Traditional Korean musical instruments comprise a wide range of string, wind, and percussion instruments. Many traditional Korean musical instruments (especially those used in Confucian ceremonies) derive from Chinese musical instruments.

String

Korean

string instruments String instruments, stringed instruments, or chordophones are musical instruments that produce sound from vibrating strings when a performer plays or sounds the strings in some manner. Musicians play some string instruments by plucking the st ...

include those that are plucked, bowed, and struck. Most Korean string instruments use silk strings, except as noted.

Plucked

Zithers

Gayageum The ''gayageum'' or ''kayagum'' (in Korean 가야금, 伽倻琴 in Chinese characters) is a traditional Korean plucked zither with 12 strings, though some more recent variants have 18, 21 or 25 strings. It is probably the best known traditional ...

(hangul: 가야금; hanja: 伽倻琴) – A long zither with 12 strings; modern versions may have 13, 15, 17, 18, 21, 22, or 25 strings * Geomungo (hangul: 거문고) – A fretted bass zither with six to eleven silk strings that is plucked with a bamboo stick and played with a weight made out of cloth ** Cheolhyeongeum (hangul: 철현금; hanja: 鐵絃琴) – A geomungo with 8 steel strings plucked with a bamboo stick and played with a slide made out of either glass or metal in the manner of a

slide guitar Slide guitar is a technique for playing the guitar that is often used in blues music. It involves playing a guitar while holding a hard object (a slide) against the strings, creating the opportunity for glissando effects and deep vibratos t ...

, developed in the 20th centuryphoto 1
http://www.music-plaza.com/Product_Images/large/CNLR05062.jpg photo 2] * Daejaeng (hangul: 대쟁; hanja: 大筝) – A long zither with 15 strings, slightly larger than the ''gayageum''; it was used during the Goryeo period but is no longer usedphoto
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Seul Simple End User Linux is an advocacy group that promotes Linux programs in education and science. SEUL also hosts numerous free software projects and efforts, such as the WorldForge Project's website. The SEUL/Edu project seeks to further the use ...

(hangul: 슬; hanja: 瑟) – A long zither with 25 strings, derived from the Chinese '' se''; used today only in ''

Munmyo Munmyo (more specifically Seoul Munmyo or Seonggyungwan Munmyo) is Korea's primary temple of Confucius ("munmyo" is also the general Korean term for a temple of Confucius). It is located in central Seoul, South Korea, on the campus of Sungkyunkwa ...

jeryeak'' (Korean Confucian ritual music)photo
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Geum ''Geum'' , (Latinized Greek for "taste" referencing the roots of the plant) commonly called avens, is a genus of about 50 species of rhizomatous perennial herbaceous plants in the rose family and its subfamily Rosoideae, widespread across Euro ...

(hangul: 금; hanja: 琴) – A 7-stringed zither, derived from the Chinese ''

guqin The ''guqin'' (; ) is a plucked seven-string Chinese musical instrument. It has been played since ancient times, and has traditionally been favoured by scholars and Scholar-bureaucrats, literati as an instrument of great subtlety and refinemen ...

''; also called ''chilheyongeum''; used today only in ''Munmyo jeryeak'' (Korean Confucian ritual music)photo
/sup> * Ongnyugeum (hangul: 옥류금; hanja: 玉流琴) – A large modernized box zither with 33 nylon-wrapped metal strings, developed in 1973; used only in North Korea (pronounced ''ongryugeum'' in North Korea)photo 1
http://ifes.kyungnam.ac.kr/admin/upload_File/data/Dsc00059.jpg photo
photo 3
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Harps

* Gonghu (hangul: 공후; hanja: 箜篌) – Harps (no longer used). There were four subtypes according to shape: ** Sogonghu (hangul: 소공후; hanja:

小 Radical 42 or radical small () meaning "small" or "insignificant" is one of the 31 Kangxi radicals (214 radicals total) composed of three strokes. In the ''Kangxi Dictionary'', there are 41 characters (out of 49,030) to be found under this radic ...

箜篌; literally "small harp") – harp with angled sound box, 13 strings, and a peg that is tucked into the player's beltphoto
/sup> ** Sugonghu (hangul: 수공후; hanja: 豎箜篌; literally "vertical harp") – vertical harp without sound box and 21 strings photo
/sup> ** Wagonghu (hangul: 와공후; hanja: 臥箜篌; literally "lying down harp") – Arched harp with a large internal sound box and 13 strings, similar to Burmese

saung gauk The ''saung'' ( Burmese: စောင်း, MLCTS caung: ; also known as the ''saung-gauk'' ( စောင်းကောက်), Burmese harp, Burma harp, or Myanmar harp), is an arched harp used in traditional Burmese music. The saung is r ...

photo
/sup> ** Daegonghu (hangul: 대공후; hanja: 大箜篌) – large vertical harp with 23-strings

Lutes

* Bipa (hangul: 비파; hanja: 琵琶) – A pear-shaped lute with five strings (''hyangbipa'' or ''jikgyeongbipa'') or five strings ''(dangbipa''). Uncommon today; most modern recreations are modelled on the Chinese ''

pipa The pipa, pípá, or p'i-p'a () is a traditional Chinese musical instrument, belonging to the plucked category of instruments. Sometimes called the "Chinese lute", the instrument has a pear-shaped wooden body with a varying number of frets ran ...

'' * Wolgeum (hangul: 월금; hanja: 月琴) – A lute with a moon-shaped wooden body, four strings, and 13 frets; no longer used * Eoeungeum (hangul: 어은금) – A pear-shaped lute with five strings similar to ''hyangbipa''; used only in North Korea

Bowed

Fiddles

* Haegeum (hangul: 해금; hanja:

奚琴 Xiqin may refer to: * Xiqin (instrument), a bowed string Chinese musical instrument * Western Qin (385-400, 409-431), a Xianbei state and one of the Sixteen Kingdoms * Xiqin Guildhall, a museum in Zigong, Sichuan, China Towns or townships in China ...

) – A vertical fiddle with two strings; derived from the ancient Chinese '' xiqin'' *

Sohaegeum The sohaegeum () is a North Korean musical instrument, developed in the 1960s. It is essentially a modernized form of the '' haegeum'' (a traditional Korean bowed vertical fiddle). ''So'' (hanja: 四) in ''sohaegeum'' means "four", because it ha ...

(hangul: 소해금; hanja: 小奚琴) – A modernized fiddle with four strings similar to a modern violin; used only in North Korea * Junghaegeum (hangul: 중해금; hanja: 中奚琴) - A modernized fiddle with four strings similar to a modern viola; used only in North Korea * Daehaegeum (hangul: 대해금; hanja: 大奚琴) - A modernized fiddle with four strings similar to a modern cello; used only in North Korea * Jeohaegeum (hangul: 저해금; hanja: 低奚琴) - A modernized fiddle with four strings similar to a modern double bass; used only in North Korea

Zithers

Ajaeng The ''ajaeng'' is a Korean string instrument. It is a wide zither with strings of twisted silk. It is played with a slender stick of forsythia wood that is drawn across the strings in the manner of a bow. The ''ajaeng'' mainly plays the bass pa ...

(hangul: 아쟁; hanja: 牙箏) – A zither bowed with a wooden stick, derived from the Chinese '' yazheng''

Struck

* Yanggeum (hangul: 양금; hanja: 洋琴) – A

hammered dulcimer The hammered dulcimer (also called the hammer dulcimer) is a percussion- stringed instrument which consists of strings typically stretched over a trapezoidal resonant sound board. The hammered dulcimer is set before the musician, who in more tr ...

with metal strings, struck with bamboo mallets; derived from the Chinese '' yangqin''

Wind

Flutes

Transverse

Daegeum The ''daegeum'' (also spelled ''taegum'', ''daegum'' or ''taegŭm'') is a large bamboo flute, a transverse flute used in traditional Korean music. It has a buzzing membrane that gives it a special timbre. It is used in court, aristocratic, and f ...

(hangul: 대금; hanja: 大笒) – A large transverse bamboo flute with six finger-holes and an additional hole covered by a buzzing membrane *

Junggeum The ''junggeum'' (also spelled ''chunggum'' or ''chunggŭm'') is a medium-sized transverse bamboo flute formerly used in traditional Korean music. Unlike the larger ''daegeum'', it does not have a buzzing membrane (although it did have one in anc ...

(hangul: 중금; hanja 中笒) – A medium-sized transverse bamboo flute with six finger-holes, without a buzzing membrane; rarely used today * Sogeum (hangul: 소금; hanja:

琴 or

笒) – A small transverse bamboo flute with six finger-holes, without a buzzing membrane * Dangjeok (hangul: 당적; hanja: 唐笛) – A small transverse bamboo flute of Tang Chinese origin, slightly smaller than the ''junggeum'' * Ji (hangul: 지; hanja: 篪) – An ancient transverse bamboo flute with a protruding notched blowhole and five finger holes (one in the back and four in the front), derived from the Chinese ''chí.'' Used only in

aak ''Aak'' is a genre of Korean court music. It is an imported form of the Chinese court music ''yayue'', and means "elegant music". ''Aak'' was performed almost exclusively in state sacrificial rites, and in the present day it is performed in ce ...

and ''Munmyo jeryeak'' (Korean Confucian ritual music)

End-blown

Danso The ''danso'' (also spelled ''tanso'') is a Korean notched, end-blown vertical bamboo flute used in Korean folk music. It is traditionally made of bamboo, but since the 20th century it has also been made of plastic. It was imported from China ...

(hangul: 단소; hanja: 短簫) – A small notched vertical bamboo flute with four finger-holes * Tungso (hangul: 퉁소; hanja: 洞簫) – A long notched vertical bamboo flute with five finger-holes; originally called ''tongso'' *

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(hangul: 약; hanja: 籥) – A notched vertical bamboo flute with three finger-holes; used in ''Munmyo jeryeak'' (Korean Confucian ritual music) *Jeok (hangul: 적; hanja: 篴) * So (hangul: 소; hanja: 簫) – A

pan flute A pan flute (also known as panpipes or syrinx) is a musical instrument based on the principle of the closed tube, consisting of multiple pipes of gradually increasing length (and occasionally girth). Multiple varieties of pan flutes have been ...

; derived from the Chinese '' paixiao''; used only in ''Munmyo jeryeak'' (Korean Confucian ritual music *

Hun The Huns were a nomadic people who lived in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe between the 4th and 6th century AD. According to European tradition, they were first reported living east of the Volga River, in an area that was part ...

(hangul: 훈; hanja: 塤) – A globular flute made of baked clay originating from prehistoric times; end-blown like a

shakuhachi A is a Japanese and ancient Chinese longitudinal, end-blown flute that is made of bamboo. The bamboo end-blown flute now known as the was developed in Japan in the 16th century and is called the .

, unlike an

ocarina The ocarina is a wind musical instrument; it is a type of vessel flute. Variations exist, but a typical ocarina is an enclosed space with four to twelve finger holes and a mouthpiece that projects from the body. It is traditionally made from cl ...

(which is a whistle design). Derived from the Chinese '' xun''

Oboes

Piri The ''piri'' is a Korean double reed instrument, used in both the folk and classical (court) music of Korea. Originating in Central Asia, it was introduced to the Korean peninsula from China, and has been used there as early as the Three Kingdom ...

(hangul: 피리) – A cylindrical oboe with a bamboo body. There are four varieties of ''piri'': **Hyang piri (hangul: 향피리; hanja: —) **Se piri (hangul: 세피리; hanja: —) **Dang piri (hangul: 당피리; hanja: —) **Dae piri (hangul: 대피리) – A modernised instrument with clarinet-like keys, used only in North Korea *

Taepyeongso The ''taepyeongso'' (lit. "big peace wind instrument"; also called ''hojok'', ''hojeok'' 호적 號笛/ 胡笛, ''nallari'', or ''saenap'', 嗩吶) is a Korean double reed wind instrument in the shawm or oboe family, probably descended from th ...

(hangul: 태평소; hanja: 太平簫; also called ''hojeok, saenap'' or ''nallari'') – A conical oboe with a wooden body and metal bell

Free-reed

* Saenghwang (hangul: ; hanja: ) – A free-reed mouth organ with 17 bamboo pipes, derived from the Chinese '' sheng''; uncommon today

Trumpets

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(hangul: 나발; hanja: ) – Long metal trumpet; used in '' daechwita'' * Nagak (hangul: 나각; hanja: ) – Sea shell horn, also called ''sora;'' used in '' daechwita''

Percussion

* Jong (hangul: 종; hanja: ) – A bronze bell * Pyeonjong (hangul: 편종; hanja: ) – A set of 16 tuned bronze bells used in ancient court music; derived from the Chinese ''

bianzhong Bianzhong ( Chinese:编钟) is an ancient Chinese musical instrument consisting of a set of bronze bells, played melodically. China is the earliest country to manufacture and use musical chimes. They are also called Chime Bells. These sets of c ...

'' * Teukgjong (hangul: 특종; hanja: ) – A single large bronze bell * Pyeongyeong (hangul: 편경; hanja: ) – A set of 16 tuned stone chimes used in ancient court music; derived from the Chinese '' bianqing'' * Teukgyeong (hangul: 특경; hanja: ) – A single large tuned stone chime * Banghyang (hangul: 방향; hanja: ) – A

metallophone A metallophone is any musical instrument in which the sound-producing body is a piece of metal (other than a metal string), consisting of tuned metal bars, tubes, rods, bowls, or plates. Most frequently the metal body is struck to produce sound, ...

with 16 tuned iron slabs; derived from the Chinese ''

fangxiang The ''fangxiang'' (also ''fang xiang'', ''fang hsiang''; 方响 or 方響 in Chinese, pinyin: fāngxiǎng; also known in the West as the Chinese chang) is an organized-suspended (bianxuan) Chinese metallophone that has been used for over ...

'' *

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(hangul: 운라; hanja: or ) – A set of ten small tuned gongs in a wooden frame; derived from the Chinese '' yunluo

Drums

* Buk (hangul: 북) – A barrel drum used primarily in pansori, pungmul, and samulnori. The term ''buk'' is also used in Korean as a generic term to refer to any type of drum. **Pungmul-buk(풍물북) – used in

pungmul ''Pungmul'' (; ) is a Korean folk music tradition that includes drumming, dancing, and singing. Most performances are outside, with dozens of players all in constant motion. ''Pungmul'' is rooted in the ''dure'' (collective labor) farming cultu ...

(풍물) **Sori-buk (소리북) – used to accompany

pansori ' () is a Korean genre of musical storytelling performed by a singer and a drummer. The term ''pansori'' is derived from the Korean words ''pan'' (Hangul: 판) and ''sori'' (Hangul: 소리), the latter of which means "sound." However, ''pan ...

(판소리) *

Janggu The ''janggu'' (, also transliterated as ''janggo'' or ''changgo'') or sometimes called ''seyogo'' (slim waist drum) is the most representative drum in traditional Korean music. It is available in most kinds, and consists of an hourglass-shape ...

or Janggo (hangul: 장구 or 장고; hanja: 杖鼓 or 長鼓) – A double-headed hourglass-shaped drum generally played with one stick and one hand *

Galgo The ''galgo'' (or ''yangjang-go'' or ''yang-go'') is a traditional Korean drum. The drum has an hourglass-shaped wooden body and two drum heads of identical diameter, similar to the ''janggu''. Compared to the ''janggu'', the ''galgo'' is fitte ...

(hangul: 갈고; hanja: 羯鼓) – Double-headed hourglass-shaped drum similar to the ''janggo'' but played with two sticks and thinner drum heads; sometimes called ''yanggo'' or ''yangjanggo''; no longer commonly use

* Jingo (drum), Jingo (hangul: 진고; : 晉鼓) – Largest barrel drum * Jeolgo (hangul: 절고; hanja: ) – Barrel drum * Jwago (hangul: 좌고; hanja: ) – A barrel drum in a wooden frame * Geongo (hangul: 건고; hanja: ) – Huge barrel drum * Yonggo (hangul: 용고; hanja: ) – A barrel drum with a dragon painted on its shell; used in '' daechwita'' * Eunggo (hangul: 응고; hanja: ) – Barrel drum suspended from a frame * Sakgo – (hangul: 삭고; hanja: ) – A long barrel drum suspended from a wooden frame * Gyobanggo (hangul: 교방고; hanja: ) – Flat drum suspended from a frame *

Junggo Junggo is a populated place in Batu, East Java, Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, includin ...

(hangul: 중고; hanja: ) – Flat drum suspended from a frame; similar to the ''gyobanggo'' but larger * Sogo (hangul: 소고; hanja: ) – A small hand-held drum *

Nogo No go or Nogo may refer to: *Nogo A, B, C, or Nogo-66, isoforms of a neurite outgrowth inhibitory protein Reticulon 4. *No-go area, a military or political term for an area to which access is restricted or travel is dangerous * No-go pill, a milit ...

(hangul: 노고; hanja: ) – A set of two drums pierced by a pole *

Nodo Downtown Omaha is the central business, government and social core of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area, U.S. state of Nebraska. The boundaries are Omaha's 20th Street on the west to the Missouri River on the east and the centerline ...

(hangul: 노도; hanja: ) – A set of two small drums on a pole, which is twisted to play; used in ritual music *

Yeongdo Yeongdo District is a '' gu'' in Busan, South Korea. The ''gu'' itself is limited to Yeong-do (''Yeong Island'') located on the south edge of central Busan. It attained the status of ''gu'' in 1957. The Korea Maritime and Ocean University and t ...

(hangul: 영도; hanja:) – Four drums on a pole, which is twisted to play; used in ritual music * Noedo (hangul: 뇌도; hanja: )) – six small drums hung in a frame; used in ritual music * Noego (hangul: 뇌고; hanja: ) – Three small barrel drums on a pole, which is twisted to play; used in ritual music * Do (도) – single pellet drum on a pole

Gongs

Kkwaenggwari The ''kkwaenggwari'' () is a small flat gong used primarily in the folk music of Korea. It is made of brass and is played with a hard stick. It produces a distinctively high-pitched, metallic tone that breaks into a cymbal-like crashing t ...

(hangul: 꽹과리) – A small gong used primarily in folk music * Jing (hangul: 징) – A large gong; originally pronounced ''jeong'' ( 정; hanja: 鉦)

Cymbals

* Jabara (hangul: 자바라; also called ''bara'', ''bal'', or ''jegeum'') – pair of large brass cymbals, The name Zabara comes from Calpara.

Wooden Instruments

* Bak (hangul: 박; hanja: ) – A wooden clapper; used in ancient court and ritual music * Bu (hangul: 부; hanja: ) – A clay pot, derived from the Chinese ''fǒu''; used in ''Munmyo jereak'' *

Chuk Inhibitor of nuclear factor kappa-B kinase subunit alpha (IKK-α) also known as IKK1 or conserved helix-loop-helix ubiquitous kinase (CHUK) is a protein kinase that in humans is encoded by the ''CHUK'' gene. IKK-α is part of the IκB kinase ...

(hangul: 축; hanja: ) – A wooden box, played by hitting a stick on the inside, used to mark beats or sections; derived from the Chinese '' zhù''; used in ancient ritual music * Eo (hangul: 어; hanja: ) – A wooden percussion instrument carved in the shape of a tiger with a serrated back, played by running a bamboo whisk across it to mark the ends of sections; derived from the Chinese ''yǔ''

References

External links

Korean string instrumentsKorean bamboo wind instrumentsKorean drums

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Robert Garfias Robert Garfias (b. 1932 in San Francisco) is an American ethnomusicologist and musicologist. He is a professor of Anthropology and a member of The Social Dynamics and Complexity Group at the University of California, Irvine as well as a professo ...

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String

Plucked

Zithers

Harps

Lutes

Bowed

Fiddles

Zithers

Struck

Wind

Flutes

Transverse

End-blown

Oboes

Free-reed

Trumpets

Percussion

Drums

Gongs

Cymbals

Wooden Instruments

See also

References

External links

Listening

Video