I need to play some Middle-Eastern sounding background music here in a month or so.

What instruments (and makers of same) would you recommend? Side-blown or end blown is fine. Even reed instruments are fine. What are your favorites?

Doc

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Just so I understand your question, you need to play (perform) as opposed to put on a CD and in a month you want to obtain these middle eastern instruments and perform on them? I am going to assume you have some experience here because that would be a huge undertaking for a beginner.

Flutewise, you have the Turkish Nay or Egyptian Ney or Kawala or Zurna for a reed instrument. I know only one reliable Egyptian Ney maker in the United States. Turkish Nay all from a music store in Turkey which they can expedite shipping and don't have a Zurna to recommend. A good well tuned Kawala is very difficult without somebody to help you.

If you want you can pm me if you want the name of the Nay maker in California. I only have his facebook address and only occaisionally sells on Ebay. But if you never played, a month will not be enough to perform in public. A tar/frame drum might be a good idea especially if you know how to play Bodhran.

Or maybe you mean westernized bamboo flutes with some westernized versions of middle east scales. If that's the case, much easier done, http://www.fireflutes.com/bamboo-flute-styles.html Modified Egyptian scale. Probably Hijaz. So many maqams can't tell which scale it is. Nobody probably ever asks unless they are familiar with middle eastern scales.

Then there is http://eriktheflutemaker.com/collections/flutes I have a couple of his "Egyptian Flutes" Not bad at all but he used to take a long time to make a flute because of his waiting list. Used to make a nice fipple sheppards flute in Hijaz scale

Then his former apprentice basically makes the same flutes. http://www.ownsitenow.com/En/Flutes.htm

But these are westernized versions of Middle eastern flutes but most people won't know the difference.

I do have some of these flutes in pristine condition as well as a small Egyptian Nay well tuned if you are interested in trades.

Thanks for the reply.

I think Erik's stuff may be the ticket. I'm not looking for "authentic" I'm just looking for the scale. I'm not particularly interested in undertaking the funky on-the-tooth embouchure of the Ney for this gig. Just looking for a side-blown or fippled approximation with a middle-eastern sounding scale.

I'm just doing some background music for a crowd that will have no idea what a ney is or whether what I'm playing is a real one.

I'll send a PM maybe we can work something out.

Doc

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I have been making a type of whistle in various keys I called "Gypsy whistle", for easier playing music in harmonic minor and related scales, like various Gypsy and Middle Eastern scales.
You find details on this web page:
http://music.bracker.co/Whistles/Gypsy_Whistles

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Hans Bracker - Handcrafted Whistles from Scotland - http://www.music.bracker.uk
Custom built aluminium whistles in any key and other speciality whistles and flutes