Mike's Oud Forums

mizmars or neys off topic sorry

oudplayer - 10-12-2006 at 03:45 PM

hey all
i was interested in buying some kind of a arabian reed but i was not sure what to get shoudl i get a set of neys or a set of mizmars . what is easier to play. i know both takes alot of practice.
and does anyone out there does nto want there set and wanna sell me theres
thx sammy
conact me temoniprince@aol.com or u2u me

John Erlich - 10-13-2006 at 09:25 AM

Hi Sammy,

Chag Sameach!

Both ney and mizmar are difficult to play. I would recommend ney over mizmar (or zourna) for 2 reasons:

1) More versatile/used in more styles of music
2) Not as loud (mizmars and zournas are extremely loud and would probably drive your neighbors crazy unless you live in a small village in Egypt or the mountains of Kurdistan)

There is an Egyptian oud and ney player in England who has a web page and might be helpfull: http://www.elashmawyoudandnay.com/index.html

Unfortunately, most of the neys and mizmar/zournas I've seen for sale on-line look pretty crappy. Generally, Turkish neys are higher quality but much more expensive than Egypian nays. I bought a 7-ney set on Muhammad Ali St. in Cairo in 2000 for $50 (lowest price I could negotiate--I walked out of the shop and came back an hour later to buy). I bought 3 neys on Galip Dede St. in Istanbul in 1998 and paid about $23 each for them. In both cases, the neys I bought (for friends) were quite good but not the best quality.

I have a good eye for well-made musical instruments. What you can't tell if you don't play the ney or mizmar well is whether the instrument is properly in tune.

Good luck,
Udi John

oudplayer - 10-13-2006 at 11:22 AM

hey thx john
thx for the info i was more towards the mizmar i think.. i think
this man u send me is alil to expensive so that out of the picure.
what is the best one on the internet that u think

http://www.nileshop.net/store/nileshop_viewItem.asp?idProduct=1014
i love these if you tell me these are good i will get them if you know another place plezzz let me know
thx sammy
or if anyone on this forum has a set doe snto have to be inlaid wanna sell there set let me know thx

John Erlich - 10-13-2006 at 12:00 PM

Hi Sammy,

Yeah, I saw the neys and mizmars on Nileshop.com. It's really hard to tell from a photo on the Web. The nays look pretty junky.

Dr. Scott Marcus of the University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB) plays mizmar (an also heads up the Near Eastern Music Studies program at UCSB). Here is the web page: http://www.music.ucsb.edu/mee/aboutmee.html "Doktor Scott" is well-known in Cairo, Egypt among musical instrument sellers and makers and may have some advice about buying mizmars.

Good luck,
John

oudplayer - 10-13-2006 at 12:30 PM

hey john
i just contacted him thx for the info. if you got more pass it here
thx
btw do u have mizmar music
thx sammy

John Erlich - 10-13-2006 at 03:00 PM

Sammy,

To hear some mizmar samples, go to Rashid Sales: http://www.rashid.com/enter.asp Use the pull-down menu and go to "Dabkeh."

Best,
John

Hatem_Afandi - 10-14-2006 at 02:04 PM

Hi Sammy and John,

Here are some good sites for you to know about the ney:
The turkish websites will tell you about it as an instrument and will give you a few tips.

http://www.neyzen.com/

I have a couple of neys from this player. They are a bit expensive, but they are top quality:
http://www.neyzenender.net/htm/english.htm

I also have 3 neys from this maker in Italy. He is also excellent:
http://www.bardoworks.it/ney.html

This website belongs to my dear friend Maged Mikhail who plays the Egyptian nay:
http://home.att.net/~maged.k.mikhail/

It contains excellent information about the Egyptian ney with some tips and interesting information.

As a beginner, all you need is the Dokah and Nawa neys. The dokah is the principal nay on which the majority of the Arabic music is played.

A complete set of Arabic nays is comprised of 7 flutes. They are: The Rast (C), Dokah (D), Bosalik (E), Gehar Kah (F), Nawa (G), Hussainy (A), and Agam (B)

With all due respect, I disagree with the suggestions I read about where to buy with the exception of Dr. Scott Marcus (who sells the Qadri Sorour nays)

The best and the safest supplier would be Dr. Qadri Sorour. I already gave Mike his phone number. You may also contact me to give it to you.
You may also contact Yasser El Shafie and Adel Fouad. They are fine makers.

DO NOT GET THEIR FLUTES THROUGH A THIRD PARTY!!!!!!!!!!!


I got burnt several times trying to buy a set off the internet and from Mahammad Ali St. in Cairo, and from some "self-proclaimed experts."

ALL came out to be JUNK!!!!

Here is a link to the sets I collected over the years:

http://new.photos.yahoo.com/hatem_afandi/album/576460762317751019/p...

http://new.photos.yahoo.com/hatem_afandi/album/576460762317751019/p...

http://new.photos.yahoo.com/hatem_afandi/album/576460762317751019/p...


Turkish neys are different, but they share the following flutes with the Arabic ones:

Kiz = Mahur (not very popular in Arabic music)
Yildiz = Rast
Supurde = Dokah
Bolahnek Nisfiye = Bosalik

However, they are more expensive. One Turkish flute will be as expensive as a whole Arabic professional set.

If you need more information, feel free to contact me at

hatem_afandi@hotmail.com

I can provide you with more details if you are really interested in pursuing that beautiful instrument.

Good luck,

Hatem

Haluk - 10-14-2006 at 05:43 PM

I have quality Turkish reed neys with Boxwood or fiber headpieced,
with affordable prices.

With best wishes.

oudplayer - 10-15-2006 at 04:11 PM

hey all
after talking to yehia i will get the mizmars from him . i am putting hte order rigth away .cant wait.
does anyone have any sites on mizmars and are mizmars played like nays like in notes
thx sammy
p.s to all that helped me
thx for all the info that u gave me
great again