Iranian virtuoso introduces electronic bagpipe

Iranian Ney-anbān (bagpipe) virtuoso Mohsen Sharifian has introduced an electronic version of the Persian instrument.

As said by Sharifian who has named his new electronic bagpipe “Lianic”, it is a localized instrument similar to what is used in Europe by musicians and learners during their rehearsals.

The name “Lianic” is derived from Lian, Sharifian’s band that has performed many concerts across the world.

“Due to the sanctions that make access to similar foreign instruments difficult, we decided to design and make an Iranian electronic Ney-anbān,” Sharifian said in a statement published on Tuesday.

The problem with the original Persian instrument Ney-anbān is the very loud sound it produces, making it virtually impossible to learn or practice on the instrument in an apartment or in other confined places.

The electronic version of Ney-anbān called Lianic, though, allows the learners and players to perform wherever they want while it is also an appropriate instrument for finger exercises and learning rhythms and melodies, and does not require tuning.

Sharifian performed at the William Kennedy Piping Festival in the Irish town of Armagh in November 2019.

His group also gave a concert in the Indian city of Mumbai during an Iranian festival presenting art and cultural performances from the southern Iranian city of Bushehr under the title “From Bushehr to Mumbai”.

MM/FM