Scholeion Psaltikis
Sholeion Psaltikis

Ney

The ney is a wind instrument, long, narrow musical instrument; a reed playiaylos made in various sizes. It is found mainly in the Arab countries and is one of the oldest musical instruments, while its ancestors are the pipe flutes found in various cultures. The constant and close contacts of Byzantium with the Arab countries contributed to its appearance in Constantinople, although we have no evidence of the time of its spread.

Ney is a soloist instrument, with a soft and expressive sound, which can reproduce all the micro-intervals of the “sounds” and “makams” of traditional and church music. In fact, Petros Lampadarios the Peloponnesian (18th century), one of the leaders of church music, also played the ney.

In Greece, ney mainly accompanies scholarly music, songs from Constantinople and Asia Minor areas.