About a century ago, the performance technique of Iranian ney players was transformed by a master musician inspired by the ney playing of Turkic peoples. In the Turkic technique, the end of the flute is placed not on the lips, as in the Middle East, but between the teeth. This placement makes for a particularly strong and warm sound. This excerpt, from the melodic mode shushtari, a section of dastgah homayun, is a masterpiece of free improvisation, a genre that Iranians hold in higher esteem than fixed composition. (During, Levin 2001)