Korean traditional drum
The
janggu
(
Korean
:
장구
, also transliterated as
janggo
or
changgo
) or sometimes called
seyogo
(slim waist drum) is the most representative drum in
traditional Korean music
.
[1]
It consists of an
hourglass
-shaped body with two heads made from animal skin. The two heads produce sounds of different
pitch
and
timbre
, which when played together are believed to represent the harmonious joining of
Um and Yang
.
[2]
The janggu is one of the four components of
samul nori
(四物놀이), alongside the
buk
(北),
jing
(징) and
kkwaenggwari
(꽹과리).
History
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]
The earliest depictions of the instrument were inscribed on a
bell
belonging to the
Silla
(57 BC?935 AD) period and in a mural painting of the same period in
Goguryeo
(37 BC?668 AD) tomb.
[3]
The oldest written records about an hourglass-shaped drum may be traced to the reign of
King Munjong
(1047?1084) of
Goryeo
as a field instrument. The Korean record from 1451 titled
Goryeo-sa
, or History of Goryeo, in chapter 70, records twenty
janggu
as the gifts of instruments to be used in the banquet attended by the
Song Dynasty
Emperor
Huizong
to the
Goryeo
Court in
Gaeseong
in 1114. This book also notes the earliest appearance of the word
janggu
in a Korean source. Later in chapter 80, for the year 1076, the term
janggu-opsa
(one who plays or teaches the
janggu
) is used.
Janggu is a musical instrument that expresses the natural sound of rain.
[4]
Structure
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The
janggu
may have evolved from the
yogo
(
Korean
:
妖蠱
;
Hanja
:
腰鼓
; literally "waist drum"), another similar but smaller Korean drum that is still in use today. The
yogo
is thought to have originated from the
idakka
, an Indian instrument introduced to Korea from
India
during
Silla
(57 BC?935 AD) period. Evidence of the
yogo
was depicted on the mural paintings in the tomb of
Jipanhyun of Goguryeo
, and from the pictures at the Gameun Temple, the Relics of Buddha, made of bronze in the second year of
King Mun
(682) during the
Unified Silla
period. It was during the time of
Goryeo
that the size of the
Janggu
grew to its present-day standard.
Jorongmok
is the round tube in the middle connecting the left and right side of the hourglass-shaped body. The size of the
jorongmok
determines the quality of the tone: the wider the tube, the deeper and huskier it sounds; the narrower the tube, the harder and snappier it sounds.
The two skin heads are lapped onto metal hoops placed over the open ends of the body and secured by
rope
counter-loops. The left head (
book
side) named
gungpyeon
is covered with a thick cowhide, horsehide, or deerskin to produce deep and low
tones
. The right side (
chae
side) named
chaepyeon
is covered with either dog skin or a lighter horsehide to produce higher tones.
There are two kinds of beating sticks (
chae
), namely
gungchae
and
yeolchae
. The
gungchae
is shaped like a mallet with a round head. The handle is made from
bamboo
root, boiled and straightened out and the head is made from hardwood such as
birch
or
antler
. Modern
gungchae
may also be made from plastic; this variety is normally used by beginning musicians. The
yeolchae
is always made from
bamboo
.
Playing
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As a result of comparing the oral sounds of the accompaniment janggu and the Samulnori janggu, the basic oral sounds of both accompaniment janggu and Samulnori janggu use the oral sound 'deong', but the basic oral sounds of the chaepyeon playing method are divided into 'deok' and 'ta'. And the gungpyeon technique is also divided into 'kung' and 'gung'.
[5]
Janggu
is used throughout traditional Korean instrumental music, such as court music(
宮中音樂
), wind music(
風流音樂)
, folk music(
民俗音樂)
and shamanistic music(
巫俗音樂)
, as well as traditional performing arts divisions such as vocal music and dance and Yeonhui(
演戱)
.
Nongak(Pungmul)
, which only plays percussion instruments, serves to make the rhythms of percussion music colorful by playing finely divided rhythms of the combined notes of several percussion instruments.
[6]
Traditionally the
janggu
is played using
yeolchae
on the right hand high
pitch
area and uses the bare hand on the low pitch area. Such an example can be seen on
pungmul
players for a number of
folk songs
and shamanistic
rituals
. But today, it is common to see the use of
gungchae
and
yeolchae
together. 'Gungchae' is used to play the low pitch side. With
yeolchae
, you can make the sound
'tta(따)',
and with
gungchae
sound
'gung(宮)'
. When you use it at the same time, you can make the sound
'deong(덩)'
.
[7]
Janggu
can be played on the floor such as for traditional
sanjo
music or carried with a strap on the shoulder. The way performers carry the Janggu differs from person to person, from region to region and varies depending on his or her taste.
The
janggu
is usually classified as an accompanying instrument because of its flexible nature and its agility with complex
rhythms
. Since the performer can use his or her hands as well as sticks, various sounds and
tempi
, deep and full, soft and tender, and loud sounds, and fast and slow
beats
, can be created to suit the mood of the audience. Using this ability, a dextrous performer can
dance
along moving his or her shoulders up and down to the rhythm.
Sound
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See also
[
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]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Janggu
.
References
[
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]
- Nathan, Hesselink (2006).P'ungmul: South Korean Drumming and Dance. University of Chicago Press.
External links
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Video
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Sound
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]