Local envisagement in the global world: The fretless guitar in the context of glocalization

This study focuses on the analysis of the fretless guitar, which is considered as an example of cultural transformation, in the context of glocalization. The study consists of three parts. In the first part, the phenomenon of glocalization is evaluated in terms of basic concepts and theoretical approaches. The second part dwells on the historical development, distinct examples and uses of the fretless guitar on a global scale. The third part examines the initiatives of local musicians and luthiers to adapt to the changes in the global culture and how they imagine themselves in the global sphere in the framework of the concept of 'cultural mediation' and the approaches of glocalization. In the study, the data obtained through the interviews with the musicians and luthiers as well as the observations at concerts, workshops and the workshops of luthiers are analyzed in a theoretical frame. Musical instruments in musical cultures continuously change under the impact of cultural changes and technological developments. Although the guitar reached its standardized form in the 19th Century, the adaptation process of the guitar to Turkish music in terms of modality was shaped by the performance of the 'fretless guitar' developed by the musician Erkan Oğur in 1976. In this study the transformation processes of local cultural forms in the global sphere are analysed through the examination of the integration of the guitar, which is considered a musical instrument belonging to the global culture, into the local music practices, the transformation of its performance style and timbral qualities and the approaches of musicians and luthiers towards the fretless guitar.