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Writing on the Neys
Most
Egyptian or Lebanese Neys have writings close to the top of the Ney.
The writing is either burned in or carved then filled with ink.
These writings are usually the signature of the Ney maker and
the key in which the Ney plays.
The most popular Ney maker in Egypt today is “Sayed Bayoumi.”
Although he already passed away, some of his Neys are being
sold on Muhammad Ali Street in Cairo.
Today, his children are still making Neys.
So now they emboss the Ney with “Awlad El-Sayed Bayoumi.”
Note that the writings on the Ney are not necessarily an
indication of quality. Before
buying a Ney you should either play it yourself and ensure that it
plays properly or get the assistance of a Ney player.
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The Ney Wire
Most
of the Neys from Egypt have a piece of wire wrapped on the top segment
of the Ney. Traditionally
it is for decoration but some Ney makers say that it is for protecting
the Ney from cracking. Most
serious Ney players will remove the wire altogether because they say
it restricts the free vibration of the Ney.
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The Multi Phonic Qualities of the Ney
A characteristic of the Ney is a special
multiphonic mode called the Bridge.
The bridge is achieved by playing the same notes in two octaves
at the same time. It is
usually played on the first and the sub registers together at the same
time. When played, it
makes the Ney sound sad. Combined
with a specific scale called
Saba
,
it is the most popular form of playing in the middle-east. The Bridge
is just as difficult to play as it is to describe.
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A Note on Note Names
A word of caution to the non-middle
eastern students, while in the it is common to use C, D, E, … etc.
for note names, in the middle east it is more common to use Do, Re,
Me, Fa, Sol, La, Cee, Do. Since Arabic music focuses on accompanying
vocalists, most musicians are only concerned with three octaves.
As a result, Middle ‘C’ is called Do.
Higher ‘C’ is called “Qarrar el-Do,” and lower ‘C’
is called “Gawab el-Do”.
Some middle-eastern musicians especially
Ney players, still use the Turkish and Persian names which are
Rast, Docah, Busileck, and so on.
Be cautioned that flats and sharps have different names and the
same note have different names depending on the octave in which it is
played.
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Musical
Range
An accomplished musician can achieve a 3
octave range on one ney just by adjusting his fingering, head and lips
and breath control. Otherwise up to 3 neys can be used for a classical
concert.
The instrument has a range of about three
octaves for accomplished musicians.
These notes come from 4-5 registers where two of them are
difficult to achieve. The
Ney is tuned to easily play the Rast scale.
In the standard Arabic scale, the two notes E,
and B and played a quarter
tone lower. This is
musically denotes as Bb with a stroke through the (b) or (B ¼ Flat).
This makes playing a regular chromatic scale a bit challenging
on the Ney.
Normal blowing in the Doca Ney with all
the holes covered produces the ‘C’ note (first register).
Underblowing the Ney will produce ‘C’ in the lower octave
(lower register). Overblowing
in the Ney (second register) produces a note that is a perfect fifth
higher (G). Overblowing
again (third register) produces ‘C’ again.
An expert player can play a higher (fourth) register which
starts again in ‘G’. |
Styles of Playing
Arab style playing is generally more
rhythmic, and reflective of the shepherd association, as the nay is
commonly a pastoral instrument. The classical nay is usually longer,
the folk models shorter. The Turkish style is more smooth and flowing,
betraying the Dervish association. In
Turkey
,
the Mevlevi (Whirling Dervishes) long ago adopted the nay as their
main instrument in the sema, the spiritual service that includes the
trance dancing spinning. The pastoral association is weaker in
Turkey
,
the nay being a learned, urban Classical instrument; various types of
kaval, smaller flutes of end and fipple blown types fill in the folk
world.
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