Ney

The science of music is closely tied to meşk (oral transmission through practice) and performance. At the foundation of these two deep-rooted traditions lie musical instruments. Throughout history, instruments have undergone various transformations and, at times, were abandoned in favor of more advanced alternatives. Instruments that reflect tradition through their structure, pitch arrangements (perde bağları), and pitch ratios (perde oranları) stand as crucial evidence of the evolution and transformation of music. The ney is no exception to this process. Transmitted to our time through centuries-old chains of meşk, the ney also carries its historical context. The tone holes opened on its reed body based on specific proportions determine the pitch intervals produced by the instrument. These tone holes, inherently tied to ratios, are also shaped by the musician’s perception of music and their performance ability. A well-maintained ney can preserve its pitch intervals for many years as long as there are no cracks or breaks in its body. Since the ney is unaffected by humidity, it does not wear out easily over time. For instance, a ney registered in the Topkapı Palace Harem Inventory dated 1718 is still capable of producing sound, thus carrying the tradition's tones into the present. As the reed ages, it undergoes changes such as darkening and dehydration. This process eventually makes the ney easier to play and more responsive to the musician. In Islamic calligraphy (hat), the reed pens used also undergo a similar transformation. Once dried, a reed pen, when dropped onto a marble surface, resonates like a coin hitting the stone. The dried reed becomes more absorbent and better suited to hold ink. This transformation, known as suyunu çekmek (literally "drawing out its water"), leads the reed to a hardened, bone-like state. Similarly, aged and well-maintained neys, rather than deteriorating, improve in sound quality over time—preserving and transmitting the traces of tradition into the present.