Yaybahar

Yaybahar is a new-generation musical instrument invented by Turkish musician and designer Görkem Şen. It operates entirely on acoustic principles but produces a sound character reminiscent of electronic synthesizers. It is a patented instrument exhibiting both melodic and polyphonic capabilities.

The instrument is distinguished by its ability to generate an ambient and reverberant sound through natural physical vibrations, without any electrical connection or digital processor. In academic literature, it is examined as a hybrid design that captures an original timbre by utilizing the dispersing properties of springs in sound transmission.

History and Development

The development of the Yaybahar was initiated in 2009 by its inventor, Görkem Şen. Şen set out to design a mechanism unlike any existing one (“from zero”), and due to the absence of any reference or precursor model, conducted numerous experiments and observations in a laboratory setting. The evolution of the instrument was shaped by research into how sound could be more efficiently processed acoustically, ultimately leading to its final form. Following its invention, the instrument attracted attention within international music and technology circles and has since served as a case study for researchers working on physical modeling.

Structural Features

The key features distinguishing the Yaybahar from other stringed instruments are its innovative bridge system positioned between the strings and the body, and its spring-membrane mechanism for amplifying sound. The instrument’s working principle consists of the following stages:

1. Strings: The strings, plucked or bowed by the performer, serve as the initial source of sound.
2. Springs: Vibrations from the strings are transmitted directly to long metal springs instead of a wooden body. These springs introduce delay and reverberation effects during sound transmission, imparting a metallic and spatial character to the sound.
3. Membranes: Drum-like membranes at the opposite ends of the springs transmit the incoming vibrations into the air, enabling the sound to become audible and amplified.

Through this system, delay and reverb effects typically achieved with electronic effect pedals are produced entirely through natural and acoustic means.

Performance and Technique

The Yaybahar is a versatile instrument that can be played using both bowed and percussive techniques. The performer can press the strings on a keyboard with one hand while bowing them, and simultaneously strike the springs or membranes with mallets in the other hand to create rhythmic and atmospheric layers. This diversity of techniques enables the instrument to generate both melodic and polyphonic textures simultaneously. Scientific analyses have indicated that the highly dispersing nature of the springs is responsible for the instrument’s characteristic synthetic timbre.^【1】

Place in the Literature

The Yaybahar is recognized as one of the original inventions in the field of acoustic instrument design in the modern era. The instrument has been the subject of academic studies in the field of “Applied Physical Modeling” and has been analyzed as a complex acoustic model for sound synthesis algorithms.