People can easily trace the origin of the various items they commonly use in their daily lives by taking a closer look at their names. Now Korean terms that begin with the letter “ho” such as “hotteok” or “hoppang” which are favorite snacks among locals, and “hojumeoni,” or pocket, as well as words that begin with the letter “dang,” including glass noodles, “dangmyeon” and “dangnagwi,” or donkey, come from China. Some relatively new Korean expressions originated in the West start with the letter “yang.” So, words such as “yangbaechu,” or cabbage, “yangju,” or Western hard liquors, “yangbok,” or Western clothes, “yangmal,” or socks, and so on imply that they are from the West.

Among many Korean musical instruments, there is also one that also begins with the letter “yang.” It’s called the “yanggeum.” Although it was introduced by China during the late Joseon era, it was named “yanggeum” because locals knew it originated in the far western region of China. As we learned before, traditional string instruments including the geomungo or the gayageum are fixed with silk strings. In comparison, metal strings are used for the yanggeum. A thinly cut bamboo stick called the “chae” is used to strike the metal strings and produce clear and bright sounds. The dulcimer-like instrument goes well with the sounds of the danso, a short bamboo flute.

Seryeongsan / Yanggeum by Lee Ji-yeong, Danso by Lee Du-won

The yanggeum is made with wood shaped into trapezoid. Two long wooden sticks called “gwae” are placed on top of the musical instrument and metal strings are fixed on top of these two gwaes. One set consists of four thin strings and 14 sets are placed on top of the musical instrument. Due to the very thin strings, the tune is easily affected by different surrounding temperatures. Therefore, it’s hard to tune up the yanggeum.

What’s more, while you can vary the sound made on the traditional string instruments by pushing, pulling, vibrating the strings, it’s not possible to vary the sound of yanggeum once it’s produced. So it renders a very unique and different feeling compared with others. Maybe that’s why although this musical instrument was often brought in by people from China, the technique to play it did not become widespread.

Renowned Joseon scholar Yeonam Park Ji-won picked his colleague literati Damheon Hong Dae-yong as the player who developed the method to play yanggeum. The following is an excerpt from the record by Park.

“On June 18, 1772, I was sitting in Damheon, the study of Hong Dae-yong, where Hong played a tune. I discovered how Hong was very sensitive to sounds. Although the technique to play is a minor art, he was the originator to play the yanggeum. That’s why I clearly remember the date he played the musical instrument. He spread how to play the yanggeum, and in nine years after that, all musicians acquired the skill to play it.”

In the past, noble scholars not only had profound knowledge in reading and writing as well as science, they also had an eye for the arts, including music and painting. From the above episode, we can fathom how Joseon scholars appreciated the arts by thinking hard about how to play the unfamiliar musical instrument and understand their scholastic spirit.

Song of Sun / Composed by Kim Yeong-dong, Yanggeum by Jeon Myeong-seon

The yanggeum was introduced from China during late Joseon Dynasty and became widespread. On the other side of the spectrum are the original Korean traditional musical instruments that were neglected. Now, it’s difficult to pass them down to future generations. Of these forgotten Korean instruments, the tungso is the representative one.

A Korean saying that goes “Tungso in a room,” means to blow the tungso only when one is alone in a room. It refers to a person who boasts and talks big in front of close acquaintances, but shies away when he or she needs to demonstrate one’s real ability. From the proverb we can surmise that the tungso was a widely played musical instrument in the past.

The tungso is a vertical bamboo flute that’s slightly longer than one meter. Similar to the daegeum, it has a chwigu where one blows his breath into and a special hole called cheonggong covered with a thin film fashioned from a reed placed between holes to play vibrating sounds.

Although the tungso was also played for court music, nowadays, it’s only used as an instrumental accompaniment for Bukcheong-sajanori, the folk performance of Bukcheong region in Hamgyeong Province, North Korea. Because of its doleful melody, the sound dwells in one’s mind for a long time. Why don’t we take a listen to the tune of the traditional melody?

Dondolnari / Sori by Kim Deok-rye and others, Tungso by Dong Seon-bon, Go Jang-uk

Each person lives in their own world. The same goes for musical instruments, so each one has its own musical world. When a new musical instrument is born, the nation’s musical culture also expands. On the other hand, when a traditional musical instrument becomes a thing of the past, the same phenomenon could be witnessed in the vestige of the nation’s history and tradition. Through this program, where we learn about the traditional musical instruments, we take our first step to follow in the footsteps of the people in the past.