The earliest Indian flutes did not have an articulate fingering system like those present today. This was perhaps due to the following reasons:

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• A limited understanding of musical notes and pitch at that time.

• Differing fingering styles based on the individual artiste's preference

• The design of the flute itself was open to interpretation and did not have a set standard

 

Three-Finger System​

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One of the earliest traditions in Tamil music, the Three-Finger System or "Mundru Viral Sadhakam" in Tamil was amongst the first accepted techniques in Carnatic flute playing. Yet, the flute still was not able to mimic the vocal nuances of Carnatic music.

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The Three-Finger System's notable contributions to the evolution of Carnatic flute playing are advocating the use of transposed fingering and allowing the play of semitone notes due its own limitations resulting in its eventual disuse as a playing technique.

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Parallel Fingering​

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The brainchild of the prodigy, Sharaba Shastri, it became the first accepted standard in performance flute music. The technique involved playing the notes in a staccato fashion and it covered there full of range of notes found in Carnatic music. It allowed compositions to be played cleanly without much difficulty.

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Cross-Fingering Method (Present)

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The origins of this method date to the "Nadeswaram", arguably the world's loudest non-brass aerophone. Cross-fingering allows air through finger holes left open between other closed finger holes. This technique allows semitones and quarter-tones to be played appropriately and has proved to be the most efficient and effective method of utilising the Carnatic flute to its maximum potential.

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Transposed Fingering (Future)

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Certain approaches like Transposed Fingering, introduced by the legendary Shashank Subramanyam, modify existing techniques and correct certain subtle limitations.