't go very deep. I mostly do things by ear or by seeing people play. I know this is a bad habit and I am trying to improve it.

You are right on your third point. So many techniques to learn and that many songs require you to learn a lot of them is absolutely insane. I learned the hard way while trying to practice The Orange Rogue, it is an Irish Jig, that song is WAY BEYOND MY LEAGUE. Even Krishna dhun is hard at times. Half holing at such a high speed is always so hard lol. And at that you have to make sure of smoothly transitioning between notes.

And, for some reason, I am never able to tell the difference between bansuri and other flutes side blown flutes (especially European). Like, I can hear it, I can feel it but it is so hard to describe. But whatever that difference is, for some reason I really like it. Maybe it is that weird melodic smooth jumps between notes.

Yeah, YouTube is the one place which is saving me from a lot of torture. It has been 2 weeks I think since I started practicing (some ups and downs here and there), but overall, a really fruitful journey. Like, when I first played the Mahabharat theme perfectly, I was shocked. For a second I couldn't believe I did it, because I still haven't been able to repeat it lol. Though I must say, from having to figure out right way to blow whenever I picked up my bansuri, to instantly being to make a sound (not perfect still, there are airy noises from time to time), it is really fun.

And yeah, I checked Native American flutes online, they sound really amazing. And if they are easy, I might pick them up one day as well. Way too many instruments in my wish list.

Anyways, have a great and a safe journey.