Flute Making Bamboo Types

No part of this presentation, either wholly or partially be used as references without the mention of the Vamshidwani institution. For the propagation and promotion of the arts, conditional rights will be

given upon written requests.All rights reserved.

Ver 1.0

Objectives

To introduce commonly used bamboo for flute making

To understand the challenges & appreciate the efforts in the production of flutes

To understand the limitations of flute making

To realize the challenge in performing classical music on the flute

Synopsis

The presentation would cover the following topics:

Production Process

Challenges

Conclusion

Production Process

Introduction

Bamboo Types

Selection & Design

Introduction

Unknown to many, the bamboo is actually a type of grass & not a tree-like plant

It belongs to the Poaceae grass family, a species of grass that appear to have properties of trees though biologically exhibit properties of grass plants

There are over 1400 species of bamboo around the world & they can be seen in the countries of all the 3 tropic zones

Introduction

In Asia, the bamboo has found itself many uses including the manufacture of furniture, medicine, textiles, weapons, writing instruments & surfaces & even bicycles

As a musical instrument, it is ideally preferred because of its uniform shape, strength, durability & excellent acoustic properties. The Chinese, Japanese & the Indonesians have made a wide of musical instruments from the bamboo alone

Bamboo Types

In India, 2 types of bamboo are used in the manufacture of the flute.

Assamese bamboo - bansuri (North Indian flute) Nilambur bamboo - venu (South Indian flute)

megforest.gov.in www.nilambur.com

Bamboo Types

There are no discriminating factors for the choice of these 2 bamboos musically

In the past, the geographical proximity of these materials at the respective places prompted flute makers to select them at their convenience

Today however both types of bamboo are being played by both North & South Indian flautists as well as making them into North & South Indian flutes

Selection & Design

The most challenging part of the the manufacture involves primarily in the selection of the right type of bamboo

Regardless of the type, flute makers look out for the following factors when selecting flute making bamboo:

Uniformity (Preferaby, straight bamboos are selected) Cracks (Cracks will distrupt the boring process seriously) Reed Thickness (Nilambur bamboo are usually thicker) Length (longer flutes have lower pitch) Bore Diameter (small diameters require heavy blowing)

Selection & Design

In Carnatic music, a thicker reed is often preferred as a rich tone is produced, which mimics the vocal form of the music extremely well

Nevertheless, varying the length of an Assamese bamboo can also produce the same effect

Competent Carnatic flautists use both bamboo types in their performances

Selection & Design

The boring process is the next most tedious part. The bamboo flute cannot be bored using conventional boring machines as it will shatter the the entire material

Instead, a heated iron rod is pressed square to the surface of the bamboo producing until it passed through the reed

The challenge is boring at the right distance between each hole. A wrong placement would require the entire effort to be restarted as the notes will not fall in place

Challenges

Tuning

Maintenance

Tuning

It would require, an experienced flute maker to design a concert-worthy flute. The entire boring process itself will take at least 2 months even to the most experienced flute maker

Competent flute makers are often amateur flautists themselves & do possess good note recognition skills, which comes with experience & a sound music knowledge

As such concert-worthy flutes are usually expensive & not produced commercially

Maintenance

Often, after the finishing, little maintenance is required unlike most South Indian music instruments which require consistent tuning

The Assamese bamboo would require some oiling, (mustard oil) seasonally to keep it healthy

A well-selected bamboo would not yield any fungus problems (white patches) which, even though however does not affect the thickness, or musical quality

Maintenance

Cracks should be sealed without delay with suitable wood or bamboo adhesives or better still consult an experienced flute maker or flautist for guidance

They should be kept away from temperature extremes as it would affect the lifespan of the bamboo & away from moist & humid areas

It is important to note, that a well used flute produces better sound than a 'green' flute as the bamboo fibres would be seasoned with consistent music practice

Conclusion

Appreciation

Carnatic Flute Makers

Appreciation

Needless to mention, the aim of this presentation is to showcase some of the most important issues that relate to the manufacture of the flute.

For the most part, playing classical music on the flute is an extremely challenging feat which can be noted from the number of limited competent performers & also that they are also vocalists themselves

Noted classical singers like Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna & T. N. Seshagopalan can play the flute

Appreciation

Flautists also do not engage in performing vocal music as flute playing would significantly strain the vocal chords as with Nadeswaram players

It is therefore high-time to realize the sacrifice & the effort flautists take in preserving the art

Carnatic Flute Makers

Two prominent flute makers are listed in this presentation

homepage.mac.com/ludwigpesch/sampurna/htmlpag/E/Sivadas_TA_fl utemaker.html

www.anubodh.com

The End