Nay
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The Nay is a type of flute found throughout the Middle Hast and North Africa. It is held vertically, like a recorder. However, the nay is much more difficult to play because the blowhole remains open, with the lips almost covering the rim. Only virtuoso players can play the entire three-octave range on the instrument. Most musicians need to use different sizes of nay to achieve this.
| Family |
| Woodwinds |
| Pitch range |
| About one octave. |
| Material |
| Reed. wood, or metal. |
| Size |
| Variable, but usually 23-27 in (58-69 cm) long. |
| Origins |
| The nay is a Middle-Eastern instrument, which has been in existence since antiquity. The Egyptians played this instrument as far back as the 3rd milleniurn B.C. The nay is now played in the Middle East and Central Asia. |
| Classification |
| Aerophone: an instrument that produces its sound by the vibration of a column of air. |
| And also... |
| From the 11th century. Islamic Sufi and Dervish sects in Turkey and Iran used the nay to induce trances and stales of ecstasy. |
