Abstract
This paper examines the theoretical and historical significance of the guitar in the musical evolution of the Turkish Cypriot community in Cyprus. It explores how both acoustic and electric guitars have functioned as transitional instruments, influencing compositional approaches, performance techniques, and theoretical developments from the 1960s to the present. This transformation positions the guitar at the center of songwriting and folk arrangements, establishing it as the primary instrument within the two fundamental pitch structures of Turkish popular music: the melodic structure, which encompasses melodic progression and modal (makam, microtonality and scale) frameworks, and the harmonic structure, which refers to arrangement, instrumentation, and harmony. In addition to the theoretical aspects, this paper also explores the historical context of the guitar in Turkish Cypriot popular music.