Exploring Transverse Nay Variations: From Piccolo to Bass Sizes

My Journey of Artistic Research – An update

Welcome to my blog, where I’m thrilled to provide you with an update on my learning process as a doctoral candidate in Artistic Research. I am in my third year of PhD now, and had the chance to do two more travels to Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan from the last blog post : one during which I conducted a series of interviews specifically about the traditional ornamentation, and one other to do an artistic residency. My journey has been enriched through interactions with nay players, teachers, and experts from various musical genres: teachers and students of folk music department of Uzbekistan State Conservatory, renown masters of Maqom from the Yunus Rajabiy Institute, people who create fusions with contemporary music, such as Omnibus ensemble of with Jazz, such as the Uzbekistani jazz Quartet Jazzirama. These encounters have allowed me to ask questions, learn about ornamentation, and discover new melodies on the transverse nay.

One important aspect of these travels was the discovery that the transverse nay exists in Uzbekistan in three distinct sizes:

1. Traditional Nay in A: This timeless instrument holds a special place in Uzbek music, and I had the privilege to do my first steps in its nuances with the help of the renowned nayists such as Abdulahad Abdurashidov, Botir Dosimbetov, professor of nay of the folk music department in State Conservatory of Uzbekistan, and Behzod Turaev, nayist at Sogdiana Orchestra, an orchestra of traditional instruments of Uzbekistan.
2. Piccolo Nay in D: The piccolo nay, with its charming high-pitched sound, is the first variation on the traditional size that appeared progressively in the second half of XX century. The fingerings are easier to comprehend for a flutist trained in Western Music, as they are similar to the western Boehm piccolo. I’ve learned to play « Yallama Yorim, » a children’s folk song from Uzbekistan, and I am emulating here the ornamentation Abulahad Abdurashidov has added to this song when he was demonstrating the importance of nola in our interview.
3. Bass Nay in D: The deep resonance of the bass nay has led me to fall in love even more deeply with this instrument. Its warm and wooden timbre has inspired me, during my residency with the Jazz Quartet Jazzirama, last September, to the creation of the melody of « Leaving Tashkent, » a composition I developed further in collaboration with the whole ensemble.

If you’re curious about nay music and eager to dive into this world of melodic exploration, I encourage you to watch the video below, where I discuss my learning journey with these instruments, and play a brief excerpt on each of these nays (it’s in French, but you can activate the added subtitles below)

Stay updated with my musical explorations, research findings, and future projects by subscribing to this blog, or by joining me on social media.

I hope this blog post provides you with valuable insights into the captivating world of transverse nays and their role in Uzbek music. Thank you for joining me on this artistic journey, and I look forward to sharing more musical discoveries with you in the future.