Traditional Korean musical instruments

Traditional Korean musical instruments comprise a wide range of string, wind, and percussion instruments.

String

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

Plucked

Gayageum
Gayageum
The gayageum or kayagum is a traditional Korean zither-like string instrument, with 12 strings, although more recently variants have been constructed with 21 or other numbers of strings. It is probably the best known traditional Korean musical instrument...

(hangul: 가야금; hanja: 伽倻琴) – A long zither with 12 strings; modern versions may have 13, 17, 18, 21, 22, or 25 strings
Geomungo
Geomungo
The geomungo or hyeongeum is a traditional Korean stringed musical instrument of the zither family of instruments with both bridges and frets...

(hangul: 거문고; hanja: 玄琴) – A fretted bass zither with six strings that is plucked with a bamboo stick
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 used^photo
Seul (hangul: 슬; hanja: 瑟) – A long zither with 25 strings, derived from the Chinese se
Se (instrument)
The se is an ancient Chinese plucked zither . It is the ancestor of many Asian zithers, including the Chinese guzheng, the Korean gayageum and the Japanese koto. It has 25 strings with moveable bridges and has a range of up to five octaves.-History:The history of the se extends back to early...

; used today only in Munmyo
Munmyo
Munmyo is Korea's primary Confucian shrine...

jeryeak (Korean Confucian ritual music)^photo
Geum (hangul: 금; hanja: 琴) – A 7-stringed zither, derived from the Chinese guqin
Guqin
The guqin is the modern name for a plucked seven-string Chinese musical instrument of the zither family...

; also called chilheyongeum; used today only in Munmyo jeryeak (Korean Confucian ritual music)^photo
Gonghu (hangul: 공후; hanja: 箜篌) – Harps (no longer used). There were four subtypes according to shape:
- Sogonghu (hangul: 소공후; hanja: 小箜篌; literally "small harp") – harp with angled sound box, 13 strings, and a peg that is tucked into the player's belt^photo
- Sugonghu (hangul: 수공후; hanja: 豎箜篌; literally "vertical harp") – vertical harp without sound box and 21 strings^photo
- Wagonghu (hangul: 와공후; hanja: 臥箜篌; literally "lying down harp") – Arched harp with a large internal sound box and 13 strings^photo
- Daegonghu (hangul: 대공후; hanja: 大箜篌) – large vertical harp with 23-strings
Bipa
Bipa
The bipa is a pear-shape lute that is a traditional Korean musical instrument which is related to the Chinese pipa, the Vietnamese đàn tỳ bà and the Japanese biwa. Attempts to revive it have failed due to fact that there are no existing professional players .In the past, there were two types of...

(hangul: 비파; hanja: 琵琶) – A pear-shaped lute with four or five strings (subtypes include the 5-stringed hyangbipa, which is also called jikgyeongbipa; and the 4-stringed dangbipa)
Wolgeum (hangul: 월금; hanja: 月琴) – A lute with a moon-shaped wooden body, four strings, and 13 frets; no longer used
Cheolhyeongeum (hangul: 철현금; hanja: 鐵絃琴) – A steel-stringed zither plucked with a stick and played with a slide in the manner of a slide guitar
Slide guitar
Slide guitar or bottleneck guitar is a particular method or technique for playing the guitar. The term slide refers to the motion of the slide against the strings, while bottleneck refers to the original material of choice for such slides: the necks of glass bottles...

, developed in the 20th century^{photo 1}^{photo 2}
Ongnyugeum (hangul: 옥류금; hanja: 玉流琴) – A large modernized box zither with 33 nylon-wrapped metal strings, developed in North Korea in 1973; pronounced ongryugeum in North Korea^{photo 1}^{photo 2}^{photo 3}

Bowed

Haegeum
Haegeum
The haegeum is a traditional Korean string instrument, resembling a fiddle. 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....

(hangul: 해금; hanja: 奚琴) – A vertical fiddle with two strings
Ajaeng
Ajaeng
The ajaeng is a Korean string instrument. It is a wide zither with strings made of twisted silk, played by means of a slender stick made of forsythia wood, which is scraped against the strings in the manner of a bow...

(hangul: 아쟁; hanja: 牙箏) – A bowed zither, derived from the Chinese yazheng
Yazheng
The yazheng is a Chinese string instrument. It is a long zither similar to the guzheng but bowed by scraping with a sorghum stem dusted with resin, a bamboo stick, or a piece of forsythia wood...

used today only in Munmyo jeryeak (Korean Confucian ritual music)
Sohaegeum
Sohaegeum
The sohaegeum is a North Korean musical instrument, developed in the 1960s. It is essentially a modernized form of the haegeum . So in sohaeheum means "four," because it has four strings...

(hangul: 소해금) – A modernized fiddle with four strings; used only in North Korea^{photo 1}^{photo 2}

Struck

Yanggeum
Yanggeum
The yanggeum is a traditional Korean string instrument. It is a hammered dulcimer. Unlike other traditional Korean instruments , the yanggeum has metal strings. It is played by striking the strings with a bamboo stick....

(hangul: 양금; hanja: 洋琴) – A hammered dulcimer
Hammered dulcimer
The hammered dulcimer is a stringed musical instrument with the strings stretched over a trapezoidal sounding board. Typically, the hammered dulcimer is set on a stand, at an angle, before the musician, who holds small mallet hammers in each hand to strike the strings...

with metal strings, struck with a bamboo stick

Flutes

Daegeum
Daegeum
The daegeum is a large bamboo transverse flute used in traditional Korean music. It has a buzzing membrane that gives it a special timbre...

(hangul: 대금; hanja: 大琴 or 大笒) – A large transverse bamboo flute with buzzing membrane
Junggeum
Junggeum
The junggeum is a medium-sized bamboo transverse flute formerly used in traditional Korean music. Unlike the larger daegeum, it does not have a buzzing membrane...

(hangul: 중금; hanja: 中琴 or 中笒) – A medium-sized transverse bamboo flute without buzzing membrane
Sogeum
Sogeum
The sogeum is a small bamboo transverse flute used in traditional Korean music. Unlike the larger daegeum, it does not have a buzzing membrane...

(hangul: 소금; hanja: 小琴 or 小笒) – A small transverse bamboo flute without buzzing membrane
Danso
Danso
The danso is a Korean notched, end-blown vertical bamboo flute used in Korean folk music. It is traditionally made of bamboo, but in the 20th century it has also been made of plastic....

(hangul: 단소; hanja: 短簫) – A small notched vertical bamboo flute
Tungso (hangul: 퉁소; hanja: 洞簫) – A long notched vertical bamboo flute; originally called tongso
Yak (hangul: 약; hanja: 籥) – A notched vertical bamboo flute with three finger holes; used in Munmyo jeryeak (Korean Confucian ritual music)
Ji (hangul: 지; hanja: 篪) – An ancient vertical bamboo flute with a protruding notched blowhole and five finger holes (one in the back and four in the front), used only in aak
Aak
Aak is a genre of Korean court music. It is an imported form of Chinese ritual music. Aak is often labeled as "elegant music" in contrast with other traditional Korean music...

; derived from the Chinese chí; used also in Munmyo jeryeak (Korean Confucian ritual music)
Jeok (hangul: 적; hanja: 翟)
So (hangul: 소; hanja: 簫) – A pan flute
Pan flute
The pan flute or pan pipe is an ancient musical instrument based on the principle of the closed tube, consisting usually of five or more pipes of gradually increasing length...

; derived from the Chinese paixiao
Paixiao
The paixiao is an ancient Chinese wind instrument, a form of pan pipes. It is no longer used, having died out in ancient times, although in the 20th century it was reconstructed...

; used only in Munmyo jeryeak (Korean Confucian ritual music)
Dangjeok
Dangjeok
The dangjeok is a small transverse bamboo flute used in the traditional music of Korea. It is of Chinese origin, and is slightly smaller than the junggeum. Its name literally means "Tang transverse bamboo flute."-External links:**...

(hangul: 당적; hanja: 唐笛) – A small transverse bamboo flute of Tang Chinese origin, slightly smaller than the junggeum
Hun
Hun (instrument)
The hun is a Korean ocarina made of baked clay or ceramic. It has a globular shape, with a blowing hole on top and several finger holes. It is used primarily in court music ensembles, although in the late 20th century some contemporary Korean composers began to use it in their compositions and...

(hangul: 훈; hanja: 塤) – A globular flute
Globular Flute
The Globular Flute is a neolithic flute found near the Čaška village in the Republic of Macedonia.The subject is a small clay artifact discovered during the archaeological excavations in that area of the...

made of baked clay originating from prehistoric times; end-blown like a shakuhachi
Shakuhachi
The is a Japanese end-blown flute. It is traditionally made of bamboo, but versions now exist in ABS and hardwoods. It was used by the monks of the Fuke school of Zen Buddhism in the practice of...

making it not an ocarina
Ocarina
The ocarina is an ancient flute-like wind instrument. Variations do exist, but a typical ocarina is an enclosed space with four to twelve finger holes and a mouthpiece that projects from the body...

(which is a whistle design)

Oboes

Piri
Piri
The piri is a Korean double reed instrument, used in both the folk and classical music of Korea. It is made of bamboo. Its large reed and cylindrical bore gives it a sound mellower than that of many other types of oboe....

(hangul: 피리; hanja: ) – 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 (대피리)
Taepyeongso
Taepyeongso
The taepyeongso is a Korean double reed wind instrument in the shawm or oboe family, probably descended from the Persian zurna and closely related to the Chinese suona...

(hangul: 태평소; hanja: ; also called hojok) – A conical oboe with a wooden body and metal bell

Mouth organs

Saenghwang
Saenghwang
The saenghwang is a Korean wind instrument. It is a free reed mouth organ derived from the Chinese sheng, though its tuning is different....

(hangul: ; hanja: ) – A free reed mouth organ with 17 bamboo pipes; derived from the Chinese sheng
Sheng (instrument)
The Chinese sheng is a mouth-blown free reed instrument consisting of vertical pipes.Traditionally, the sheng has been used as an accompaniment instrument for solo suona or dizi performances. It is one of the main instruments in kunqu and some other forms of Chinese opera...
U (hangul: 우; hanja: ) – A free reed mouth organ, large in size; derived from the Chinese yu
Yu (wind instrument)
The yu was a free reed wind instrument used in ancient China. It was similar to the sheng, with multiple bamboo pipes fixed in a wind chest which may have been made of bamboo, wood, or gourd. Each pipe contained a free reed, which was also made of bamboo. Whereas the sheng was used to provide...

; no longer used
Hwa
Hwa
Hwa are a type of traditional Korean boot, which, along with yi , is a subdivision of Korean shoes. The yi refers to all kind of shoes that do not go up to ankle. Hwa are usually made of leather, and artisans who make the shoes are called hwajang . It was originally worn by ethnic minorities of...

(hangul: 화; hanja: ) – A free reed mouth organ with 13 bamboo pipes; derived from the Chinese he; no longer used

Horns

Nabal
Nabal (instrument)
The nabal is a long, straight brass horn used in Korean traditional music. As the instrument has no valves or finger holes it is not a melodic instrument but rather plays a single sustained tone...

(hangul: 나발; hanja: ) – Long metal trumpet
Nagak
Nagak
The nagak is a large seashell played as a horn in Korean traditional music. It produces only a single tone and is used primarily in the military procession music called daechwita....

(hangul: 나각; hanja: ) – Sea shell horn; also called sora

Chimes

Jong (hangul: 종; hanja: ) – A bronze bell
Pyeonjong
Pyeonjong
The pyeonjong is an ancient Korean musical instrument consisting of a set of 16 bronze bells, played melodically. The bells are hung in a wooden frame and struck with a mallet...

(hangul: 편종; hanja: ) – A set of 16 tuned bronze bells used in ancient court music; derived from the Chinese bianzhong
Bianzhong
Bianzhong is an ancient Chinese musical instrument consisting of a set of bronze bells, played melodically. These sets of chime bells were used as polyphonic musical instruments and some of these bells have been dated at between 2,000 to 3,600 years old. They were hung in a wooden frame and...
Teukjong (hangul: 특종; hanja: ) – A single large bronze bell
Pyeongyeong
Pyeongyeong
A pyeongyeong is a traditional Korean percussion instrument, a kind of stone chime or lithophone formed of sixteen L-shaped stone slabs suspended from a frame...

(hangul: 편경; hanja: ) – A set of 16 tuned stone chimes used in ancient court music; derived from the Chinese bianqing
Bianqing
The bianqing is an ancient Chinese musical instrument consisting of a set of L-shaped flat stone chimes, played melodically. The chimes were hung in a wooden frame and struck with a mallet...
Teukgyeong (hangul: 특경; hanja: ) – A single large tuned stone chime
Banghyang (hangul: 방향; hanja: ) – A metallophone
Metallophone
A metallophone is any musical instrument consisting of tuned metal bars which are struck to make sound, usually with a mallet.Metallophones have been used in music for hundreds of years. There are several different types used in Balinese and Javanese gamelan ensembles, including the gendér, gangsa...

with 16 tuned iron slabs; derived from the Chinese fangxiang
Fangxiang
The fangxiang is an ancient Chinese metallophone. The instrument consists of 16 tuned rectangular iron slabs laid in a frame in two rows. The slabs are struck with a hammer and played melodically...

^photo
Ulla
Ulla (instrument)
The ulla is a traditional Korean percussion instrument comprising a set of ten small tuned gongs in a wooden frame. The gongs are struck with a beater.The ulla is derived from the Chinese yunluo....

(hangul: 운라; hanja: or ) – A set of ten small tuned gongs in a wooden frame; derived from the Chinese yunluo
Yunluo
The yunluo is a traditional Chinese musical instrument. It was also called yún'áo in ancient times....

^photo

Drums

Buk
Buk (drum)
The buk is a traditional Korean drum. While the term buk is a native Korean word used as a generic term meaning "drum" , it is most often used to refer to a shallow barrel-shaped drum, with a round wooden body that is covered on both ends with animal skin...

(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 – used in pungmul
  Pungmul
  Pungmul is a Korean folk music tradition that includes drumming, dancing, and singing. Most performances are outside, with tens of players, all in constant motion. Pungmul is rooted in the dure farming culture. It was originally played as part of farm work, on rural holidays, at other village...
- Sori-buk – used to accompany pansori
  Pansori
  Pansori is a genre of Korean traditional music. It is a vocal and percussional music performed by one sorikkun and one gosu . The term pansori is derived from pan , and sori .- Overview :...
Janggu
Janggu
The janggu or sometimes called seyogo is the most widely used drum used in the traditional music of Korea. It is available in most kinds, and consists of an hourglass-shaped body with two heads made from animal skin...

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
Galgo
The galgo 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 fitted with a sound-adjusting funnel different from that of the janggu...

(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 usedhttp://www.kcaf.or.kr/ehome3/english/galgo.htm
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
Daechwita
Daechwita is a genre of Korean traditional music consisting of military music played by wind and percussion instruments, generally performed while marching...
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 (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 (hangul: 노고; hanja: ) – A set of two drums pierced by a pole
Nodo (hangul: 노도; hanja: ) – A set of two small drums on a pole, which is twisted to play; used in ritual music
Yeongdo (hangul: 노도; 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
Kkwaenggwari
The kkwaenggwari is a small flat gong used primarily in 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 timbre when struck forcefully.It is particularly important in samul...

(hangul: 꽹과리) – A small gong used primarily in folk music
Jing
Jing (instrument)
The jing is a large gong used in traditional Korean music, particularly in samul nori, pungmul, and daechwita. Usually made from brass, it is struck by a hammer that is layered with soft cloth to smoothen the texture of the sound produced. It is typically played at the onset of ceremonies and...

(hangul: 징; hanja: 鉦) – A large gong; originally pronounced jeong (정)

Cymbals

Jabara
Jabara
Jabara is a village in Lüganuse Parish, Ida-Viru County in northeastern Estonia....

(hangul: 자바라; also called bara, bal, or jegeum) – pair of large brass cymbals

Other

Bak
Bak (instrument)
Bak is a wooden clapper used in Korean court and ritual music. The person playing the bak is called jipbak; he serves as conductor or musical supervisor for the group...

(hangul: 박; hanja: ) – A wooden clapper used in ancient court and ritual music
Bu (hangul: 부; hanja: ) – A clay pot used in Confucian ritual music; derived from the Chinese fǒu
Chuk
Chuk (instrument)
The chuk is a traditional Korean musical instrument used in Confucian and Royal Ancestral Shrine ceremonies to signal the beginning of a ritual music performance. It consists of a square wooden box, played by striking the bottom with a mallet to mark beats or sections...

(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
Zhu (percussion instrument)
The zhu was a percussion instrument used in the Confucian court ritual music of ancient China. It consisted of a wooden box that tapered from the top to the bottom, and was played by grasping a vertical wooden stick and striking it on the bottom face...

; 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

External links

Listening

Korean instrument audio samples
Korean music audio from Robert Garfias
Robert Garfias
Robert Garfias is a figure in ethnomusicology and musicology. 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 professor at the Japanese National Museum of Ethnology in Senri, Osaka...

site

Video

Korean instruments videos from Robert Garfias
Robert Garfias
Robert Garfias is a figure in ethnomusicology and musicology. 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 professor at the Japanese National Museum of Ethnology in Senri, Osaka...

site

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