An Eight-Week Group Class with Ercan Alkan - Bağlama (Turkish Saz) for Beginners
Saturdays 6:00-7:15 pm: 9/19, 9/26, 10/03, 10/17, 10/24, 10/31, 11/07, 11/14
New Offering! First 3 students will receive a 25% scholarship!

Are you curious about the Bağlama (Turkish Saz) and different tunes? Come and try this class with Ercan Alkan. Once carried from town to town by wandering bards, the Bağlama (commonly called the saz) is still the core of Turkish folk music and even modern Anatolian psychedelic rock. We are inviting you to learn to play the Bağlama from scratch. Each week, we will introduce fundamental techniques for playing this Anatolian lute through the study of classic Turkish folk songs. Start to play like Arif Sağ, Aşık Veysel, or even Altın Gün. An unparalleled introduction to Middle Eastern music and a gateway to other string instruments of the region. Open to motivated beginners and intermediate students who want to reinforce the basics.

Instrument rentals available as add-on tickets when you register for the course. The instructor can assist you in purchasing your own learning instrument as well, just ask if you're interested.

Ercan Alkan was born in the eastern Anatolian city of Erzurum. He has played the bağlama since being a child, having grown up with the sacred instrument in an Alevi priestly family. He is accredited by the Bağlama Academy of Arif Sağ, the greatest living master of the instrument, and has also studied in the school of Erdal Erzincan. Ercan has taught the bağlama both in Türkiye and the US, in group and private settings.

Photo description: Ercan Alkan among his bağlama students
Video description: Erdal Erzincan playing and performing Gitme Turnam

Despite the rising costs and lower funding streams that are affecting cultural institutions, Jalopy still wants to be a home for everyone seeking to learn and develop their musical practice. Therefore, this semester, we are offering the classes based on a sliding scale, inviting each student to choose a price based on their income level. Those of you who can afford to pay more than the breakeven cost, will be making it feasible for Jalopy to give scholarships to those who cannot afford the courses.

Please note that these numbers are only suggestions, and you are free to pay what feels manageable and appropriate for you based on all your life's circumstances, not just annual income. As usual, you can inquire and apply for financial aid by emailing lynette@jalopytheatre.org.

Sliding Scale Chart based on Annual income:

$0 - $20k / year: scholarship (partial or full depending on availability)

$20k-$30k / year: $375

$30k - $40k / year: $437.5

$40k -$50k / year: $500

$50k -70k / year: $562.5

$70k and up: $625

Beginning Bağlama (Saz) with Ercan Alkan - An Eight-Week Group Class

Beginning Bağlama (Saz) with Ercan Alkan - An Eight-Week Group Class