Composing for Bamboo Flute Composing for Specific Instruments >
Guidance on composing for bamboo flute (bansuri). Bamboo flautist Max Gittings talks about composing for bamboo flute: the range, traditional and extended techniques and composing for the instrument within different global traditions.
- Video
- Bamboo flute ranges
- Ornaments
- Thaats (Indian music scales)
- Neel Kamrul - Bangladeshi bansuri player
Max Gittings talks about composing for bamboo flute (bansuri)
Bamboo flute ranges
Bamboo flutes only have 6 finger holes on them and therefore are not fully chromatic. They have a diatonic range of 2 octaves from their root/key note (i.e.they all play 2 octaves of a major scale from their root/key note). However, they all have fingerings which give the following chromatic notes; a flattened 6th and a flattened 7th, in both octaves. Other chromatic notes are playable by half covering finger-holes. These bamboo flutes are most common to compose for:
Bamboo flute (root note B)
Root note Eb
Root note F#
Root note C
Root note E
Root note G
Root note D
Root note F
Root note Bb
Ornaments on the bamboo flute
Kan
This is where the flautist approaches from the note below the sounding note. This is often used to create an effect when the same pitch is repeated.
Meend
This is a glissando, or note bend between two or more notes. The flautist will gradually raise or lower their fingers to uncover or cover the finger holes to create this effect
Gamak
This is similar to a kan but gamak sounds from above the note. The flautist will quickly raise and replace the finger of the sounding note.
Andalan
This is a microtonal trill to the note above the sounding note
Thaats (Indian music scales)
The bamboo flute has much of its history in the Indian music tradition. You might want to choose a thaat (Indian music scale) to use for your composition. These examples are in the key of C major for a bamboo flute with the root note C, but can be transposed into the key of any bamboo flute.
Bilawal
This is the root major scale - in this case, C major
Khamaj
The 7th note of the scale is flattened
Kafi
The 3rd and 7th notes of the scale are flattened
Bhairavi
The 2nd, 3rd, 6th and 7th notes of the scale are flattened
Marwa
The 2nd note is flattened and the 4th note is sharpened
Kalyan
The 4th note of the scale is sharpened
Bhairav
The 2nd and 6th notes of the scale are flattened
Asavari
The 3rd, 6th and 7th notes of the scale are flattened
Poorvi
The 2nd and 6th notes are flattened and the 4th note is sharpened
Todi
The 2nd, 3rd and 6th note are flattened and the 4th note is sharpened
Neel Kamrul - Bangladeshi bansuri player
Neel Kamrul is a Bangladeshi songwriter, composer and multi-instrumentalist living in Dhaka. He first worked with BCMG in 2018 on an international collaboration bringing together musicians from Birmingham, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. Neel is Music Director of Bangladesh National Television and has worked extensively in theatre and compsoing music for film. His own group, the Neel Kamrul Ensemble, including singer Shunta Islam, compose and perform their own contemporary compositions along with traditional material. Neel and Shunta will be visiting Birmingham to perform with BCMG in November 2025.
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