Reed flute

The nay "reed'' is an open-ended, obliquely end blown flute made of cane. They nay was known in the Near East since antiquity. The nay is nine-jointed, and usually has 6 holes in the front for the fingers to play and 1 hole underneath for the thumb. It is played with the pads of the fingers. Nays come in different lengths, each one being tuned to a specific pitch and named after the note produced with the 1st fingerhole open (D4 for the nây.

The nay is blown using a unique lip technique called bilabial blowing, with both upper and lower lip used to partially close the end of the bevelled tube. The 2nd and 3rd registers are overblown a fifth and an octave higher than the 1st register respectively. Some of the tone-holes are assigned to certain microtonal steps, although microtonal variations can also be achieved by partially opening a tone-hole, changing the blowing angle or a combination of the two.

Fine, mellow tones are brought forth by blowing gently over the orifice of the tube while manipulating the fingers and thumbs; by blowing with more or less force, sounds are produced an octave higher or lower, and tunes in different scales can be played by utilizing nays of various lengths. The nay has a wide range of over two octaves.

Although very simple, the nay is one of the most difficult Arabic instruments to play. A fine player can produce a large variety of liquid sounds and ornaments; it is an extremely soulful instrument. Its poetical timbre makes it especially suitable for melancholy effects expressing both joy and yearning. It is the only wind instrument used in Arab art music, widely appreciated for its warm, breathy sound and its subtle tonal and dynamic inflections - Wind instruments