Wind instruments
Ney
A wind instrument made of reed, with six holes in front and one at the back; it is the voice of Sufi and classical Turkish music.
In brief
- Family: Wind instrument; reed flute blown obliquely across the rim
- Origin: Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt; the name comes from Persian nây (reed)
- Earliest evidence: Egyptian and Sumerian evidence going back about 4,500 years
- Body and materials: Cane with nine segments; horn mouthpiece (başpâre), metal ferrules (parazvâne) at the ends
- Holes: 6 in front, 1 at the back (thumb hole)
- Tuning / range: A master neyzen exceeds three octaves; by length, pitch levels (ahenk) such as Şah, Mansur, Kız
- Music: Mevlevi ayin, Sufi and Turkish classical music; Arabic and Persian music
- 16th–17th centuries: Mentioned in Revani's İşaretname; Evliya Çelebi speaks of twelve kinds of ney, and the names he lists include şah, mansur, bolahenk and süpürde[1, 2, 3]
Listen
History
A wind instrument made of reed with a history of thousands of years. In the Mevlevi tradition it is regarded as the symbol of divine love; Rumi's Masnavi opens in the voice of the ney.
Construction
It is made from a reed with nine segments; six holes are cut in the front and one in the back. A mouthpiece (başpâre) of water buffalo horn or bone is fitted to the upper end. Its pitch varies with its length (Kız, Mansur, Şah, etc.).
How it is played
The başpâre rests lightly against the lips and air is blown obliquely across the edge of the reed. Comma intervals are obtained by turning the head, half-covering holes and varying breath pressure.
Its place in makam music
One of the most fundamental instruments of makam music; its spiritual sound stands out in taksim, âyin and hymns. It can render the commas of every makam with breath and fingers.
Getting started: types, sizes, tuning
- Construction: Made from a single piece of reed with nine nodes; it has seven holes, one of them on the back.
- Ahenk (pitch sets): The main neys are kız, mansur, şah, dâvud and bolâhenk, a whole tone apart; with the intermediate neys they make 12, and with the half-length nısfiye 24.
- Protection: Metal rings (parazvâne) fitted on the first and last nodes keep the reed from cracking.
- Choosing a ney: In the ney module of the Turkish Ministry of National Education (MEB) music schools, being able to choose a ney suited to one's height and arm and finger length is listed as a learning outcome.[1, 4]
Start with this instrument
Masters on recordings
Performers who play this instrument on recordings of works in the score archive (MusicBrainz).
Frequently asked questions about the Ney
What is the difference between the ney and the kaval?
The ney is made of reed, with a mouthpiece (başpâre) of horn or bone fitted to its upper end, and is blown with the lips resting lightly against this mouthpiece; it has six holes in front and one in the back. The kaval, by contrast, is mostly made of wood, has no başpâre, and has extra sound holes at its lower end. The ney is the instrument of Sufi and classical Turkish music, the kaval of shepherd and folk music; their timbres differ as well.
Why do neys come in different sizes?
Neys are made in different lengths according to pitch levels called “ahenk”: Şah, Mansur, Kız, Müstahsen, Süpürde and Bolâhenk are some of them. The longer the ney, the lower its pitch. The neyzen chooses the right ney according to the ahenk of the piece or the singer's voice; that is why master neyzens carry neys of several sizes.
Why is it hard to get a sound out of the ney?
On the ney, sound is produced when the air from the lips strikes the sharp inner edge of the başpâre; the air must be directed at this edge at a specific angle and in a narrow stream. If the lip position and breath shift by a few millimeters, the sound disappears. So producing the first clean sound can take days, even weeks. Short, regular practice with a teacher is the fastest way to progress.
What does the ney mean in the Mevlevi tradition?
Mevlânâ's Masnavi opens with couplets meaning “Listen to how this ney complains, telling of separations”. The ney, cut from the reed bed, symbolizes the human soul separated from its origin and longing to return to it. That is why the ney is the leading instrument of the Mevlevi âyin; the âyin opens with the neyzen's taksim.
Can I play the ney on this site?
Yes. The “Play in the browser” button on this page opens the virtual ney; the sounds were cut one by one from a recording of a Hüzzam scale played on a ney (CC BY 4.0). The commas that a real ney produces with breath and head angle, the virtual ney plays automatically according to the comma values of the makam you choose.