A string instrument found in Near Eastern traditional music based on Maqamat. The kanun is one of the kithara class of instruments, which besides Turkey is used in North Africa and the Middle East, Iran, Uzbekistan, Armenia, Macedonia, Kosovo and Greece. Almost all musicologists agree that the Arabic word ‘kanun’ comes from the Greek word ‘kanon.’ The term ‘kanon’ means law, administration, rule, regulation.
The sound is produced by the vibration of taut strings arranged "openly" from short to long. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the kanun was one of the instruments that were played by women. In the second half of the 19th century, the kanun was quite popular in Istanbul. A professional music ensemble without a kanun was unthinkable.
For more information on the structure of the Qanun/Kanun, visit this awesome website!
http://exoticmusicshop.com/sf-articles-of-Kanun_zither_-aid-16-tp-1_10.htm
CHANGES IN THE KANUN
Coming into use in Ottoman music in the 15th century at the latest, the kanun underwent changes to its structure, and its size was sometimes increased, sometimes decreased. The kanun used in Istanbul in the 16th century can be considered identical to that used in Iran and Mesopotamia. This instrument was most likely constructed entirely of wood, with metal strings, an assumption supported by several miniatures. The kalun used today by the Uygurs is the only modern instrument resembling this kanun.
HOW TO PLAY
It is played on the lap by plucking the strings with two tortoise-shell picks, one in each hand, or by the fingernails, and has a range of three and a half octaves, from A2 to E6. These small levers, which can be raised or lowered quickly by the performer while the instrument is being played, serve to change the pitch of a particular course slightly by altering the string lengths. The player uses ivory picks.
Now lets see some videos shall we!
Now lets take a look at a woodwind instrument, the NEY! On previous entry I have mentioned this but now lets uncover the interesting facts of a Ney. I called this the Father because its the oldest instrument to date.
The current name is the word "Ney" which is Persian for "reed" . It is the material from which the Ney is made. The end-blown ney of Turkey and Iran is made from the stem of a bamboo plant.
Woman playing the ney in a painting from the Hasht-Behesht Palace in Isfahan Iran, 1669
The ney is often used to create religious music in the Islamic traditions of Sufism. The music helps to induce a meditative state. Sufi musicians aim to create heavenly sounds through abstract rhythms and patterns of notes, in contrast to the shakuhachi, which typically mimics sounds from nature.
THE NEY IN SUFISM
The ney’s mournful tone is reminiscent of a man’s voice during supplication. Additionally, the drum and the tambourine are representative of the lover, “for without the touch of the beloved’s fingers, the drum would be silent”. Evidently, Sufi instruments are regarded as far more than instruments; they are almost like separate beings, in and of themselves.
For the Sufi Muslims, music has an even greater power: to forge a connection with God. Their music is believed to have healing powers, and their dancing has the power to achieve spiritual ecstasy. By integrating song and dance with prayer and meditation, Sufi mysticism is perhaps one of the most musical religions in the world.
Conclusion: I can create a metaphor and use humans and emotions to represent the instrument NEY.
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