This Piper is using a very short, constricted, plastic blow pipe from a inflatable Beach Toy, SO… his cheeks really “Puff Out” !
I had to change out my Ney Anban blow pipe to a 3/8ths I.D. Cane
tube, as the Goat Skin Bags on these instruments are “Extra Large”.
Using the original plastic valve blow-pipe is really like “blowing up the elephant with the bicycle pump” and it reminded me of all the years I blew through those GHB soda straws !
The Ney Anban (Flute-Bag) is an important part of the “Port Arab” Bandari music of Southern Iran. There are a lot more spellings, Nay Haboun,
Haboun Ney etc.
The Leymer Group is one of the more famous trad. folk groups from the Boushehr area, and there is a new blog (in Farsi), that has a few more
photos and an English explanation of the music, extracted from another
web-site. See: www.janjal.blogfa.com
I love the felt pen art on the Bags…but my bag is brown (from Henna)
with a Turquoise stretch-velvet cover (slightly up-scale ?).
Sean Folsom
Sean, my Persian broad brought me back a ney anban from her iran trip. It cost a mere 45 dollars (she talked them down from 50). She had about 10 different pipes to chose from. The only diff was the bag design as all the pipes were the same length. I asked her to try to get extra cane segments but they didn’t have them at the music store she got it from in Tehran. With minimal reed fiddling and electric tape I was able to get it playing in tune with itself. I have no idea what the actual scale is supposed to be or how I’m supposed to finger it. I don’t have great ambitions with this pipe. My goal is to learn how to play well enough that I can fake a bandari tune and play at the next Iranian new year party “13 bedar” in the park. This instrument produces a sound that can only be described as an acquired taste. I feel like it really needs a closed bell on the end to enrich the sound but apparently no one ever felt compelled to evolve the instrument. I find it interesting that the only reason it has two chanters is to increase the volume of the instrument as opposed to offering a separate accompanying pipe like with the Zamps. Also there is almost no information about this instrument on the internet in the English language other than poor generic descriptions.
An interesting anecdote: I came across this Croation site which I’m sure you have seen and found this dipple version that is almost identical to the ney except carved of wood instead of cane. It even sounds very similar - is the scale the same too? I love the little “blips” the guy does. You can listen to the mp3: http://www.gajde.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=81
What I found interesting, is: I got a NeyAnban as well from the shiite-areas of Iraq - and, except for the designs, tuning and construction are identical to the Persian one…
Hello David and Celt-Pastor
My Ney Anban is from the SOUK in Shiraz (home of the Sirrah Grape),
circa 2004, and the Scale from the Top (all Open) down is:
C# / C -20 cents / B -20 cents / A / G +25 cents / F# and the “Skip” to
the bottom note, Eb.
The fingering is Index, Middle, & Ring finger of the
Left Hand on the Top 3 Holes + 3 Holes straight across and
Index, Middle, & Ring finger of the Right Hand straight across on the
Lower 3 Holes + 3 Holes They use the “Blips” Grace Notes common to
other Bagpipe styles and what would be a “Roll on E” in the Irish Pipes.
There are more You Tube videos added each month, and the problem
is that the Images are not closely synchronized with the Sound.
There’s just enough delay to be confusing, at least for me on a DSL
hook-up. I suspect that there are at least 2 Maqams on 3 + 2 and 3 + 1.
The OLD Iraqi Bagpipes “Jirrba” (Water Bag) HAD 2 Goat Horns on the End of the
Chanter. There are many versions all over the Persian Gulf: Kuwait, The Emirates,
etc. etc. another name is “Haban” in some of the Arabic states.
More Later ? Sean Folsom
Well these Bagpipes are different, in regard to the number of finger holes.
Some Pipes in Libya have only 4+4 holes, Tunisia and Turkish/Lazburi Tulum 5+5,
Iran and Gulf States 6+6 and the most finger holes of any Pipe is SOME of the Azeri
Tulumni, a Bell-less Double Chanter with 8+8. More Holes on the Chanter,
enables the Piper to play more Maqams.
Sean Folsom
Well David, Those are some links ! It took me a while to go through all of them !
I got a kick out of Ode Magazine’s subtitle,
“The Online Community For Intelligent Optimists” Man, the World needs some more of
those People !!!
So the author, Ton Maas (sounds like a Nederlander) wrote a nice article on Saeed
Shanbehzadeh, and his ensemble. It was interesting to read Ton’s observation about
the Port Arab “Bandari” Music being so different from the Melissmas of Persian Classical Music,
and how Ensemble Shanbehzadeh’s Music seemed to sound more “African”.
The reason that it does, is that South Iran and it’s Sea Ports have been a point of
transfer for many Musical Ideas and Instruments coming into the Persian Gulf from the
entire trading zone of the East Coast of Africa, and the Old, Old, Sea-Born Trade with India.
The 2 headed Drum that they play in Bandari Music, the “Damman” is a close cousin with
the same 2 headed (of unequal diameter) Drums played in India. The East Coast of Africa,
especially the “Horn of Africa” has a trance Music called “ZAR” that uses the same rhythms,
and group singing as Bandari, and there ARE some people in Iran that practice “ZAR” in secret.
here’s a “ZAR” URL : http://www.serpentine.org/Sot/SoToo1Zar.htm
(Damn I can’t seem to get this to work gOOgle Zar Please, it’s the 1st listing to come up)
Video Number 2, is the “Scree-Scraw” Music “Jam” that the Grateful Dead Rock Band used to
indulge in… (and YES Saeed can REALLY Circular BREATHE !!! No LIE !!!)
I know, I WAS THERE in the 1960s and it wasn’t just “The Dead” who did that kind of Jamming.
A story from my Youth: At Scapoli in 1996, Orazio Corsaro had us Zampognari,
and Pipers play a “Jam in the key of G” that went NOWHERE, musically speaking,
but it was MODERN…I switched back and forth between my French Cornemuse Bourbonais,
and my “Dudelsackus”, both of which could cover the key of G just fine. We wound-down after
20 minutes or so.
Video number 3, is no big deal, I’ve been twirling around with my Pipes since I started playing them
in 1970. I do get Dizzy, but I haven’t fallen over yet…maybe someday, I’ll twirl around and Drop Dead doing
it…will everybody in the audience be Grateful ??? By the Way, the Mezoued Pipers in Tunesia do the
same Twirling and Playing at the same time, and YES they get more MONEY from the TOURISTS
doing this Show-man-ship…what’s not to like??? You should have see me twirl at the same time
as my Drummer Ron Wilson would, and the centrifugal force would make his Drum AND HIS KILT
FLY UP… revealing parts of his anatomy that were otherwise hidden…he would never miss a beat doing
this, AND THE CROWD WOULD GO NUTS !!! THE MONEY WOULD RAIN… INTO RON’S GOLD PAN
(not a Hat, but a Gold pan, for panning Gold, which Ron also knew how to do, down in various California
Rivers…he could even get “Color” from a pinch of dirt in his Pan, on the street of Rough and Ready).
Now to finish up on the Ney Anban and it’s associated BUSKING: I read that there’s a Cenotaph of a Historic
Moslem Imam, and the Farsi Tourists PAY THE PIPER to circle this building and play the Tunes to many
different Prayers, so that the Patron(s) can gain spiritual merit by their virtuous contributions.
The number of times around the Cenotaph, is determined by the amount of money given to the
Ney “Anbanist”. It sounds like a Good Concession, THAT Piper has worked out, Huh?
Brushing up on my Calls to Prayer, I am, Sean “Mustafa” Folsom …Salaam !
Fingerings and Thumberings…with or without Bags…
The Armenian people use 4+4 AND a thumb hole on their DUDUK,
with a lowest finger hole that isn’t covered, because we Humans
don’t have a 9th finger, so it’s more in the nature of a Vent Hole.
The Japanese Gogaku Musicians have 3+4 AND 2 back thumb holes on their Hichi-Riki.
The Chinese Kuan, from which the Hichi-Riki is derived, has 3+4 and only the
top (high hand) thumb hole…then there’s the “new” (1970s-on) Low Hand
back thumb hole, on French Bagpipes, for an in-tune Minor Third that wasn’t in tune
with 1+3 cross-fingering.
J.S. Bach was supposed to have introduced the use of
both thumbs for playing keyboards (Harpichords & Organs) with his
“Well-Tempered Klavier”…so there has always been a mixture of opinion
of the use of thumbs. I know you want something funny, so I’m thumbing
my nose at any limitations on Thumb Holes…if you don’t have 'em,
get out a drill and Bite in the Bit and make one…?
(be sure it’s in the Right Place on the back of the Chanter).
Oh, I almost forgot Iqbal Yogi and his Company in the Sind Desert of Pakistan !
His Been (Murli, Pungyi) has a Top Thumb hole, 4 finger holes and then the
2nd Thumb hole, and another 4 finger holes. There’s a vent hole below
all those TEN holes above, for tuning the lowest covered note with wax.
So that’s one example I know of that uses all possible DIGITS.
The next step is a Clarinet and/or a Saxophone. The Clarinet has one
Thumb hole and lots of keys, and the low hand thumb gets a hook to
support the weight of the instrument. The Saxophone has a low down hook
for that Low hand Thumb, and a Top Button to center the high hand thumb,
to keep it near the Octave Key, and lots of keys…and a neck strap for
the Alto,Tenor,& Baritone Saxes…the strap is optional for Soprano Saxes.
Now on to String Instruments…instead of a “Barr” Chord using
the 1st finger, a lot of Guitarists do a “Thumb Over” on the Bass E String,
to strike a full 6 string Chord. Your Russian Balalaika players do the same
“Thumb-Over”, but only have 3 Strings to Fret with…
I’m through with “Thumbing It” I’m gonna Drive My Car, Now.
Sean Folsom
And of course the Flabiol of the Balearics has three thumbholes, because as we all know, those Minorcans and Majorcans have some genetic weirdness going.
AH SO ! The BURPING BEDPOST !!!
or the Fahrting bedpost, if you are being unkind to Bassoonists !
I play the Ill Wind That Nobody Blows Good-------THE OBOE !
I did leave this off of my previous LIST:
My Renaissance Contra Bass Rackett, which is a Burping, or
Fahrting, Shampoo Bottle, or perhaps an Elephant breaking wind…
quietly, so quietly, depending on what note I play.
It does have 2 Thumb Holes, plus 2 “Tetines”, that stick up out
of the Body of the Cylinder, to be covered by the 2nd joints
of the 2 Index Fingers, just down from the 2 Index Finger Tips,
PLUS the regular 4 & 4 finger holes.
The Big Double Reed gives the Players Lips a Vibratory Massage !
Your Rackett-teer, Sean Folsom
This is a pretty good instructional video for some bandari tunes for anyone who is trying to learn the Ney Anban. I have one but have never really spent the time to learn to play Bandari on it. Sean on the other hand has the hang of it. Does anyone else on here play this thing??? It’s not as fun to play w/o a drummer. I can play the drum beat on my tambourine, but don’t have the double doumbek set up.
