About Heer:
Waris Shah’s Heer is written in “Baint” (ਬੈਂਤ) meter. It is believed that after completing his master piece, Waris Shah himself used to sing Heer in Bhairavi till end of his days. The basics of this compositions have been preserved in the oral tradition. However, every artist adds their own color and style. The scale (Mishar Bhairavi) of this composition has a large scope for improvisation. This is my rendition of this classic on this particular day, on this particular instrument. I hope you will enjoy it.
About The Broken Flute:
I only know half of the story. The first half happened years ago. I reckon in the beginning, it was an inexpensive student flute sold by Long and McQuade (Canada). Its purpose was to be played by a kid for a couple of years in the classroom and then go the dust bin. Instead, someone put it on a shelf in a basement. Sometime ago I was visiting a friend when I saw this instrument covered in dust and tarnished so badly that it was completely black. Some keys were also stuck, and crud had developed on the pads. It was not playable. I felt bad for the instrument and brought it home. It was not worth it to get it fixed professionally, so I cleaned it myself with household cleaners and a utility knife. Eventually I was able to play all the notes. Then once again I put it on a shelf and forgot about it. Last week when I came across it and opened the box, once again, it was tarnished. I cleaned it again and started to play Heer on it. I liked its temperamental sound. Some keys are lighter than the others that creates an unevenness. Some pads are not airtight so upper octaves have a raspy sound. To give this flute a lasting future I recorded this composition on video and here it is. If you like its sound, I may record more stuff on it. I am amazed that an instrument worth less than ten dollars, can create soul touching music. Thanks for listening.
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