Haegum

The ''haegeum'' () is a traditional Korean string instrument, resembling a vertical fiddle with two strings; derived from the ancient Chinese '' xiqin''. It has a rodlike neck, a hollow wooden soundbox, and two silk strings, and is held vertically on the knee of the performer and played with a bow. It is also popularly known as (), (), or ().

The ''haegeum'' is one of the most widely used instruments in Korean music. The ''haegeum'' is used in court music as well as (ordinary people's music). The ''haegeums range of expression is various despite having only two strings, with sounds ranging from sorrowful and sad to humorous. The ''haegeum'' is made using eight materials: metal, stone, silk, bamboo, gourd, clay, hide, and wood, and so it is called (eight sounds).

The () is a modernized fiddle with four strings, used only in North Korea and in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in China.photo
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The ''haegeum'' is a Korean musical instrument played with a wooden bow between two strings, standing in line with a large wooden block standing vertically on top of the ring box. The haegeum is also classified as a string instrument because it consists of two strings made of silk thread. However, it is classified as a wind instrument because it serves as a wind instrument that can make a continuous sound using a bow. The ''haegeum'' has a unique tone, so it is characterized by a unique tone rather than matching with other wind or string instruments.

History

There are no records about the exact era when the ''haegeum'' was first introduced in Korea. According to several sources, references to the ''haegeum'' can be found in (the unrhymed verse and songs of the royal scholars) made in the Goryeo dynasty, so it can be inferred that the ''haegeum'' has been played at least since then.

In the Joseon Dynasty, the ''haegeum'' was used in various music: that of royal ancestral rites, parades, festivals, and (Korean music).

The way the ''haegeum'' is played changed dramatically since the Joseon Dynasty. Before middle Joseon period, musicians played the string in method (placing and stopping with no pulling on strings like western bowed-string instrument), but since then they have begun to play in method (pulling the string). Accordingly, it is possible to make a wide variety of sounds by pulling and releasing strings since it has no fingerboard.

To improve the acoustic ability of the ''haegeum'', various modifications have been introduced since the 1960s. In 1965, Park Hun-bong and Kim Bun-gi developed a low-tune Haegeum, and in 1967 Kim Gisu made a small ''haegeum''.장악원, 우주의 선율을 담다, 송지원 지음

See also

*Erhu
*Huqin
*Kokyū
*Korean music
*Traditional Korean musical instruments

References

External links

Haegum photoTraditional Korean InstrumentsHaegeum Musical Instrument Facts

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Korean musical instruments
Huqin family instruments