The Yaybahar: The revolutionary instrument that sounds like nothing you’ve ever heard before
The music world often witnesses such prolific innovations that the instruments behind them can easily slip from our minds. While mainstream tools like guitars, drums, and pianos are well-known, what happens when ambition and mystique converge to birth something entirely new? Musician and inventor Görkem Şen discovered the answer in his quest to craft an instrument that surpassed traditional convention.
Şen’s creation, the Yaybahar, was influenced literally by the desire to discover new beginnings. Its name translates to “string” and “spring”, which, according to Şen, was a name he chose to represent this idea of new life or new chapters. With the Yaybahar, Şen drew inspiration from ancient and modern musical traditions, as well as his background in physics and engineering, embarking on a journey to bring his visionary creation to life.
At first glance, the Yaybahar resembles a sculptural masterpiece with its intricate network of strings, drums, and resonators. The instrument consists of two main components: strings and drums. The strings, stretched between two large wooden frames, serve as the primary source of sound generation. These strings are connected to drum membranes, which amplify and modulate the vibrations produced.
What sets the Yaybahar apart is its innovative design that allows for a wide range of sonic possibilities. By varying the tension and position of the strings, as well as the size and material of the resonators, musicians can produce an array of tones, textures, and harmonics. The instrument’s organic and tactile nature invites exploration and experimentation, offering a rich and immersive playing experience.
One of the most striking features of the Yaybahar is its ability to produce ethereal and hypnotic sounds that seem to defy categorisation. From haunting drones to pulsating rhythms, the instrument evokes a sense of otherworldly beauty that transcends language and culture. Its resonant tones captivate listeners on a visceral level, creating an immersive sonic landscape that captivates the imagination.
Described by Şen as “a real-time acoustic string synthesizer”, the Yaybahar isn’t actually manufactured commercially yet. Although the sounds crafted by the instrument seem completely limitless, eery yet ambient enough to craft an entire orchestral movie score, the Yaybahar has remained a unique odyssey that exists outside of the mainstream. This could be that it’s still a developing concept, especially considering the first iteration that didn’t sound very much like music at all.
As Şen explained: “The first times of Yaybahar is a really, really bad noise. It makes really bad noise,” he admitted. “Now it’s more musical. This noise now is more musical,” he added, reflecting on the way in which the instrument has improved over the years. One of his favourite songs to play on the instrument is Gnossienne No. 1 by the French composer Erik Satie, which is typically performed on the piano. However, Görkem opts for a different approach with the Yaybahar, employing a bow on the strings akin to a cello.
