What is the structure of the ney? What parts does the ney consist of?
The ney, which has a cylindrical structure open at both ends and whose manufacturing process is detailed under the heading “How We Make It", consists of which parts?The ney is made up of three main parts: the kamış (reed), parazvâne, and başpâre.
Components of the Ney
1- Kamış (Reed):
The main body of the ney is made from a specially selected reed consisting of nine segments of equal length. This reed must have a relatively thin wall, a hard and durable outer surface, and must be harvested and dried at the appropriate time. Since the sound of the ney is produced by the vibration of the fibers naturally present in the reed when air is blown into it, the selection of the reed must be done with great care.
Reed (Arundo donax)
2– Parazvâne (Metal ring reinforcement):
What does "Parazvâne" mean?
This is one of the frequently asked and intriguing questions. Parazvâne (also spelled perazvâne or parazvana) is of Persian origin, and it is defined as a metal ring—typically made of brass, silver, or gold—used to connect the handle and blade of objects such as a penknife, knife, or sword. (Source: Ferit Devellioğlu, Osmanlıca-Türkçe Ansiklopedik Lûgat, Ankara, 1984;note that in this source the term is listed as “perazvâne”.)
Its primary function is to protect both ends of the reed that forms the ney. However, its aesthetic contribution has become quite prominent in recent times.
The parazvâne is made of metals with a wall thickness of 0.30–0.40 mm, such as silver, chrome, brass, alpaca, or similar alloys.
If the thickness or length of the parazvâne is not appropriate, it can negatively affect the timbre of the instrument.
Engraved Silver Parazvâne
(The image is taken from another source)
3– Başpâre (Mouthpiece):
What is the Başpâre in a ney?
How should the Başpâre be?
Buffalo horn inlay başpâre on morgül wood (left) and Delrin başpâre (right).
Is it possible to have a ney without a başpâre?
In the Islamic world, the başpâre is used only by Turkish ney players. As can be understood from this, it is possible to play the ney without a başpâre. However, blowing a ney that was made with a başpâre without it is not appropriate because the tuning will be affected. Additionally, some types of ney with shorter structures are produced without a başpâre.
How should the Başpâre be?
Is it hard to play the ney?
Yes, learning to play the ney is difficult but never impossible. With proper and consistent practice, producing sound from the ney is not as hard as it seems. The challenging part is to produce the inner and genuine sound, which requires a lot of effort. You can refer to our article titled "Sound Production and Sitting Posture in Ney Playing” for more information on how to produce sound from the ney.
After all this information, beginners learning the ney can explore and play a few pieces from our sheet music archive, which will guide them with the notes, allowing them to connect deeply with their ney and music.
