A collection of custom-made nays showcasing the craftsmanship and artistry. Each nay is meticulously designed and handcrafted to meet the unique preferences and requirements of the musician.
Why Making A Custom Nay?
If we assume, for example, that there is one ideal flute with fixed parameters and tuning factors (a thick flute wall, the player's ambient temperature matching the air temperature exhaled from the player's mouth, a fixed breath angle, and other less important factors), and we ask all flute players in the world to play it to produce a consistent note, then they will use the same breath force to achieve that note.
However, this is not the case in reality. There are many variables, and the factors that control breath force vary among players, resulting in differences in breath force between one player and another.
It can be said with certainty that most flute players share a moderate breath force, while for others, the breath force varies between the strongest (a powerful/bursting breath) and the weakest (a clear breath). Therefore, the main factors contributing to variations in flute tuning between players can be summarized into three:
440 Hz/sec Sugar Maple wood Set
442 Hz/sec Cherry wood Full set for master Omar Faruk Tekbilek
436 Hz/sec Olive wood Full set for master Ali Mazbouh
The first factor relates to the flute's shape, dimensions, and bore. Reed flutes are inherently inconsistent due to the fluctuations in the reed plant itself and the variations in makers' techniques. It's well known that two flutes of the same pitch and proportions rarely match. To produce the same notes from two flutes, different proportions must be employed due to these variations. Furthermore, the thickness of the flute's wall acts as a buffer, insulating the internal heat from the external heat. A thicker, denser flute wall naturally reduces tuning variations, but this can sometimes come at the cost of a muted sound.
The second factor is the player's environment. As mentioned above, temperature variations on either side of the flute wall affect the speed of sound within the flute, thus altering its vibration. Theoretically, it is believed that the flute will take on the temperature of the air coming out of the player’s mouth during continuous playing. However, the greater the difference between the temperature of the player’s environment and the temperature of the air coming out of the player’s mouth, the less control there is over the tuning of the flute, and it is governed by the attraction between these two factors - often in favor of the temperature of the player’s environment, as we see in the difference in tuning between summer and winter, and between playing in cold regions compared to warm regions.
The third and most important factor is the method of instruction and learning for the ney player. Most ney players began their journey individually and through self-study, and most started with an "instructional" ney that was not precisely tuned or had inaccurate pitch spacing. This often led to the acquisition of an incorrect breath technique and force.
These factors combined inevitably created what we call the variation in breath force among ney players, thus presenting a challenge for the ney maker to create a ney that suits the player's breath.
Here the question arises: Is there a scientific method for assessing the breath force of a player? And consequently, what are the proposed solutions for creating a ney that suits the player's breath?
To answer this question, it must be acknowledged that measuring a player's breath using a reed ney that "matches" their breath is not an accurate measure due to the factors mentioned above. A maker cannot accurately predict the strength of your breath unless you have previously worked with a maker possessing a precise technique, or unless you have personally visited a maker and tried the flute before purchasing it.
This method is available when the maker and player are geographically close, but the player cannot always reach the maker's workshop and purchase a flute suitable for their breath, as is often the case.
There are suggested solutions, such as adding an extension knob to the flute's body, but this article primarily deals with reed flutes or flutes of a fixed length.
Therefore, in this article, I wanted to propose a method for calculating a player's breath before purchasing a flute. This method helps both the player and the maker choose the appropriate flute for the player's breath, even if the player has never purchased from that particular maker before.
To measure a player's breath anywhere and at any time, we must adopt a fixed unit of measurement. How? The method I propose uses a fixed and readily available unit of measurement in every player's environment: the PVC pipe.
Before discussing the measurement method, I hypothetically divide flute players into three categories: the largest category, representing the vast majority of players, consists of those with a breath rate of 440 Hz; the second category comprises those with a strong breath rate (444 Hz); and the third category includes those with a clear breath rate (436 Hz). If we were to conduct research compiling breath strength data from players, we would see a Gaussian graph with the moderate breath rate group at the top.
To calculate breath strength, the logarithmic scale data, written in cents, must be converted to vibrations (Hz/second). To transition between frequencies and the logarithmic scale, there's an equation in music theory that I won't delve into here; I've summarized it using the data shown in the image below.
Practically speaking, to measure the breath, the player needs a PVC pipe with consistent dimensions: exactly 60 centimeters long and 16 millimeters in diameter. Based on this, the breath's power is measured according to the data provided in this article. The pipe measurements are based on the output of the note C5 from this specific PVC pipe by flute players with a moderate breath rate of 440 frequencies/second in an ideal playing environment.
Therefore, the player should choose a playing environment where they are frequently present during their playing so that the PVC pipe reaches the player's usual ambient temperature. Therefore, when measuring the force of a breath, the player must blow into the PVC pipe for at least one minute, but no more than ten minutes. This is the period during which the PVC pipe's tuning begins to increase gradually due to the increasing air velocity, which is governed by the rapid temperature change within the pipe's walls and interior, unlike the reed's tissue. Consequently, the logarithmic scale readings become inaccurate for the desired measurement. The player must also blow into the second octave, and then measure the breath on an oscilloscope, as documented.
The stronger the player's breath, the higher the note produced by the flute, and vice versa for a player with a weaker breath. In numerical terms, a player with a strong (powerful) breath will produce a note twenty cents louder, and thus their strong breath corresponds to a standard of 444 vibrations per second. Meanwhile, the player with a weak (clear) breath will produce a low note of about twenty cents, which is equivalent to about 436 vibrations per second.
Article by: Rizeq Nakhash
440 Hz/sec Rosewood Nay on E (Bouslik)