What is Carnatic Flute?
The Carnatic flute is mentioned in Indian mythology and folklore as one of the three instruments created for music, the other two being the human voice and the veena. However, the venu, another name for the Carnatic flute, was not a part of the Carnatic classical music until Sharaba Shastri of the Palladam School, invented it in the beginning of the 20th century. Later, his student, Palladam Sanjeev Rao and another inventor, T.R. Mahalingam (fondly called Flute Mali), strove to make it a popular instrument in musical concerts.
The venu is a bamboo transverse flute, capable of producing two and half octaves with the help of over-blowing and cross fingering. It is commonly associated with the Hindu deity Krishna, who is often depicted playing it.
The venu is a bamboo transverse flute, capable of producing two and half octaves with the help of over-blowing and cross fingering. It is commonly associated with the Hindu deity Krishna, who is often depicted playing it.
