In recent years, there has been growing interest in Turkish classic music, as well as Turkish tasavvuf, or Sufi music. People from every age group seem to be searching out special courses to learn about Turkish music as well as this ancient instrument, the ney. One of the results of all this interest is that all over Turkey, almost every day there are new ney courses that open up. This being the case, many people are now unsure where the best place to purchase their neys is or where to find the best ney instructors. If you are one of those people, you should know that one of your best options is at Neyistanbul in İstanbul’s Fatih district. Not only is Neyistanbul a great ney production atelier, but it also a good spot to get lessons on how to play this instrument.
Owner Berse learned how to play the ney during his high school years. In fact, his first lessons were with ney musician Hakan Alvan from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s İstanbul Historic Turkish Music Ensemble. After this, he was trained at İstanbul Technical University’s Turkish Music State Conservatory’s humanities department. During this training period, he had the opportunity to take lessons from many important instructors. At the conservatory, he studied first with neyzen Süleyman Erguner and then later with neyzen Niyazi Sayın. He notes that it was particularly Sayın’s teachings that altered his view of Turkish music.
‘I learned about making the ney from Sayın’
Berse learned about the actual making of the instrument from Sayın. He explains: “It was from Niyazi Sayın that I first heard that in the past, neyzens would always make their own instruments. I first attempted to make my own ney from reed through trial and error. But with more and more experience, I began to make more professional neys. And then, with the support of my father, I decided to open up my own atelier.”
Berse’s modest atelier is located on the bottom floor of an apartment building in Fatih, and there, not only are neys and başpare (decorative mouthpieces) produced, but students can also take Turkish music lessons.
He teaches Turkish music theory to students at his atelier, in a sense offering what is basically an accelerated version of what is available at the conservatory. Berse says that actually learning how to play the instrument is a bit like learning a language. He notes that while everyone can actually blow into a ney and produce a sound, not everyone has the potential to become a neyzen. He explains: “Not everyone can be great at music. A feel for rhythm and an ear for music are gifts from God. Specializing in these things changes from person to person, depending on their personal efforts and natural abilities.”
Another aspect of wanting to learn how to play the ney is also of course trying to figure out where to purchase a good ney. There are many neys produced and available on the market, but many might turn out to be out of tune. Berse notes that people should look for neys with a full diameter and mouthpiece made from ox horn. He emphasizes the importance of making sure it was made by someone who is really an expert in playing the ney, in other words, a neyzen.
Lots of interest, not as much success
There has been an explosion in interest in Turkish music in recent years. This does not mean that everyone is successful at actually learning how to play ancient instruments. In fact, very few of those who show interest in the ney are actually successful at learning to play it. People need to display certain characteristics, hard work and talent in order to successfully pursue this study. Most of the time, we do see people with potential skill, but unfortunately, since they are not patient or ambitious enough, they never become as successful as they could. So the excitement of learning to play the ney often does not really go beyond a sort of initial interest.
Ney changing people for the better
There is also a great interest in Sufi music, aside from the interest in playing the ney. In this sense, learning to play the ney positively affected my own life. I also observe some of the changes that occur in students who attend this course. When you eat something, traces of the food and its aroma linger. In the same sense, ney playing leaves a trace on the students learning it. This is not just about learning how to play an instrument. While learning about music, we also research history, so our interest in history also grows. In addition to this, the terms used in the music, as well as the poems that have been composed to go with it, are all in Ottoman Turkish, so that at the same time, the language we use starts to become richer. Later, all of these factors start to reflect in our general style of behavior.
