Necdet Yaşar was born in 1930 in Nizip, Gaziantep, Turkey. He began playing music at a young age, inspired by his father's record collection, initially taking up the baglama before switching to the tanbur after hearing Mesut Cemil play. Yaşar joined Radio d'Istanbul after graduating in 1953 and worked there until 1980. He also performed with the Municipal Conservatory Performance Ensemble and the Istanbul State Classical Turkish Music Choir. His collaborations with ney player Niyazi Sayın in the 1960s were notable for popularizing müşterek taksim (joint improvisation) in Turkish classical music ensembles. Yaşar taught at the University of Washington in Seattle during the 1972-1973 and 1980-1981 academic years, contributing to the study of the Turkish makam (modal system). He released several albums, including Arşiv (1998) and Arşiv Serisi 2 (2003). Yaşar was awarded the title of State Artist by the Ministry of Culture in 1991. He passed away on October 24, 2017.
