30th January 2018 at the Edinburgh University Collection of Historic Musical Instruments, St Cecilia’s Hall, Edinburgh.

The Ney (or Nay) is common to Arablic, Turkish and Persian music. It is an end blown Flute with five or six fingerholes and a thumb hole. Originally made of cane or reed, nowdays often from metal or plastic.

The Ney is in the middle of the photo. This instrument was made before 1975 in Egypt. There are six fingerholes (spaced in two groups of three) and one thumbhole.

Neys are assigned the number 421.111.12 in the Hornbostel-Sachs classification of musical instruments ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hornbostel-Sachs ), indicating:
4 = Aerophones. Sound is primarily produced by vibrating air. The instrument itself does not vibrate, and there are no vibrating strings or membranes.
42 = Non-Free Aerophones. The vibrating air is contained within the instrument.
421 = Edge-Blown Flutes. A narrow stream of air is directed against an edge.
421.1 = Flutes without a Duct. The player makes a ribbon-shaped flow of air with his lips.
421.11 = End-Blown Flutes. The player blows against the sharp rim at the upper open end of a tube.
421.111 = Individual end-blown flutes.
421.111.1 = Open single end-blown flutes. The lower end of the flute is open.
421.111.12 = With Fingerholes.

Tags:   Musical Instrument Hornbostel-Sachs Aerophone Ney Flute Middle East North Africa St Cecilia’s Hall

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23rd July 2011 at Barbican (Foyer), London EC2 (El Tanbura performing as Suhbagiyya gig).

The Ney (or Nay) is common to Arablic, Turkish and Persian music. It is an end blown Flute with five or six fingerholes and a thumb hole. Originally made of cane or reed, nowdays often from metal or plastic.

Neys are assigned the number 421.111.12 in the Hornbostel-Sachs classification of musical instruments ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hornbostel-Sachs ), indicating:
4 = Aerophones. Sound is primarily produced by vibrating air. The instrument itself does not vibrate, and there are no vibrating strings or membranes.
42 = Non-Free Aerophones. The vibrating air is contained within the instrument.
421 = Edge-Blown Flutes. A narrow stream of air is directed against an edge.
421.1 = Flutes without a Duct. The player makes a ribbon-shaped flow of air with his lips.
421.11 = End-Blown Flutes. The player blows against the sharp rim at the upper open end of a tube.
421.111 = Individual end-blown flutes.
421.111.1 = Open single end-blown flutes. The lower end of the flute is open.
421.111.12 = With Fingerholes.

Tags:   Musical Instrument Hornbostel-Sachs Aerophone Ney Flute Middle East North Africa El Tanbura Barbican

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8th February 2013 at St Ethelburga’s, London EC2.

The Ney (or Nay) is common to Arablic, Turkish and Persian music. It is an end blown Flute with five or six fingerholes and a thumb hole. Originally made of cane or reed, nowdays often from metal or plastic.

The photo shows a Ney in between a Kaval and a Recorder.

Neys are assigned the number 421.111.12 in the Hornbostel-Sachs classification of musical instruments ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hornbostel-Sachs ), indicating:
4 = Aerophones. Sound is primarily produced by vibrating air. The instrument itself does not vibrate, and there are no vibrating strings or membranes.
42 = Non-Free Aerophones. The vibrating air is contained within the instrument.
421 = Edge-Blown Flutes. A narrow stream of air is directed against an edge.
421.1 = Flutes without a Duct. The player makes a ribbon-shaped flow of air with his lips.
421.11 = End-Blown Flutes. The player blows against the sharp rim at the upper open end of a tube.
421.111 = Individual end-blown flutes.
421.111.1 = Open single end-blown flutes. The lower end of the flute is open.
421.111.12 = With Fingerholes.

Tags:   Musical Instrument Hornbostel-Sachs Aerophone Ney Flute Middle East North Africa Kalia St Ethelburga’s

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23rd July 2011 at Barbican (Foyer), London EC2.

Part of Blaze Festival and Extraordinary Voices Weekender (free event).

Country: Egypt. Style: Music of Port Said Suhbagiyya, and protest songs.

Lineup: Zakaria Ibrahim (v), Gamal El Wahed (v), Morsy Ibrahim (v), Mohamed Shohib ("Mimi") (v/tanbura), Aly El Rahman (tanbura/darbuka/v), Hassan Ashry (simsimiyya), Mansour Nasr (ney), Ahmed El Rasoul (triangle/v), El Sayed Azam (darbuka/v), Saad Dayeb (darbuka), Samy Bakry (kasat nubasiyya).

This photo was taken the day after the “A Night in Tahrir Square” concert at the Barbican Free Stage. The band were billed, and announced, as Suhbagiyya (the term for musicians, from sahiba, to accompany). However, it was exactly the same lineup as El Tanbura, playing the same instruments and (it seemed to me at least) performing similar music.

Zakaria Ibrahim was born in Port Said in 1952. Returning to the city in 1980, he found that the music of earlier decades had disappeared. After years of locating and recording older musicians, he formed El Tanbura in 1989. It has had a shifting membership of around 15 musicians. Numerous members of the band take a turn at the vocals, and the use of the lyre (two different versions - the tanbura and the simsimiyya) give it a distinctive sound. Ibrahim had been active in the Egyptian student protests of 1970-72 (and was imprisoned during the time of Anwar Sadat for things he wrote). The group has always had in its repertoire songs about the invasion of Egypt in 1956. They have now added some new songs to reflect current events.

In this photo: Mansour Nasr plays the Ney.

More information: eltanbura.com/.

Tags:   World Music Egypt Arabic Music Egyptian Music Suhbagiyya El Tanbura Ney Flute Extraordinary Voices Weekender Blaze Festival Barbican

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14th December 2013 at SOAS (L67), London WC1.

Part of the Maqam Project @ SOAS [organised by Ed Emery], www.facebook.com/pages/Maqam-Project/112408472109050.
The Project kicked off with a series of concerts in different modes (Hijaz, Rast, Saba, Ushshaq) at the Cockpit Theatre in 2010. After a quiet spell it was back with another concert and this Mini-Conference.

Country: Egypt. Style: Eqyptian Maqam.

Mohammed Antar is from Tanta, to the north of Cairo. He gave a talk on “The Hijaz Family: Maqams extensions from Yegah to Dugah”, which he illustrated on his Ney.
More information: www.mohammedantar.net/EN/home.aspx.

Tags:   World Music Egypt Mohammed Antar Ney Flute Maqam Music Mini-Conference Ed Emery event SOAS

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