When people learn how to sing or play a musical instrument, they can gain a deeper understanding of music and learn how to better appreciate it. When Koreans were asked which traditional Korean musical instrument they wished to learn, female respondents preferred learning the gayageum, whereas, males hoped to learn how to blow the daegeum.

The wind instrument, the daegeum, is one meter long and is made from bamboo. One end of the traditional bamboo flute is placed on the player’s left shoulder and it is held horizontally. Therefore, the daegeum player has to slightly turn his torso while playing the long flute. Wide and long sleeves of hanbok draped from the performer’s arms while playing the wind instrument add elegance to the image of a daegeum player.

The transverse flute offers a unique sound. While western wind instruments are well-known for their clear and refined sounds, the daegeum is characterized by its slightly rougher sound. The hole on the daegeum, known as the “cheong-gong,” is covered with a thin film peeled from the inside of a reed. Therefore, when the player blows his breath into it, this film attached to the daegeum vibrates and creates a distinctive sound. That’s the attractive feature of the traditional wind instrument. Why don’t we listen the daegeum solo performance “Cheongseongjajinhannip" as performed by daegeum master Kim Seong-jin.

Cheongseongjajinhannip / Played by Kim Seong-jin

The ancient history book “Samguk-yusa,” or Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms, records information about the traditional musical instrument known as the “manpa-sikjeok.” The instrument dates back to around A.D. 680 when the Silla Kingdom was under the reign of King Sinmun.

One day, a small mountain emerged from the East Sea and floated toward Silla. On top of the mountain grew a bamboo tree. But it was no ordinary tree. This one tree became two during the daytime, but reverted back to one tree at night. Once informed of the mysterious plant, the king went to find out about it himself.

Then a dragon appeared, and this is what it said to the king: “The bamboo tree’s transformation demonstrates that one can’t produce a sound with one hand, but that it takes two to create a sound. Since bamboo trees make a sound when joined, it is a sign that your majesty will rule with sound. If a musical instrument is made from this bamboo and played, the whole country will enjoy peace.”

When the king cut down the bamboo tree and played on it, the enemy retreated, sick people became well, and while rain relieved drought the sun ended the rainy spell. That’s why it was named “manpa-sikjeok” which means “the musical instrument that calms all kinds of tides.” It is said that the magical flute was stored well in the warehouse that preserved national treasures. Scholars presume daegeum to have originated from this bamboo flute.

Lee Saeng-gang ryu Daegeum-sanjo / Daegeum by Lee Saeng-gang, Jang-gu by Heo Bong-su

During the Unified Silla period, the primary musical instruments commonly played were known as the “Samhyeon-samjuk.” The term referred to three kinds of string instruments and three types of wind instruments. The three strings include the gayageum, the geomungo, and the bipa while those in the wind family are the daegeum, the junggeum, and the sogeum.

The three wind instruments are transverse flutes, and have similar features. As the names indicate, the daegeum is the largest, the junggeum the middle-size, and the sogeum the smallest. Among the three, the technique to play junggeum has been lost long ago and only the daegeum and the sogeum are played to date.

The bigger the musical instrument, the lower and deeper the sounds it produces. But as an instrument gets smaller, it creates higher and clearer sounds. The sogeum produces the highest notes among the traditional Korean musical instruments. Since it doesn’t have cheong-gong, the unique feature of the daegeum, the smallest flute offers the most refined sound which is usually compared to birds chirping. The traditional flute is often featured in modern creative music. This time, why don’t we take a listen to a sogeum piece?

Composed by Gye Seong-won, “A Song for Orchid” / Sogeum Played by Han Chung-eun