Bansuri is pretty much a normal bamboo flute for us wooden flute types. It has 6 holes and plays a scale of D. Usually made of lightweight bamboo. I have one that sounds very nice and in tune. But the Indian masters play all kinds of microtones and non-Western scales on this kind of flute.
You need ethnic music scales to make whistles by?
Here you go: http://www.xs4all.nl/~huygensf/doc/modename.html
The numeric values are spacing between half-steps, just use 1.05946309436 x frequency each time to calculate the frequencies.
I enjoy make these unusual modes, but I have to warn anyone that some of the Indian Raga and Arabic scales don’t even follow western temperments.
For example, The Ahava-Rabba mode that I’ve used is used by several cultures. The webiste indicates this: Mela Vakulabharanam, Alhijaz: Arabic, Raga Jogiya, Vativasantabhairavi, Ahava Rabba: Jewish, Maqam Humayun, Hitzaz: Greece, Dorico Flamenco: Spain, Harmonic Major inverse, Phrygian Dominant
So, read it carefully so to not loose your Temper-ment. :roll:
No .
bansuri-s come in a range of scales not just D and not just predominantly D.
Show me a scale thats not “ethnic” …
there is no need to go abstruse and over the top techno to get this scale on any simple system instrument amenable to cross fingering
eg
B Jogiya on D flute
pentatonic ascending
1st xoo ooo
2nd oxx ooo
3rd (none)
4th xxx xxo
5th xxx xoo
6th xxx ooo
7th (none)
octave xoo ooo+
sexatonic descending
reverse above but include
7th xox xxx
expressed in Indian tonic doh “Solfa” notation (and using lower case for flattened notes) we can express the ascending and descending as:-
Sa re Ma Pa dha Sa+
Sa+ Ni dha Pa Ma re Sa
Now here is a traditional motif for Jogiya that catches its spirit
and distinguises it from other raag-s that may have same notes:
r M P d M r S
Now if you’re improvising a composition
start exploring below the Sa moving through NI (Bb)which
is only allowed in a descending phase down to Ma (lowest E)
riff about.
TBC …
(NB
The classical indian flute convention
would be to begin with a xxx ooo tonic.
So they would then halfhole the 2nd the 4th and the 6th.
Therefore you will understand why only the creme de la creme would attempt Jogiya under this convention.
So if you’re into Jogiya and don’t want to spend 20 years mastering specific classical regimes, try my way of Jogiya. It is quite acceptable tfor folk music level of compo. and fun with an Irish flute)]
The Hungarian minor scale starting with the tonic (three holes closed) is A B C D# E F G# A. I have played with my friend Akash, who plays a fabulous Bansuri flute, on a Low D whistle in the key of G. But here’s the kicker, I had to tune it to “Just” intonation for the key of G. Otherwise some of the notes just didn’t fit. When I tuned it this way it worked beautifully.
Ronaldo
While some are cogitating my previous post, here is a female vocal rendition of Raag Jogiya
Vocal is very relevant because all instrumental music in South Asia is underpinned and driven and appreciated within a vocal reference
(as is the any other modal tradition).
I think she is singing with A tonic
So if you have a C key whistle or flute you can try
my suggestion in above post when you accompany her.
If you get lost just go to the Sa (A) or Pa (E) and hang about
till you can fly again.
This is what the drone is doing - the !st and the 5th.
Thanks Ronaldo.
This is Lydian Mode.
Therefore the Hungarian Minor is Lydian Scale.
We call this scale Kalyan in Hindustani Music.
There are many beautiful, popular raag-s in this scale
eg:- Yaman, Malsiri etc
As Kalyan requires no half holing from this xxx ooo starting point,
it is often regarded as the beginners’ scale for classical bansuri which likes xxx ooo as tonic.
Anyone can do Lydian scale from xxx ooo.
No need for any custom made flute to do it.
Edit Note: This post is in error and I have corrected it on Fri Sep 30, 2005 2:29 am (see next page).
I have left the error untouched here as a matter of record given the age of this topic. Talasiga
I think Jim mentioned connecting Celtic music with Indian music. Sheila Chandra already does; her decorations seem to work very well in Celtic and British folk settings and in North Indian settings. Her mouth music is just extraordinary.
Great thread. These instruments, while playable
for ITM, don’t seem to ornament crisply, in my experience.
They are immensely expressive, of course.
It would be interesting to hear what
these folks would do with our flutes.
Will try these scales. Thanks.
I take it you’ve recovered from the blissful bout of Panna Babu.
here’s some more online music. This time not flute but vocal.
Still relevant because the vocal music drives our instrumental music
and flute is most vocal of them all, no?
http://www.chandrakantha.com/products_and_services/bhairagi.html
I particularly like the slow kheyal piece.
I was not aware of any severe separation.
It is more a matter of recognising the intrinsic link
and the good grace to explore the consonance between them
without marring their individuality.
Likewise with other modal trads.
BTW, its nearly midnight in our part of the world.
A good time for Raag Darbari:-
http://www.chandrakantha.com/audio/live/darbari_alap.ram
This is the first of 3 movements.
As the scale for this raag eqates with the western natural minor
and she is singing in B, it is PERFECT for accompanying
with an Irish D flute from B (xoo ooo.)
Don’t worry if some of the singing wavers from B minor notes,
this is transient due to the glissando so vital in this music.
Ultimately at every key point, she will reach and sit
on a B minor note
IE at the beginning and at the end of every glissando
you will get any of these B C# D E F# G A .
Darbari is a melancholic but majestic air.
One of the most popular airs in the Asawari
(Aeolian) group of Hindustani Raags.
I don’t think there is. In a way, noticing this was precisely what turned Sheila Chandra from a good looking young pop singer into a very fine and expressive interpreter and explorer of the many byways of her not all that unusual background … born in Northern India, raised in the UK. She said that it all came together for her when she realised that the vocal decorations in the North Indian music of her family background were essentially the same as those she was hearing in British and Irish traditional music and in music from the Balkans.
Gee what an interesting post and thread, I will have to spend time on this one at home later tonight and explore all the links.
Thanks to all!
MarkB
I must admitt that I have been a fan of Indian Raag music for many, many years. In fact there was an Indian musician named Ravi Shenkar (forgive the spelling) who became quite famous here in the 60’s. During this era, it was rumored that among some folks, this was considered THE music to listen to after smoking certain herbal substances - not that I would ever have any personal experience with any herbal substances of course. 
:roll:
One need not drink Guiness
To fall for Irish music.
Ditto indica.
An interview with Hariprasad Chaurasia:-
http://www.hinduismtoday.com/archives/1995/10/1995-10-06.shtml
Thanks, lovely interview.
Once again it would be nice to
be able to combine playing flute with
spirituality, as these people do.
I think it has much to do with
the sort of music they play. Best
I dont feel its something you do.
It happens.
This is totally wrong. I mustn’t have been concentrating. First, Lydian is not a minor mode but a major mode. More importantly the interval progression evinced by “A B C D# E F G# A.” is 2:1:3:1:1:3:1
and is for A harmonic minor scale BUT with an augmented 4th which comprehends the indo Raag Madhuvanti.
I am sorry if I lead anyone astray.
Apologies. (and thanks for the PM from anonymous)