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I happen to have what I believe is called a bansuri. It seems to be of Chinese or Indian origin from what I can find out on Google, but I don't seem to be able to find note equivalents for it in a standard system, at best some kind of Indian note system.

In a standard music alphabet, what notes (and key) would an instrument like this play? Note that you need to approach me as someone who is a complete beginner in anything related to music.

enter image description here

Kevin Reid
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dluxcru
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  • Hi, this looks like a chinese Dizi flute (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dizi_(instrument)). The overall key depends on the size. Sometimes the key is written somewhere on the instrument. – kr1 May 21 '19 at 08:39
  • @kr1 I can't tell from the OP's image whether there's a membrane over the first hole. David, can you clear this up for us? – Carl Witthoft May 21 '19 at 13:13
  • @kr1 No membrane over the hole, so I would assume it is a bansuri. (There is a cork stopper somewhere behind the first whole. ) – dluxcru May 21 '19 at 17:35
  • @Carl Witthoff I almost wish it was a dizi. The sound sample, at least on Wikipedia, is much nicer. Might look into finding a a metal one, since my first wooden bansuri cracked all the way down it's length due to our cold winters. – dluxcru May 21 '19 at 17:39
  • There is a large F on the sticker, so I would assume that is the key. (Just noticed that) – dluxcru May 21 '19 at 17:40
  • By my read, this isn't quite a duplicate because the Bansuri fingering is also part of the question, which is not answered by the candidate dupe. If there is another Q&A that has the Bansuri fingerings, then closing this as a dupe of one and adding links to the other makes sense. If this is the first question about Bansuri fingering, I say leave it open. – Todd Wilcox May 21 '19 at 19:02
  • The charts that were posted here were also a much bigger help than whatever is on that question. These, I can actually make some sense of despite being a complete beginner in music. – dluxcru May 21 '19 at 23:59
  • @ToddWilcox Well, there are also two questions about Bansuri fingering, and they contain similar charts. They can be easily found by clicking the Bansuri tag; that's what it's there for. https://music.stackexchange.com/questions/81683/which-bansuri-fingering-chart-to-use-with-practicing-saptak-both-beginners-and – Your Uncle Bob May 22 '19 at 01:35
  • @DavidDale Dizis are not infrequently sold without the membrane due to the risk of breakage during transport, i.e. I would not exclude it on those grounds alone. – kr1 May 22 '19 at 06:54
  • @kr1 How would one tell for certain the difference between a dizi and a bansuri, then? And get a membrane? – dluxcru May 22 '19 at 19:39

1 Answers1

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Here are two pictures that show you the notes and fingering for the Bansuri.

The first one is probably better for you, to understand it clearly and easy the first time you play.

After that, I like the second one probably more, because it's simple and handy. In the second picture you should just write the western notes besides the original notes to make it easier for you ;)

enter image description here

enter image description here

Andy
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  • The first one at least is helpful. I don't get the need for the second or third ones, I will admit. – dluxcru May 21 '19 at 18:29
  • @DavidDale The second one is just to show you how to get the additional chromatic notes that are not in the key by half covering some holes. I personally just like the third one, because it takes much less space and also shows you instantly the relationship between the notes (perfect 5th aboth the root etc.) But I guess it's a personal preference ;) – Andy May 21 '19 at 20:56