Ney
The ney, an end-blown cane flute, in five languages — ney, Ney, nay
Related
Five languages
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
| Chinese | 奈伊笛 |
| English | ney |
| Italian | ney |
| German | Ney |
| French | ney |
The ney is an end-blown pipe of Middle Eastern, Turkish and Persian music, made from cane, with no whistle mouthpiece: the player shapes the airstream at the open rim, producing a hollow tone. English, Italian and French write ney, German Ney; Arabic, Turkish and Persian spellings differ; Chinese uses 奈伊 or 纳伊. It is a cane vertical flute, not a reed instrument (a common usage).
Watch out: the name is often translated "reed flute", which suggests a vibrating reed; the reed is only the tube material, and the sound is produced at an edge. It also differs from the recorder, which has a duct and a fixed fipple, whereas the ney has neither and depends on the player's lips.
Read deeper → The ney
Sources
- 各语种乐器名与形制，参 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "Ney"；本文为原创表述
Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.