This page is dedicated
to the Egyptian Ney. Although the Ney is now a member of bands in the Arabic
world, Persia, and Turkey, it started over 5,000 years ago in Ancient
Egypt.
These pages contain a description of the instrument, some
discussion of Arabic Music, pictures, samples, and sheet music as well
as a downloadable version of the Nay Book by Effat who was the most
renowned nay player of modern Egypt.
The Ney is the soul instrument in the Arabic music. It has also been called
the salt and pepper of Arabic music. The current name is the word
"Ney" which is Persian for "reed" . It is the
material from which the Ney is made. Because of the different dialects
of Arabic, the name may be written in different forms in the English
Language. In some parts of Egypt, a Ney is referred to as Qassaba
which is the colloquial word for a piece of reed. I am quite certain
this instrument had many different names in the past. It is more than
5 thousand years old. The oldest forms of the Ney dates back to the
age of the pyramids.
It is an end-blown flute
with seven finger holes. Six in the front and one in the back. The Ney
is made of a nine-segment section of reed. This is very important for
the Ney to work properly. The first node at the wider mouthpiece end
opened with a part of the node left making a small hole, and the other
nodes fully opened, with an outside bevel around the embouchure. There
are six holes on top and one hole for the thumb on the bottom. The
traditional Ney is made of Nile Reed.
