| Name | Image | Tradition | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nabal |  | Korea | The nabal (or nahbal) is a long, straight brass horn used in Korean traditional music. As the instrument has no valves or finger holes it is not a melodic instrument but rather plays a single sustained tone. The precise frequency of the tone produced can be quite different depending on the size of the individual instrument. The nabal has historically been used primarily in the military procession music called daechwita, as well as in nongak (rural farmers' music) to signal the beginning and end of performances. |
| Nadaswaram |  | India | Nadaswaram, also called Nagaswaram or Nadhaswaram, is one of the most popular classical instruments of south India and the world's loudest non-brass acoustic instrument. It is a wind instrument similar to the North Indian shehnai but larger, with a hardwood body and a large flaring bell made of wood or metal. In India the nadaswaram is considered to be very auspicious, and it is the key instrument which is played in almost all Hindu marriages and temples in South India. The instrument is usually played in pairs, and accompanied by a pair of drums called thavil. |
| Nagak |  | Korea | The nagak (also called nagahk, na, sora, or godong) is a large seashell (conch) played as a horn in Korean traditional music. It has been introduced to Korea from the Ming dynasty of China. The nagak has a lower vibrating timbre sound and is similar to that of a boat whistle. It is used primarily in the military procession music called daechwita. |
| Nai |  | Romania | Nai is a Romanian pan pipe. In the 19th century the nai - originally a shepherd's instrument with only 8 to 10 pipes, covering a little more than one octave - had been extended to about 20 pipes, giving far greater possibilities to a solo performer. Gheorghe Zamfir (born 1941) is a Romanian pan flute musician. He expanded the nai of 20 pipes to 22, 25, 28 and 30 pipes to increase its range, obtaining as many as nine tones from each pipe by changing the embouchure. |
| Nakkare |  | Turkey | Nakkare is a pair of small kettledrums used in a modern mehter marching band. They are beaten with the hands or two sticks. |
| Naqqara |  | Iran | The naqqara (also naqareh) is a drum with a rounded back and a hide head. It is thus a membranophone. The term naqqara comes from the Arabic verb naqr- that means "to strike, beat." The rounded section of a naqqara is made of baked clay, while the flat side consists of treated skin fastened around the rim with string which is tightened over the back of the bowl. This percussion instrument is often played in pairs, where one naqqara will produce low pitch beats called nar and the other for the high pitch beats (the female). The instruments are beaten with short wooden sticks bent outward at the upper ends called damka. Naqqara are also found in India, where the word is pronounced nagara or nagada. |
| Native American Flute |  | United States | The Native American flute has achieved some measure of fame for its distinctive sound, used in a variety of New Age and world music recordings. The instrument was originally very personal; its music was played without accompaniment in courtship, healing, meditation, and spiritual rituals. Now it is played solo or along with other instruments or vocals both in Native American music and in other styles. There are two different types of Native American flute, the plains flute and the woodlands flute, each with slightly different construction. |
| Natural Horn |  | Germany | The natural horn is is a musical instrument that is the ancestor of the modern-day horn, and is differentiated by its lack of valves. It consists of a mouthpiece, some long coiled tubing, and a large flared bell. Pitch changes are made through a few different techniques. This instrument was used extensively until the emergence of the valved horn in the early 19th century. The image shows a natural horn in the V&A Museum, London. |
| New Singing Bowls |  | Nepal | New singing bowls may be plain or decorated. They sometimes feature religious iconography and spiritual motifs and symbols, such as the Tibetan mantra Om mani padme hum, images of Buddhas, and Ashtamangala. New singing bowls are made from industrial quality metal, mainly copper. They are exported widely from Nepal and India. New singing bowls and crystal bowls do not produce the warm and complex tone of fine antique singing bowls. They sound like clear and simple bells, without the warm undertones and bright harmonic overtones for which antiques are famous. |
| Ney |  | Iran | The ney (also nai, nye, nay) is an ancient end-blown flute that figures prominently in Persian and West Asian music. The depictions of ney players appear in wall paintings in the Egyptian pyramids and actual neys have been found in the excavations at Ur. This indicates that the ney has been played continuously for 4,500–5,000 years, making it one of the oldest musical instruments still in use. It is a forerunner of the modern flute. The ney consists of a piece of hollow cane or reed (ney is an old Persian word for reed--the reed comes from Arundo donax plant--with five or six finger holes and one thumb hole.) The image shows a painting dated 1669 from Hasht-Behesht palace, Isfahan, Iran. |
| Ngoma Drum |  | Uganda | Ngoma drums are used in central, eastern and southern Africa. The name is applied to different types of drum in different regions. The original Ngoma was created from an old mortar that was worn all the way through by Queen Marimbas’ cook. Queen Marimba took this mortar and attached an animal skin to the top of it creating the world’s first drum. The Baganda people of Uganda have a special relationship with Ngoma, so much so that it is thought by many people that theirs is the country where this type of drum actually originated. The Ngoma is used for communication and celebration and is also a symbol of authority. |
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