Online ney and nay tuner
The ney (Arabic nāy) is an end-blown reed flute, open at both ends, with nine segments and seven holes: six in front and one for the thumb. Its pitch is fixed by its length, so it is not tuned like a string instrument; players own sets in different sizes. This page is a chromatic pitch checker at concert pitch: play a steady note and see the sounding note, the octave and the deviation in cents.
Reference notes: Dukah nāy and Mansur ney
Concert pitch with A4 = 440 Hz. A ney is not tuned: these are the notes a well-made ney of each size should read in each position.
| Ney | Position | Note | Hz |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dukah nāy | All holes closed | C4 | 261.63 |
| Dukah nāy | 1st front hole open | D4 | 293.66 |
| Dukah nāy, 2nd register | Same two positions | C5 / D5 | 523.25 / 587.33 |
| Mansur ney | Rast: all holes closed | G4 | 392.00 |
| Mansur ney | Dügâh: lowest front hole open | A4 | 440.00 |
| Mansur ney, kaba register | Rast / Dügâh | G3 / A3 | 196.00 / 220.00 |
How to use it
- Warm the ney with a few breaths, turn on the microphone and keep the calibration at A4 = 440 Hz.
- Close every hole, thumb included, and blow a long, steady tone in the normal register, without vibrato.
- Open only the lowest front hole: the reading should rise by a whole tone. Note both results.
- Compare with the table. If the same letter appears an octave higher, you overblew into the second register.
Help and explanations
Arabic and Turkish names follow different conventions. An Arabic nāy is named after the note that sounds with the first front hole open, the one farthest from your mouth. A Turkish ney is named after its ahenk, the hole on which the 440 Hz A falls. The table gives reference notes for the two best-documented sizes; read both positions before deciding what you have.
Arabic nāy: named after the first open hole
According to MaqamWorld, the most common nāy is the Dukah (D): with all holes closed it reads C4 (261.63 Hz), and with the first front hole open D4 (293.66 Hz). Blown harder, both notes jump to C5 and D5.
Common sizes are called Rast (about C, the longest and lowest), Dukah (D), Busalik (E), Jiharkah (F), Nawa (G), Husayni (A) and Ajam (B♭). Only the Dukah's octave is documented here, and shop labels can vary, so trust the two readings on the tuner rather than the stamp.
Turkish ney: where does the 440 Hz A fall?
On a Mansur ney the dügâh hole gives the 440 Hz A, according to the TDV encyclopedia. Rast, with every hole closed, reads G4 (392 Hz) and Dügâh A4 in the normal register; in the soft kaba register they read G3 and A3. It is the only ney whose written notes match the sound. On a Kız ney the 440 Hz A falls on Rast, so with every hole closed you read A, a tone above the written G. Mansur and Kız are the usual first neys.
Do not apply the Arabic first-hole rule to a Turkish ney, and be wary of Arabic–Turkish equivalence charts, which contradict each other. The octave of the 440 Hz reference follows Haydar Sanal in the TDV; another author, Ekrem Karadeniz, placed it an octave higher. The Persian ney, with six holes, follows another system.
Tips
- Measure with your usual angle and lip coverage. Turning the ney or covering more of the rim can move the pitch by up to about a whole tone.
- Use cents as a practice reference for microtones. Arabic half-flats are written near −50 cents and the theoretical Turkish Segâh about 13–15 cents below a tempered B, but practice varies by maqam, region and school.
- A breathy low register can make the reading jumpy. Play long, full notes in a quiet room and wait for the needle to settle.
Frequently asked questions
Can I tune my ney with this page?
No. A ney's pitch is set when it is made; there is nothing to turn. The page shows which note your ney really plays and helps you train your embouchure to centre that pitch.
My Dukah nāy shows C, not D. Is it out of tune?
No. With all holes closed a Dukah reads C4. Its name comes from the note with the first front hole open, which should read D4.
My Kız ney shows A with every hole closed. Is that right?
Yes. On a Kız ney the 440 Hz A falls on Rast, so it sounds a tone above the written note. Only the Mansur sounds as written.
Why does the tuner show a different octave?
Blowing harder takes you into the second register, blowing very softly into the low kaba register. To identify the size, what matters is the note name and the whole tone between the two positions.