Shimshal (Shemshal)

Shimshal is a kind of Wind Instruments, a metal Ney which is known as a Kurdish traditional music instrument.

Shimshal or Shemshal is one of the Wind Instruments. Moreover, Shimshal is one of the oldest and the most common musical Instruments in Kurdistan Province. The shape of Shimshal is similar to Ney, Musical Instrument, which is made of cane, steel, and brass. Shimshal was made of a bone with a length of 70 millimeters in the past.

• Features

The player is tilting the Shimshal, same as playing Ney, during the performance. Shimshal has six finger holes and one thumb hole in its pipe body. It makes a mix of bass sound and treble sound. The circular breathing technique is one of the prominent features of playing Shimshal. The circular breathing technique is using by players of some wind instruments to produce a continuous tone without interruption.

• Usage

Shimshal is used by shepherds and belongs to the rural people who live in the mountainous area. Shimshal is the main musical instrument in the ceremony of Qadiri tariqa. It is also played in mournings and play with Tonbak and Daf at weddings. Ghader Abdollahzadeh is also known as Qale Mere was a Kurdish Shimshal player. He was known for long tones he could create with circular breathing technique.

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