Unique Turkish Instruments Including the Turkish Ney, Zurna, Kaval and Mey
One of the most valuable treasures of Turkish culture is Turkish Music. Inspired by the cultural richness of the region in which it is located, the instruments used in Turkish Folk Music differ from the instruments of other countries.
Turkish Ney
Turkish Ney, one of the best-known Turkish woodwind instruments, is made of reed. It has seven holes, six in the front and one in the back. The music produced is a special cane with a yellow knot. Bracelets called parasites are attached to the first and last knuckles of Ney prepared in this way. These bracelets are made of gold, silver, or brass. It has a sound width close to three octaves. The word “Nây” means “reed” in Persian. The name “Nây” has changed into “Ney” in time. The ney, which dates back to ancient times, is also preferred in the religious music of Turkish culture.
The person who plays the ney is called NEYZEN.
Zurna
Zurna, with its hundreds of years of history, is one of the most important woodwind instruments of Anatolia. Zurna is the loudest and loudest instrument of the Turkish wind instruments known for its loud voice. In fact, it is often played with drums due to its loud noise. It was played on important days such as wedding feasts, and also participated in the wars of the ancient Turks and took a very important place in the mehter bands.
The zurna musical instrument is generally made using plum, walnut, willow or mulberry wood. It has a total of eight holes, seven in the front and one in the back. In fact, it is often played with drums due to its loud noise. The length of the zurna varies between 30 cm and 56 cm. The zurna, which is thought to have a history of three thousand years, is used in the music of almost every region of the country.
They are divided into three groups according to their size and smallness.
1. Kaba Zurna 2. Medium Zurna 3. Cura(Zil) Zurna
Kaval
It is one of the first woodwind instruments of mankind. The instrument, which is mentioned among the "mouth instruments" in various sources, has been known since the Central Asian Turkish civilizations. There are two types, tongued and tongueless kaval. The word Kaval is derived from Kov which means hollow. The sound width is 2.5 octaves. It belongs to the woodwind instruments group. There are eight curtain holes, seven on the front surface and one on the back surface.
Mey
It consists of a reed attached to a body for blowing. The body has eight holes, seven at the front and one at the back. The mine, which is used especially in the eastern regions of Turkey, has various sizes. Usually, hornbeam, plum, walnut, etc. is made from trees. Because of its weak sound, it is mostly played indoors and in-room meetings.
G Clarinet
The G clarinet is a clarinet whose notes are placed according to the Albert fret system and designed accordingly. Clarinet, which started to be called the Clarinet in Turkey, succeeded to take its place among the main instruments of Turkish music by making a sound because it can reflect the sound better because of the clarinet, which is the most widely used clarinet in Turkey. G clarinet, which is mostly used in melody and ornamental music, is also frequently preferred in eastern and Arabic music including this structure.
The clarinet is a woodwind instrument made from hard and durable wood, usually ebony. Ebonite, which is a kind of hard rubber, is also available in metal.
Our catalog includes a wide range of Turkish Woodwind Instruments under the categories of Turkish Ney, Zurna, Mey, Kaval and G Clarinet. Each of these instruments has different characteristics, therefore they play different parts in Turkish music. Turkish Ney has a soft timbre and a soothing sound, it is also highly associated with Mevlevi music, it is played in classical music as well. Mey is a short oboe with a dark sound, originally played in north-eastern Turkey. On the other hand, Zurna, which is a double-reed woodwind instrument having a very bright sound; is mostly accompanied by Turkish drums in dances in South-Eastern Anatolia. G clarinet is also interesting given that it is pitched a minor third below the B-flat clarinet. As for kaval, it is a rim-blown flute used by shepherds.
All of the Turkish woodwind instruments in our store are hand-made, constructed by masters. Do not hesitate to visit us in Istanbul or check our catalog through our website. We believe you will find here the most convenient Turkish woodwind for you at the best value.
Common Features of Turkish Woodwind Instruments
There are a variety of woodwind instruments that vary in shape, material, and size. It is common for sound to be produced by the vibration of something other than the lips. Flutes, which most people play in primary and secondary school, are also members of woodwind instruments. Another feature of wind instruments that differs from other instruments is that they change their pitch by closing their holes. Originally like a tape recorder, a hole called the soundhole was sealed directly with a finger. With the development of musical instruments, it became possible to use "keys", as in flutes and saxophones, to close holes and play larger intervals.
In some woodwind instruments, the sound is obtained with the help of reeds. These instruments are also called reed instruments. In some of these instruments, double reeds are used to make the sound vibrate reciprocally, which are called double reed instruments. Ney and mey can be given as examples for single-reed wind instruments, and oboe for double-reed wind instruments. Wind instruments consist of a hollow, cylindrical body. When it is blown from the mouthpiece, the sound is obtained by the vibration of the air column inside the body.