The ney ( /n eɪ/ NAY; Persian: نی) is an end-blown flute that is important in traditional Kurdish, Persian, Turkish, Jewish, Arab, and Egyptian music. In some of these traditions, it is the only wind instrument used. The ney has been played for more than 4,500 years, beginning in ancient Egypt, making it one of the oldest musical instruments still used today.

The ney is made from a hollow piece of cane or giant reed with five or six finger holes and one thumb hole. The Arabic ney is played without a mouthpiece. This is different from the Turkish ney, which sometimes has a brass, horn, or plastic mouthpiece placed at the top. The mouthpiece helps protect the wood, makes the sound clearer, and makes it easier to blow. Modern neys may also be made from metal or plastic tubing. The pitch of the ney depends on the region and how the fingers are arranged. A highly skilled ney player, called a neyzen, can play more than three octaves. However, it is more common to use several "helper" neys to cover different pitch ranges or to make it easier to play complex musical passages in other dastgahs or maqams.

In Romanian, this instrument is called "fluier." The word "nai" refers to a curved pan flute. An end-blown flute similar to the Persian ney is called "caval" in Romanian.

Typology

The typical Persian ney has six holes, one located on the back. Arabic and Turkish neys usually have seven holes, with six on the front and one thumb hole on the back.

The spaces between the holes can create musical intervals such as minor and major seconds, as well as very small intervals (about three quarter tones), which are sometimes called neutral seconds in Western music. These small intervals can also be produced by partially covering holes, adjusting how the mouth is shaped (embouchure), or changing how the instrument is held and how air is blown into it. Using these techniques to create small pitch changes is common and important in many styles of taqsim (improvisation in the same scale before a piece is played).

Neys are made in different musical keys. In the Egyptian and Arabic systems, there are seven common ranges (the names refer to Arabic note names, not maqams):

• Rast, the longest and lowest-pitched, roughly similar to the note C in the Western equal temperament system.
• Dukah in D, the most commonly used.
• Busalik in E.
• Jaharka in F.
• Nawa in G.
• Hussayni in A.
• Ajam in B (or B♭).

Skilled players often own multiple neys in different keys. While it is possible (though difficult) to play all notes in a chromatic scale on a single instrument, there is an exception in the very lowest range. Here, fingerings become complex, and moving from the first octave (basic pitches) to the second octave is challenging.

Kargı düdük

The kargı düdük is a long reed flute. According to legend, it is connected to Alexander the Great, and a similar instrument existed in ancient Egypt. In Turkish, "kargı" means reed (Arundo donax, also called Giant reed). The sound of the gargy-tuyduk is similar to the two-voiced kargyra. When the gargy-tuyduk is played, the melody is clearly heard, while the low, continuous sound is barely noticeable.

The allay epic songs have been studied by the Turkologist N. Baskakov, who grouped them into three types:

• Kutilep kayla: the second sound is a soft drone.
• Sygyrtzip kayla: the second sound is like a flute's whistle.
• Kargyrlap kayla: the second sound is like a hiss.

The sound of the Turkmen gargy-tuyduk is most similar to the Altay Kargyrkip kayla. The garg-tuyduk can have six finger holes and be 780 mm long, or five finger holes and be 550 mm long. The range of the garg-tuyduk includes three registers:

• The lowest register – "non-working" – is not used when playing a melody.
• The same as the "non-working" register but one octave higher.
• The high register, from mi in the second octave to ti.

Pamiri nay

The Pamiri nay (Tajik: най) is a flute made of wood or, in eastern Badakhshan, from eagle bone. Its name is similar to the Arabic end-blown nay, but it may be more closely related to Chinese flutes like the dizi, possibly through connections with the Mongol people.

The nay is played alone, with orchestras, and to support singing. A key use of the nay is in the traditional performance called falaki.

Falaki performances are short musical pieces that express feelings about unfairness, sadness, or hardship. They may describe the pain of a mother separated from her child, the sorrow of a lover separated from their partner, or other deep emotions.

Other forms with similar names

The ney of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Karakalpakstan is a side flute that can be made from various materials. The material is often shown by a prefix in the name. For example, agach-nai is a wooden flute, garau-nai is a bamboo flute, misnai is a flute made from sheet iron, and brindgzhi-nai is a brass flute.

The Romanian pan flute called nai has at least 20 to more than 30 pipes. These pipes are closed at the bottom and are connected in a gentle curve.

General bibliography

• Effat, Mahmoud (2005). Beginner's Guide to the Nay. Translated by Jon Friesen; first published in Arabic in 1968. Pitchphork Music. ISBN 0-9770192-0-9.
• Marwan Hassan (2010). Kawala & Nay: Die Ur-Flöten der Menschheit: Bauen, stimmen, pflegen und spielen. [German: Explaining How to Build and Play the Kawala, Saluang, or Ghab and Ney-Flute].