Turkish Ney
The ney is a vertically-blown reed flute, whose different forms are used in Arabic, Persian, Turkish and Turkmen music, among others.
The word “ney” comes from the Persian word meaning reed. It was already in use as early as in the 3rd millennium BC in ancient Egypt. In more recent times, its plaintive sound was immortalised by the Sufi poet Rumi in the very opening of his magnum opus “Masnavi”: “Listen to the ney as it laments and tells stories of separation”. In today’s Turkey, it is the major instrument in classical music as well as in the music for the ritual of the whirling dervishes, properly known as the Mevlevi Sema.
The ney is made of reed with six finger holes and a thumb hole, with a wooden cap, unique to the Turkish ney, that facilitates blowing. Neys come in a dozen of different sizes that are suitable for different modes in the Turkish musical system called “makam”.
