Nice article. But, any connection with disability? Renuka. On 11/27/13, raaju <[email protected]> wrote: > Bansuri Flute Styles & Techniques > > > > There is no single standard of correct flute technique in India today, and > the different flute players of the current generation each have their own > unique > > manner of playing. Here is some general information on some of the > different > styles. > > > > Pannalal Ghosh > > > > Ghosh, who died in 1960, was the inventor of the modern version of the > seventh hole, played by the little finger of the right hand. He is the > musician who > > popularized the stage performance of long flutes, and can generally be > considered the father of modern bansuri performance. Before him, most > flutists used > > very short flutes, as is still the case with Karnatik music today. Nor did > they necessarily play transverse flutes, as with the noted flutist and > producer > > D. Amel of Bombay, who played classical rags on a recorder-like "straight > flute" and who was an influence on Panna Lal Ghosh's performance. > > > > Arguably the most important contribution by Ghosh to North Indian flute > technique was his extensive use of the third octave of the flute's range. > This requires > > a somewhat narrower flute than ones commonly found in India today. Although > some musicians today maintain that Ghosh used very fat flutes, his > recordings > > offer evidence that he did not. As flutes get wider, the notes of the third > octave drop out, one by one. The first to go is the high Komal Ni, and in a > > recording of Rag Khammaj made shortly before his death Panna Lal Ghosh is > playing this note quite clearly. This can only be done on a flute of a > medium > > bore, and not a wide one. Some people maintain that he played with the > fingertips of both hands, but photographs of him taken in the late 1950's > show him > > holding narrow flutes with the pads of his finger on the left hand, using > the fingertips only on the right hand. > > > > Panna Lal Ghosh was later in life a student of Ali Akbar Khan's father, > Allaudin Khan of Maihar. His music demonstrates the virtuosity of rag and > tal to > > which all classical musicians aspire. He played extensively in the form of > Kheyal, or the vocal style characterized by such tals as slow ecktal > followed > > by a faster piece in tintal. The flutes which he played were somewhat > primitive by today's standards however, and many of his recordings are > notoriously > > out-of-tune. > > > > His legacy was carried on by his son-in-law Devindra Murdeshwar, who in the > 1970's was probably the leading flutist of his generation. Unfortunately, > he > > did not record much at that time and only a few pieces from this period > exist, such as Rag Jhinjoti in rupak tal, which despite a very wispy tone > is > a > > beautiful performance. After the death of his wife, Ghosh's daughter, in > the > 1980's Murdeshwar had a nervous breakdown and never regained his previous > > stature. His son, the late Anand Murdeshwar, carried on the family > tradition > with an unkind twist - he did not use the third octave of notes, ignoring > > completely the very contribution to flute technique his grandfather > pioneered. > > > > Hari Prasad Chaurasia > > > > On the stage today, the dominant force is Hari Prasad. He is a unique > talent > who has developed an unprecedented style by assimilating elements from > every > > conceivable tradition, from instrumental to vocal and folk music. Unlike > Panna Lal Ghosh, his music is characterized by extensive tonguing. His > first > teacher > > was Bhola Nath, who played both shehnai and flute, as was common for > wedding > musicians in that time. Some of his tonguing techniques are therefore > probably > > derived from shehnai. Hari Prasad has also studied with Annapurna, Ravi > Shankar's first wife and Ali Akbar Khan's sister, and some of Hari Prasad's > tonguing > > is reminiscent of the taranas, or songs composed with drum syllables, > favored by the Maihar gharana. Some songs of this type from the Maihar > tradition > > can be heard on Ali Akbar Khan's ensemble recording "Legacy," sung by Asha > Bhosle. > > Hari Prasad is the advocate of the really fat flute, and uses a very wide > embouchure as well. This style of flute favors the lowest notes. Some of > the > > flutes Hari Prasad plays have a poor upper second octave and the third > octave may be absent, so those notes are often ignored in his development. > The large > > embouchure allows for the capture of the burst of air in his tonguing, and > is very much part of his sound. He is a master at using the microphone as > part > > of the sound-producing process, and controls his volume by moving in and > out > of its range. His flute is made with six finger holes, like the traditional > > folk flutes before Panna Lal Ghosh's innovation. > > > > Hari Prasad mostly plays the instrumental style called gat, which consists > of a single line of composition in and out of which the improvisation > flows. > > He usually plays extensive jhala, or the fast tonguing which comes at the > end of a piece, which is based on the use of the chikari or drone strings > of > > sitar, sarod, or vina. This is a completely different style of development > than that of Panna Lal Ghosh, which was usually based on the vocal style > Kheyal. > > Jhala is not found in Kheyal, but belongs to the stringed instrument > tradition. Hari Prasad does not generally play the kind of composition > called bandish, > > which is a longer piece of usually four to six lines, which gives a more > complete picture of the rag than the one-line gat. In his alap, or that > part > of > > the development which proceeds without tabla, he follows the instrumental > style of alap-jor-jhala, where Panna Lal usually did his alap in a slow tal > such > > as vilambit ecktal, called in the Kheyal tradition barhat alap. > > > > Unfortunately, an entire generation of flute players has tried to copy Hari > Prasad's style, with absolutely no success. In order to mimic his sound, > they > > play even wider flutes than he does, and lose the higher notes in the > second > octave in the process. One of his disciples, Rupak Kulkarni, has a > commercial > > recording on which he cannot hold a note higher than Re in the second > octave, because the flute he is playing is so wide it cannot produce the > higher notes > > clearly or in tune. As has also happened with Zakir Hussain, almost > everyone > in his field has tried to imitate Hari Prasad. Hari Prasad and Zakir > themselves > > are gold, and all the imitations are fool's gold. Young musicians would be > well advised to follow their example, and not their styles, which is to say > > that each of these great musicians became what they are today by finding > what worked for them, and not by imitating anyone else. > > > > G. S. Sachdev > > > > Like Panna Lal Ghosh, the forms of Sachdev's music are based on the vocal > traditions of North India, while the content of it was shaped by the Maihar > tradition. > > Sachdev's early teacher was Vijay Raghav Rao, the disciple of Ravi Shankar, > and after some years of study with him, Sachdev went on to study with Ravi > > Shankar himself. Sachdev's concept of what a correct rag consists of was > shaped by Ravi Shankar, and it might be said that a great many other > musicians > > have the same respect for Ravi Shankar's knowledge. In fact, Hari Prasad > himself once said to me, "I believe as you do, however Ravi Shankar plays a > rag, > > that's the correct way to do it." Of all the flutists playing today, > Sachdev > had the best musical education, the others being mostly self-taught, even > > if they had gurus. Just having a guru doesn't necessarily mean you get many > lessons, and the traditional guru-disciple relationship which Sachdev > enjoyed > > has mostly broken down. > > > > Sachdev generally plays bada kheyal and chota kheyal, vocal style pieces in > the rhythm cycles vilambit ecktal and drut tintal. The style of development > > he usually uses is barhat alap, though he often plays alap-jor-jhala as > well. He also does many pieces in slow rupak tal, sometimes using the > barhat > alap > > style. His music closely resembles the performances of the noted vocalist > Lakshmi Shankar, Ravi Shankar's sister-in-law and student, who also > presents > > the rags of the Maihar gharana in the forms of vocal traditions. One of the > most important influences on Sachdev's music, apart from his teachers, is > the > > music of Bhimsen Joshi. The most important thing I ever learned from > Sachdev > was an appreciation of Hindustani vocal music. > > > > Sachdev is the advocate of the very, very narrow flute, now out-of-favor in > India. His flute would easily fit inside of Hari Prasad's flute. From this > narrow > > seven-hole flute, he produces a tone which is unmatched by any other > flutist. His tone is focussed and resonant, and is remarkably consistent in > each octave. > > The tone in the lowest notes matches the sonority of the antara in a way > which is not possible on a wide flute. The claim that good tone comes from > a > wide > > flute is refuted by Sachdev's playing, as he gets the best tone of any > flutist performing today with by far the narrowest flute. The embouchure > which Sachdev > > uses is not as large as Hari Prasad's. The smaller hole helps to focus the > tone, and facilitates the production of the high notes. The seventh hole is > > placed on the flute in a slightly different position than the ones in the > Panna Lal style, due to the different hand positions used by the two > musicians. > > > > There is a certain principle, which might be enunciated as - "The technique > and the instrument for it are one." Sachdev has a technique which allows > him > > to play nicely in the full three-octave range of the flute, like Panna Lal > Ghosh, and has the flute which facilitates this technique. Hari Prasad's > technique > > centers around the lowest notes of the flute, and he has the flute which > favors these low notes. > > > > Both Sachdev and Hari Prasad play with the pads of their fingers, and not > with the finger tips. This generally allows for a longer stretch, and makes > playing > > the longer flutes somewhat easier. > > > > Raghunath Seth > > > > Raghunath Seth is the best of the mostly self-taught flutists, and is the > only bansuri player whose light classical music rivals Hari Prasad. For a > number > > of years, he was a colleague of Sachdev's early teacher Vijay Raghav Rao at > the Government of India Documentary Films Division, producing and composing > > music for films. When Vijay Raghav Rao retired from his post as Director of > the music division in 1980, Raghunath Seth was given the position and > became > > his successor. > > > > Like Hari Prasad, his music is a blend of many different influences. He > often plays classical music in the style of the slow tintal gat favored by > sitar > > and sarod performers, followed by a piece in fast tintal which is somewhat > more similar to a chota kheyal than a true drut gat. Another musician who > follows > > this kind of development is the famous sarangi maestro Pt. Ramnarain, with > whom I was blessed to have had some lessons. Raghunath Seth has synthesized > > many styles into a unique presentation which does not resemble anyone else, > and is characterized by excellent control of pitch, rhythm, and rag as well > > as a wide repertoire of diverse pieces, including such light styles as > dadra, kajri, bhajan, and dhun. He is also fond of playing obscure rags in > unusual > > scales derived from Karnatik music, often pentatonic, as does Vijay Raghav > Rao. > > > > Raghunath Seth uses a bamboo key to play the seventh hole of his > medium-bore > flutes. He also uses two different seventh holes, one tuned to Shuddha Ma, > > the other to Tivra Ma, and fills the unused one with beeswax according to > the rag. The set-up of this key is very funky, and typical of an Indian > village > > gizmo, the kind of thing that reminds you of days gone by. The extra > seventh > hole slightly changes the tuning of the third octave for the worse, and > while > > he uses the third octave, he does not do so as extensively as Sachdev or > Panna Lal Ghosh. > > > > In his youth, Raghunath Seth met Panna Lal Ghosh, from whom he received > more > encouragement and advice than lessons. He clearly was influenced by Panna > Lal, > > and this influence is visible in his music today, as he uses these seventh > holes, and the third octave of notes, following the example of the pioneer > in > > his own way. This is notable in contrast to so many of the current > generation who have ignored the legacy of Panna Lal, even his own grandson. > > > > Flute Technique > > > > The guiding principle of good flute technique is "The most perfect playing > with the least effort." Through your practice, which is a process of > discovery, > > you should find the ways of holding and blowing the flute which allow you > to > play with good pitch and good tone while not straining to hold or blow the > > flute. Here are some suggestions for your practice. > > > > 1. Tone - while blowing into the flute, concentrate your mind on the sound > you are producing, and not on your lips. When you find the tone which you > think > > is the best, take note of it and try to reproduce it throughout the range > of > the flute, in both octaves. Play long tones from the lowest note to the > highest > > and back down again, exploring the tone of each note. Play a lot of scales > in every tempo to establish your tone in the full range of the flute. If > you > > listen carefully, you will find that each flute favors certain notes. Some > flutes made in India are very wide, which produces a nice tone on the > lowest > > Dha and Pa, but the same flutes have very poor, and sometimes absent, > second > and third octave notes. A medium bore is generally better for most people, > > though it can be noted that the flautist with the best tone, Sachdev, plays > the most narrow flute. > > > > 2. Fingering - Play scales from the different Thaats. You will find that > certain komal notes tend to pull your hand into slightly different > positions. Find > > the hand position that is the best compromise for the most Thaats, and > stick > with it. Don't use your finger-tips, but use the pads of your fingers and > > lay the fingers flat on the holes. Pay careful attention to the position of > the thumb of the left hand, as it carries more stress than any other > finger. > > When making the half-holes, open the side of the hole which is farthest > from > the embouchure. > > > > 3. Rhythm - Play with a metronome, and with tabla if you can. You will find > that this is a reality check. You may think you are playing the pieces in > rhythm, > > but unless they work out with the metronome or tabla, you're not. > > > > 4. Tonguing - Actually say the syllables "Ta Ta" while doing those > exercises > specifically recommended for tonguing. Later, you can try "Ta Ka Ta Ka" > which > > is called "double tonguing," meaning at the front and back of the tongue. > > > > 5. Memorization - Indian music must be played by memory. When you get the > piece memorized, and are playing it correctly, that is the beginning of > your > practice, > > not the end of it. Only then can you begin to make it sound like music. > > Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of > mobile phones / Tabs on: > http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_accessindia.org.in > > > Search for old postings at: > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ > > To unsubscribe send a message to > [email protected] > with the subject unsubscribe. > > To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please > visit the list home page at > http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in > > > Disclaimer: > 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the > person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; > > 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails > sent through this mailing list.. >
Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of mobile phones / Tabs on: http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_accessindia.org.in Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ To unsubscribe send a message to [email protected] with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list..
