Hasan Cihat Örter

Biography

Hasan Cihat Örter (born October 24, 1958) is a Turkish composer, progressive guitarist and arranger.

Life and career

Örter was very young when he first started playing the piano and violin. He then attended Emin Ongan's Turkish music lessons at Uskudar Musical Association, (Üsküdar Musiki Cemiyeti) in 1974.
Örter has been described as an extremely versatile guitarist. He plays traditional Turkish music, but also plays jazz, classical, rock and metal. He can play a range of traditional Turkish instruments, as well as piano and violin. Using a fretless guitar he is able to produce sounds that are not possible on normal guitars. The glissandi sounds he is able to produce on a fretless guitar allow him to create sounds that are characteristic of traditional Turkish music. In additional to traditional music, he is able to play traditional instruments such as the cura in a non-traditional style that blends Turkish traditional music and rock-style guitar techniques and showmanship. Billboard described his album (Re)formation as "a collection of Turkish classical compositions designed to internationalize the sound and appeal of such music" The arrangements are described as "thoroughly modern arrangements of Ottoman court muric from the 18th and 19th centuries". The instruments featured on the album include traditional instruments like the ney, as well as fretless and acoustic guitars, violin, and piano. The arrangements have "an authentic feel, despite their modern presentation". He is credited with arrangement for the album Inspiration Turkey Anatolian Folk Music released through EMI.