वन्दे मातरम् - series IV - flute

Shashank, the magical flautist has sung Vande mataram through his flute. This video was filmed in Gandhi Mandapam, Adyar, Chennai in 1997.

The Indian Bamboo Flute, one of the instruments of Indian classical music, developed independently of the Western flute. The Hindu god Krishna is traditionally considered a master of the instrument. The Indian flutes are very simple instruments when compared with their Western counterparts; they are made of bamboo and are keyless. The Indian concert flutes are available in standard pitches. In Carnatic Music, the pitches are referred by numbers such as 1(C), 1-1/2(C#), 2(D), 2-1/2(D#), 3(E), 4(F), 4-1/2(F#), 5(G), 5-1/2(G#), 6(A), 6-1/2(A#) & 7(B) (The above is assuming the tonic note is C). However, the pitch of a composition is itself not fixed and hence any of the flutes may be used for the concert (as long as the accompanying instruments, if any, are tuned appropriately) and is largely left to the personal preference of the artist.

Two main varieties of Indian flutes are currently used. The first is the Bansuri, which has six finger holes and one blowing hole, is used predominantly in Hindustani music, the music of Northern India. The second is Venu or Pullanguzhal, which has eight finger holes, and is played predominantly in Carnatic music, the music of Southern India. Presently, the 8-holed flute with cross-fingering technique, is common among many Carnatic flautists. This was introduced by the eminent flautist T. R. Mahalingam in the mid-20th Century. Prior to this, the South Indian flute had only seven finger holes, with the fingering standard developed by Sharaba Shastri of the Palladam school, at the beginning of the 20th Century.

Shashank is a 20 year-old bamboo flute virtuoso from South India, who has been captivating audiences and critics around the world since the age of twelve. He is an extraordinary performer, able to convey the essence of Indian music to "unskilled" listeners. Shashank performs with a team of five accompanists, each a soloist in his/her own right. He uses several flutes, bass to piccolo, and is accompanied by violin, mridangam, ghatam, moorsing, and tambura (a drone instrument.)