Korean traditional instruments: gayageum, geomungo, haegeum, daegeum and more
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Korean traditional music uses a family of instruments that sound quite unlike their Western cousins: zithers with movable bridges, a two-string fiddle without a fingerboard, a flute that buzzes. Here are the ones you are most likely to hear, and what to listen for in each.
Gayageum
The gayageum is a long zither, traditionally with 12 silk strings, each resting on its own movable bridge. The player sits on the floor with one end of the instrument on their lap, plucking with the fingers of the right hand and pressing the strings on the far side of the bridges with the left hand to bend notes and add vibrato.
Its sound is clear and bright, and it is the instrument most people meet first. Modern versions with more strings (and nylon strings) are common in new music and fusion groups.
Geomungo
The geomungo is also a zither, but deeper and more austere. It has six strings, some on movable bridges and others over fixed frets, and is struck and plucked with a short bamboo stick called the suldae. The stick also taps the body of the instrument, giving a percussive edge.
It was long associated with scholars and was considered the instrument of the refined gentleman. Its tone is low, weighty and introspective.
Haegeum
The haegeum is a two-string fiddle held upright on the knee. There is no fingerboard: the player changes pitch by how hard they pull and press the strings, which allows sliding, crying tones. The bow passes between the two strings.
It can sound mournful, playful or almost voice-like, and it appears in both court and folk music.
Daegeum
The daegeum is a large transverse bamboo flute. Its most distinctive feature is an extra hole covered with a very thin membrane, the cheong, made from the inner lining of a reed. When the instrument is played strongly, especially in the high register, the membrane vibrates and gives a buzzing, shimmering quality that is instantly recognisable.
It is used in court music and as a solo instrument in sanjo, and is a popular choice for meditative solo pieces.
Piri
The piri is a short cylindrical bamboo pipe with a large double reed. It is small but loud and often carries the melody in ensembles. Its reedy, nasal tone cuts through other instruments, and players bend pitch strongly with the lips.
Janggu
The janggu is an hourglass-shaped drum with two heads of different tones. Struck with a stick on one side and the hand or a mallet on the other, it is the rhythmic backbone of most Korean music. It plays the jangdan, the rhythmic cycles that define a piece, in sanjo, folk songs, dance and samul nori alike.
Buk
The buk is a barrel drum. It appears in folk percussion and in samul nori, and a particular style of buk, the sori buk, accompanies pansori, played by the drummer known as the gosu.
Gongs: kkwaenggwari and jing
Two gongs complete the samul nori quartet. The kkwaenggwari is a small, bright, piercing gong that leads the group; the jing is a large gong with a long, deep resonance that marks the larger beats.
Others worth knowing
- Ajaeng: a bowed zither with a deep, grainy tone.
- Danso: a small vertical bamboo flute, often the first instrument students learn.
- Taepyeongso: a loud conical reed instrument heard in processions and village bands.
- Pyeongyeong and pyeonjong: sets of stone chimes and bronze bells used in ritual court music.
Tips for listening
- On the gayageum and geomungo, listen to the left hand: the bends after each pluck are where the expression lies.
- On the haegeum and piri, notice how much the pitch moves within a single note.
- In any ensemble, follow the janggu to find the rhythmic cycle.
Many cultural centres in Korea offer short taster lessons, and the gayageum and danso are generally seen as approachable for beginners.
Which instrument would you most like to learn, or which one moves you most? Tell us in the comments.