Home / Classical Worlds / South Asia
Playable heritage gameBansuri bamboo flute
Also known as बाँसुरी · Nepali murali
The bansuri, called murali in Nepal, is a side-blown flute cut from a single length of bamboo with six finger holes. A player shapes the air with the lips and lifts fingers from the bottom upward to climb a scale, singing folk melodies and long phrases.
How to play
- Eight lanes stand for the notes of a scale, from the lowest note on the left to the octave on the right.
- Above each lane a diagram shows the six finger holes: filled holes are covered, open ones are lifted.
- Notes travel toward a line at the bottom; strike the lane just as a note arrives, and let long notes ring.
- Begin with the ladder up and down the scale, then play the hill-path tune and the call across the valley.
Rules at a glance
- The scale is seven notes of a major mode plus the octave; pitches follow a fixed root.
- Covering all six holes gives the lowest note; lifting fingers from the bottom upward raises it step by step.
- A stroke within a hair of the note is perfect, a near one is good, and a missed one scores nothing.
- An extra stroke while a song is running costs a few points.
- Each song plays twice; three stars need roughly nine notes in ten on time.
About the tradition
Bamboo flutes are played in the hills and valleys of India and Nepal by herders, village singers and concert musicians alike. A flute is cut and tuned to a single key, so players keep a family of lengths.
Origins
Usually placed in the era of Classical Worlds (about 1000 BCE to 500 CE), although its exact origins are uncertain, within the cultural world of South Asia.
Credits
- Tradition: bansuri and Nepali murali playing; melodies written for this game
- Photo of a set of bansuris from Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Photo: Vamsivadrevu, CC BY-SA 4.0, source on Wikimedia Commons
- Text: CC BY-SA 4.0, World Heritage Games.
Sources
Get the app
Bansuri bamboo flute is one of 10 instruments and dances in the Music & Dance of the World app for iPhone, iPad and Android. Submitted to the App Store and Google Play; in review. Store links appear here the day it goes live. One app, many traditions, no account needed.
More games to play
Kathputli string puppets
India · Performance and storytellingPlay preview · in the Story & Theatre of the World app
Mijwiz Double Clarinet
Lebanon +3 · Musical instrumentsPlay preview · in the Music & Dance of the World app
More from India
Bandhani tie-dye
India · Crafts and making
Blacksmith's Forge
United Kingdom +4 · Crafts and making
Chamba rumal embroidery
India · Crafts and making