Flute – the Divine Instrument

Hinduism being one of the major religions in India, the idol of Lord Krishna with a flute is a common sight in most of the Vishnu temples. Have you ever wondered why Lord Krishna chose that particular instrument when there are multifarious instrument options available?

To begin with, flute is one of the most easily handled instruments (Note – easily ‘handled’ and not ‘easily played’ :-)). The instrument can be easily taken from place to place without much ado. The requirements of playing the instrument are also very elementary. Just a little amount of wind and a keen interest to play suffice.

Made from bamboo, the types of Indian flutes differ only in the number of finger holes in them. Flutes required to play Hindustani music have a total of seven finger holes including the embouchure hole while Carnatic flutes of South India have eight finger holes and uses cross-finger technique. Flute is the very base of wind instruments. Flute paved the way for the growth of many other wind instruments such as Saxonette, Saxophone, Organ pipe, Soprano, Nadaswaram and many more. These most sophisticated forms of wind instruments have advanced systems of keywork in addition to the finger holes.

 Playing the flute is the tricky part. Just blowing air from the embouchure hole on one side will produce something similar to a noise sequence 😉 But in order to get the chords right, proper fingering and relentless practice is required. In order to get the fingering right, we can refer to a fingering chart or learn from an instructor. Another important factor is the air control. Air control is very much mandatory. A keen interest to learn alongside continous practice will make you a maestro of the Flute.