Ajaeng is the Korean traditional instrument that makes the lowest pitch. Some people often confuse it with the haegeum해금 as both instruments are played with a bow. But the haegeum has only two strings and is small and lightweight, since it was originally played people while on horseback. On the other hand, the ajaeng is a zither that has a long soundboard made of royal foxglove tree and twisted silk strings much like the gayageum가야금 or geomungo거문고. A traditional ajaeng has seven strings, and a stick made of forsythia wood is scraped against them to create sound. The tone is very low and raspy because the soundboard is big, the strings are thick, and a wooden stick is used on the strings. This characteristic makes the instrument perfect for drawing out a person’s emotions from deep within. A tale that attests to the power of ajaeng is one that involves a blind musician named Kim Wun-ran김운란 from the late Joseon period. Once he played the ajaeng near a shrine, his music was so mournful that it made even the spirits in the shrine weep. Today’s first music piece is titled “Meditation” with Kim Sang-hoon on the ajaeng. 

Music 1: Meditation/ Ajaeng by Kim Sang-hoon

The ajaeng is believed to have originated from the Goryeo period and was largely used in court music until the Joseon era. Court music is characterized by its slow pace and solemn tone as its purpose is to find harmony between mankind and the universe rather than to arouse human emotions. The deep, low pitch of the ajaeng makes it the perfect instrument for the dignified court. In the late Joseon period, a genre called sanjo산조 or free-style solo was born and a need rose for an instrument suitable for sanjo or folksong accompaniments. But the traditional ajaeng was too heavy and large to carry around, and its thick strings with its wooden stick rendered it difficult to give variations to melodies and beats. Thus, came the sanjo ajaeng, which was about half the size of the traditional ajaeng and had thinner strings. The bow for the sanjo ajaeng was made of horsehair instead of a simple wooden stick, making it possible to play more lyrical music. Now let’s listen to an ajaeng sanjo piece titled “A Silly Song” played by Kim Il-gu. 

Music 2: A Silly Song/ Ajaeng by Kim Il-gu

Korean traditional string instruments are known to move the hearts of listeners, so much so that some people think the sound of ajaeng is too heartbreaking. For those who think that way, there is the steel ajaeng created by ajaeng virtuoso Yun Yun-suk in the 1990s. Yun was an ajaeng and geomungo musician who belonged to a national opera company. Later he composed his own sanjo pieces to become an ajaeng virtuoso. One day, his ajaeng strings broke just before a concert, leaving only four strings intact. He wowed the audience by putting on a wonderful impromptu performance for about 20 minutes with only those four strings. The instrument he invented for traditional operas or solo performances were the steel ajaeng, which uses steel wires instead of silk strings. The steel wires make clearer and more resonant sounds. These days, a bow is used to play the steel ajaeng, but master Yun Yun-suk performed by plucking the wires with his fingers. Let’s enjoy the clear and rich sound of the steel ajaeng by listening to “Steel Ajaeng Sanjo” played by none other than Yun Yun-suk.

Music 3: Steel Ajaeng Sanjo/ Ajaeng by Yun Yun-suk