As
evident from its name Bansuri, Baans + Sur (Bamboo + Musical
Note), is exclusively made out of bamboo. Bamboo used in
making Bansuri flutes is of a very special variety found
mostly in the north eastern and southern regions of India.
This bamboo is special in the sense that it fulfills the
requirement by having sufficiently long sections between
the nodes. Also the wall thickness of this variety is quite
low as compared to the bamboos used in making flutes in
other cultures e.g. Shakuhachi of Japan or Ney flute of
the Middle East.
Though
bamboo is very resilient and strong, it is fragile as well.
A little hard knock, a little rough treatment and there
is a danger of your Bansuri developing a crack. There a
couple of maintenance tips you can follow to ensure a long
and mellifluous life of your Bansuri.
Oiling
In the long
run, oiling helps to protect the bansuri against the effects
of repeated moisture and humidity fluctuation. Oil, preferably Mustard oil, should
be applied inside the flute and to the point just below the blow-hole. To apply oil to the interior, some sort of
home-made swabbing device may be employed to reach up into the bore (e.g. A swab of oil-saturated (but not dripping) cloth is tied/fastened
to an ordinary wooden dowel).
Points
to remember when oiling your Bansuri
-Oil
your new bansuri first time after about first 15 days
of playing.
-Preferably use Mustard or Walnut oil. Never mineral oil.
-Swab should be loose fitting and should not have to be
forced in the bore of the flute.
-Apply oil only till before the blow-hole.
-Do not oil a 'wet' (freshly played) bansuri. Allow the
bore surface to be dry.
-Oiling 4-6 time a year is generally quite adequate.
Protection
from Thermal and Mechanical shocks
The main mode
of bamboo flutes failure is through cracking. Bamboo body
is composed of thousands of longitudinal fibers running
across the length of the bamboo. A little crack at one
point may not take much to propagate along the whole length.
Cracks are caused more often than not by exposure to extreme
temperatures & hard knocks.
Tips to take
general but important care of your Bansuri
-Avoid playing in
cold ambient conditions. Warm breath going in the bore
will rapidly expand the insides with the outer surface
remaining cold and unexpanded, leading to development
of a crack.
-Avoid exposing to extremes of temperatures.
-Take care not to knock or drop your Bansuri against any
hard surface as bamboo though being a very resilient and
strong material is susceptible to developing cracks due
to its unidirectional fiber orientation.
-Ensure that your Bansuri is protected by stringings/
bindings at both the ends. Threading is vital for a long
and healthy life of your bamboo flute.
- If you ever notice threading/binding coming of off your
bansuri, fix it right then. Thread it again or if
you can't, apply 4-5 rounds of tape around in place of
the lost threading till the time you have thread binding
done.
-Of course, never leave your Bansuri laying around on
the floor. The foot that tramples on it may be your own!
Still if you
manage to mess things up |:-{] there's generally a way to
get around the problem |:-}] Write
to me at
and I may be able to suggest some remedy to put it back
on musical road for you.
Page last updated on
May 23, 2007
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