Lesson recap from today’s Bansuri Bliss Members Lesson

While we have a thorough page dedicated to conveying what takes place during private bansuri lessons, we have never had one for Bansuri Bliss Members Lessons (online group bansuri lessons). As such, we have posted this summary from the August 3rd, 2025 as an example. While every class differs in content and focus, we hope this gives you some ideas and inspiration, and we encourage you to join an upcoming Bansuri Bliss class (whether a group or private lesson)!

Key Takeaways:

– Instructor Dr. Kerry Kriger conveyed the importance of focus on breath control and continuous airflow, both crucial for smooth transitions between notes, especially Ma to Pa.

– Precise finger placement and minimal movement improve technique and sound quality

– Understanding musical terminology (e.g., scales vs. keys) is important for clear communication. C can be a key (i.e. first note of a scale), but it is not a scale. D is not a scale, nor is A, B, E, etc… Bilawal is a scale. Kirwani is a scale. Kalyan is a scale. Major scale is a scale. They all describe a series of notes, rather than just the beginning note.

– Regular, structured practice with specific exercises leads to improvement

Lesson Chronological Summary:

Phrases in raag Jog @ 0:00
The meeting began with Kerry and João by playing key phrases in Jog on bansuri, and correcting the picth of the Shuddh Ga and Komal Ga. Kerry provided detailed feedback on João’s breath control and technique, emphasizing the importance of consciously and continuously exhaling to produce a smooth, consistent sound.

Breath control and technique exercises @ 12:19
Kerry led the group through a series of bansuri exercises focused on developing proper breath control and technique. This included practicing transitions between notes, maintaining continuous airflow, and adjusting embouchure and finger positioning. The exercises were designed to build a strong technical foundation.

Applying techniques to melodies @ 24:11
Rohan played some Bollywood-inspired melodies on the bansuri, and Kerry provided feedback that his playing lacked structure and technique. They then worked on applying the breath control and transition exercises to simple melodic phrases in Bilawal scale, emphasizing accuracy over speed.

Developing new practice exercises @ 1:01:07
Towards the end, Kerry created a set of new practice exercises for the group, focusing on smooth transitions between the Ma and Pa notes. He provided 16 different phrases to work on, going up and down the scale, to help develop this critical technique.

Recap and next steps @ 1:14:05
Kerry concluded the meeting by recapping the key exercises and techniques covered, and encouraged the participants to continue practicing and to take advantage of the Meet Your Gurubhais program to connect with other bansuri players for additional support and feedback.

Action Items:

– Practice Ma-Pa Bridge exercises on BansuriBliss.com. Focus on 16 new phrases (8 up, 8 down) that Dr. Kriger wrote out. Emphasize breath control, finger positioning.

– Review/practice Ma-Pa transition w/o breaking breath. Use mirror to observe finger movements. Minimize motion between notes.

– Practice Bilawal scale w/ Shuddh Ma. Focus on continuous breath, esp. Ma to Pa transition

– Create printable sheet with 8 words for flute practice:
“Take a deep breath. Consciously continuously breathe outwards.”