(headline image: professional Arabic ney, 7 flutes, Ahmad Abd El Ghani)
The ney (also spelled nay) is an ancient end-blown flute made from reed, widely played across the Middle East. It has been in continuous use for millennia. Archaeological and textual evidence trace it back over 4,000 years to civilizations like Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia.
Over centuries, the ney spread throughout the Middle East and North Africa, becoming integral to many regional musical traditions. By the medieval period, it was firmly established in Persian and Ottoman (Turkish) music, evolving slightly in form and playing technique in each culture while retaining its characteristic sound and form. Furthermore, historically, it is the only wind instrument used in ensembles.
Beyond its musical role, the ney carries strong spiritual symbolism, especially in Sufi Islam. Sufi mystics (particularly the Mevlevi Order of “Whirling Dervishes” in Turkey and Syria) cherish the ney’s haunting, plaintive sound as a symbol of the human soul’s longing for union with the divine.
The 13th-century Persian poet Rumi famously opened his Masnavi (poem) with the mournful cry of the ney as an allegory for the soul separated from God.
In Sufi ceremonies, such as the Turkish semâ (whirling ritual), the ney’s spellbinding melodies accompany devotional dance and meditation, its breathy sound thought to inspire contemplation and transcendence.
Across the Middle East, from North Africa to Central Asia, the ney is also associated with folk traditions. For example, in Arab lands it was often a shepherd’s instrument, but in urban settings like Istanbul and Tehran it became a learned classical instrument, revered for its expressiveness.
In Persian classical music, the ney is the leading wind instrument and an essential voice of the traditional ensemble. By the 19th century (Qajar era), other wind instruments had faded from Persian art music, leaving the ney as the sole wind instrument in classical performances.
Moreover, the ney plays a central role in performing the Persian radif repertoire and the modal systems known as dastgāh. The ney’s ability to produce microtones and subtle inflections makes it ideal for expressing the nuances of Persian melodic modes. Skilled Persian ney players use techniques like partial hole covering and embouchure adjustments to achieve the quarter-tones and ornamentations characteristic of this music.
The instrument typically carries the melodic line in ensembles and also appears in solo improvisations (Āvāz), where its soulful, voice-like quality shines.
Role in Turkish Classical Music
The ney is equally fundamental to Turkish classical (Ottoman) music. In Ottoman court music, the ney was highly regarded; it was often the only wind instrument included in the intimate chamber ensembles of the palace. Alongside instruments like the oud (lute), kamancha (fiddle), and tanbur (lute), the ney became one of the core instruments for performing the Ottoman maqam (modal) repertoire.
Construction and Playing Technique
The construction of the ney is simple yet unique. Traditionally, a ney is made from a single piece of hollow cane or giant reed (Arundo donax), which is cut to length and had its natural internal nodes cleared to form an open tube. However, some modern neys are also made out of plastic. A typical ney has six finger holes on the front and one thumbhole on the back (Arabic and Turkish neys usually have 7 holes in total, while Persian neys typically have 6).
The instrument’s length and the placement of the holes determine its key and range; neys come in various sizes to cover different pitch ranges. The end of the reed near the mouth is frequently reinforced: Turkish neys employ a mouthpiece called a başpare, traditionally made of buffalo horn or wood (now sometimes plastic or metal), fitted onto the blowing end to protect it and provide a firm lip rest. Persian neys, by contrast, typically do not use a mouthpiece; the raw reed end is used for blowing, sometimes wrapped or bound only for protection.
Playing a ney can be challenging. The sound is produced by placing the open end of the flute just at or between the lips and blowing across the rim. The player directs a focused airstream against the inner edge of the reed’s top opening, causing the air column inside to vibrate. Unlike a transverse flute or recorder, the ney’s technique is bilabial: both the upper and lower lips adjust around the rim to control the airflow. In the Persian style, players often use an interdental style, inserting the rim slightly between the front teeth, which can yield a powerful, reedy tone, but this technique requires great skill to master.
By varying the angle of breath, lip tension, and finger coverage, a ney player can produce a range of dynamics and pitches, including microtonal variations between the standard notes. The ney typically has a range of about two and a half to three octaves.
Advanced neyzen (ney players) may keep several neys in different keys to cover a full repertoire, although masters are able to produce chromatic notes from a single ney by subtle adjustments.
Notable Ney Players
Over the years, many virtuosos have mastered the ney. In Turkey, some of the most celebrated ney players include Niyazi Sayın, Aka Gündüz Kutbay, Sadreddin Özçimi, the brothers Süleyman and Kudsi Erguner, and Neyzen Ömer Bildik. All these artists are renowned for their command of Turkish classical and Sufi music on the ney. Another essential musician is multi-instrumentalist Omar Faruk Tekbilek, who introduced the ney to world music audiences through his superb world fusion albums. Another artist involved with remarkable fusions of world music and electronica is Mercan Dede.
In Iran, legendary figures such as Hassan Kassai (1928–2012) and contemporary master Hossein Omoumi (b. 1944) are highly respected for their virtuosity on the Persian ney. Hassan Kassai in particular is often regarded as one of the greatest Persian ney players of all time, known for expanding the instrument’s techniques and musical range in the 20th century. Hossein Omoumi has likewise gained recognition as a performer, teacher, and innovator on the ney, bringing global attention to Persian classical music. These and other ney players have demonstrated the instrument’s profound capabilities, ensuring that the ney’s plaintive voice continues to enchant listeners and inspire spiritual reflection across cultures.
Ney Recordings:
Kudsi Erguner: Meditation on the Ney (Phillips, 1978); Whirling Dervishes from Turkey (1981); The Mystic Flutes of Sufi: Preludes to Ceremonies of the Whirling Dervishes (1988); Cérémonie des Derviches Kadiri (1989); Sufi Music of Turkey (CMP Records, 1990); The Turkish Ney (Auvidis, 1990); Gazel: Classical Sufi Music of the Ottoman Empire (1991); Ottoman Classical Music (Al Sur, 1992); Peshrev & Semai of Tanburi Djemil Bey (1994); L’Orient de L’Occident: Flamenco & Ottoman Sufi Music (1995); The Sacred Flute of the Whirling Dervishes (Al Sur, 1996; Works of Kemani Tatyos Efendi (Traditional Crossroads, 1996); Psalms of Yunus Emre (Al Sur, 1997); Chemins (1997); Music from the Arabian Nights (1999); Ottomania (İmaj Müzik, 1999); Islam Blues (ACT, 2001); Gazing Point (2008); Sufiyan (2011); Tarab (Kalan, 2018); La Mélancolie Royale (Seyir Muzik, 2019).
Omar Faruk Tekbilek: Suleyman The Magnificent (Celestial Harmonies, 1988); Fire Dance (Celestial Harmonies, 1990); Whirling (Celestial Harmonies, 1994); Gypsy Fire, with Hagopian (Traditional Crossroads, 1995); Mystical Garden (Celestial Harmonies, 1996); Crescent Moon (Celestial Harmonies 1998); One Truth (Hearts of Space 1999); Dance into Eternity (Celestial Harmonies, 2000); One with Yuval Ron Yair Dalal (Magda, 2003); Alif – Love Supreme (Narada World Select 1198 2002); The Tree of Patience (White Swan, 2005); Kelebek – Butterfly soundtrack (Celestial Harmonies, 2009); Love Is My Religion (Alif Records, 2017).
Hossein Omoumi: Persian Classical Music, with Sima Bina (Nimbus Records, 1995); Persian Classical Music, with Madjid Khaladj (Nimbus Records, 1995); Improvisation in the Mahour Mo, with Madjid Khaladj (Al Sur, 1996); Tale Of Love I – Esfahan (QuarterTone, 1999); Tale Of Love II – Nava (QuarterTone, 2003); Sarmast – Trance of Devotion, with Madjid Khaladj (Bâ Music Records, 2004); Voices of Spring Avay – E Bahar (2009); Earthly Exile (Mahoor Institute Of Culture & Arts, 2015); Ateş-i Aşk, with Kiya Tabassian, and Ziya Tabassian (Z Ses Görüntü, 2016).
Books
Musical Ethics and Islam: The Art of Playing the Ney – Illustrated, March 4, 2020, by Banu Senay
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.