Necdet Yaşar

Necdet Yaşar (; 1930 - October 24, 2017) was a Turkish tanbur lute player and teacher. A founding member of the Istanbul State Turkish Music Ensemble, he performed throughout the world as a cultural ambassador for Turkey and taught twice at the University of Washington (USA). In 1991, the Turkish government awarded him the title of "National Artist".

Professor Robert Garfias, Director of the Ethnomusicology Program at the University of Washington (Seattle, Washington State, USA)--on the recommendation of graduate student Karl Signell—appointed Yaşar as Visiting Artist for 1972–73 academic year [Signell 1977, p. xv]. Garfias again appointed Yaşar, together with the noted ney master Niyazi Sayın as University of Washington Visiting Artists for 1980-81 UW dept. of ethnomusicology, "Visiting Artists by Country".

While in residence at the University of Washington, Yaşar gave lectures on the makam system of Ottoman classical music.

In small and large ensembles, including his own "The Necdet Yasar Ensemble", he has performed throughout the world, in Europe, East Asia, and North America, as a concert artist and ambassador of Turkish classical music. He "belongs to a musical lineage going back to at least Tanburi Cemil Bey", His taksimler solo improvisations and his dual improvisations (beraber taksimleri) with ney flutist Niyazi Sayın are noted for their sensitivity.

Experts cite two particular facets amongst all of his skills that make him amongst the most important musicians of his time and culture: (1) his understanding of melodic movement (called in Turkish seyir within the complex musical modes (that are called in Turkish makam) that form the basis of traditional Turkish classical art music; he has even been called the "living embodiment of seyir today", and (2) his understanding (and taste) of how to employ the complex pitch-interval structure of Turkish classical music to a particular musical mode (makam) and piece; there is a theoretical definition of the musical pitch intervals used in this music, but there is wide acknowledgment amongst expert practitioners that good practice is not always in agreement with the theory,

Yaşar died in Istanbul on October 24, 2017.