New Trends in Bağlama Performance: An Application of The String-Separation Technique

Abstract

Today, this technique—known as şelpe—has become an established part of bağlama performance practice and has even inspired the development of specific method books. The coexistence of two principal performance styles, plectrum (tezene) and plectrumless (şelpe), has raised new discussions concerning technique and the preservation of regional stylistic characteristics. Accordingly, this article examines whether it is possible to create a harmonic and technical performance space in Turkish folk music by synthesizing these two techniques while preserving traditional stylistic integrity. Within this framework, the “string separation technique” developed by Erkan Çanakçı is analyzed through three selected works from the Turkish folk music repertoire, whose performances were transcribed and evaluated through document analysis and interviews with experts. Within a broad cultural geography extending from Anatolia to China, the history of the bağlama—an instrument with diverse anatomical structures and performance techniques—dates back to very early periods. Although historical knowledge about how the instrument was performed does not extend far into the past, it is assumed that the earliest performances involved striking the strings directly by hand without the use of any external tool. Over time, the instrument came to be played with various materials such as feathers, bones, bows, and tree bark. In its modern form, performance with a plectrum (tezene) became widespread following the use of metal strings. The tradition of playing the bağlama without a plectrum gained renewed popularity after the Gülhane concert of Arif Sağ in the 1980s.