Y. Barış Bal was born in Istanbul. He began to play Turkish traditional instrument bağlama as a child with teachers such as Ünsal Doğan and Okan Murat Öztürk. During the early part of his career Bal focused on traditional music. Later he turned to Classical Ottoman Turkish music and Byzantine Church music with teachers such as Ömer Erdoğdular and Panagiotis Neohoritis.
He formed many musical ensembles in Thessaloniki. He tought for many years at the Traditional Music School 'En Chordais' and at the Byzantine Music School 'Romanos o Melodos'. He is the founder of the Cultural and Musical centre 'Nefes'a. Since 2006 he teaches at the Department of Traditional Music, Technological Educational Institute of Epirus in Greece as an instructor of lavta, tambura, of music ensembles and theoritical analysis of the Makams.
He performs on a variety of stringed instruments including tanbur, yaylı tanbur, lavta, bağlama and rebap.
