Bodrum resident serenades town with bicycle piano

MUĞLA

A man who lives in the southern province of Muğla's Bodrum district offers piano concerts to local and foreign tourists with his piano mounted on a specially designed three-wheeled bicycle.

Zafer Mat, a married father of two children, started playing mandolin at an early age and his interest in music expanded with the piano gifted by his friends 17 years ago.

Mat, who played the piano in a shopping center in the western province of Tekirdağ for many years, now tours the streets of Bodrum, where he settled three years ago, with his bicycle piano.

"Piano was an instrument that I was interested in from a young age but I did not have the financial means to afford one. At the age of 55, I was able to own a piano. Three of my friends in Çorlu collected money and gifted me a piano. I didn't have a guide or training. I had played guitar for 30 years; I tried to transfer my theoretical knowledge to the piano. I practiced intensively with my intuition and emotions and taught myself how to play. I work all day long to hone my skills," Mat said.

Mat got the idea for his project after he saw online a piano being played on a bicycle. He later reached out to a blacksmith friend to build a similar one and started to play in the square in Bodrum and at various points of the city which attracted the attention of local and foreign tourists.

"While I was playing the piano in Bodrum square, an Irish-born Turkish girl came up to me and said, 'I want to hug you.' I asked 'why' and she replied, 'I am very proud and happy that you represent the bright face of Türkiye,' and hugged me. That moment was very precious," Mat shared.

After the earthquake disaster in Türkiye’s south last year, Mat played the piano to give morale to the earthquake victims who came to Bodrum.

"We sang folk songs and cried together. One of my goals was to instill this form of art in children and young people and to be a good role model. There are two branches that elevate society and individuals: Science and art. In this regard, everyone should make this contribution to life. Art is the most important way to acquire the right attitude towards life."