gayageum

it was a long time since my last article. my absence is due to mum's accident.thus , i was worried and unable to concentrate in anything.thank my god she is better but i still worried.

my article today is about a korean instrument called "gaygeum". this is a small introdaction copied from wikipedia :

"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.^[1] It is in the zither family."

its history :

"According to the Samguksagi (1145), a history of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, the gayageum is supposed to have been developed around the 6th century in the Gaya confederacy by King Gasil (also known as Haji of Daegaya) after he observed an old Chinese instrument, a guzheng. He then ordered a musician named Ureuk to compose music that could be played on the instrument.

The gayageum was then further improved by Wu Ruk during the reign of Jinheung in the Silla Dynasty.

The ancient gayageum of King Gashil was called by several names, including beopgeum (law-zither, 법금), pungnyu (elegance, 풍류), or jeong-ak (right music, 정악) gayageum. It is normally associated with court music, chamber music, and lyric songs, for which it provides the accompaniment. This type of gayageum has a wider spacing between the strings and plays slower tempo music such as Yeongsan-hoesang and Mit-doduri.

The sanjo gayageum is believed to have evolved in the 19th century with the emergence of sanjo music, literally means scattered melodies, a musical form involving some improvisation. For the sanjo gayageum, the closer spacing of the strings and shorter length of the instrument enables a musician to play the faster passages required for sanjo (Choi 2005). The sanjo gayageum is now the most wide spread form of gayageum.(KCMPC 2001). All traditional gayageumsilk strings, although, since the late 20th century, the silk strings may be replaced with nylon strings. use

Modern versions of the gayageum, which have a greater number of strings, often use nylon-wrapped steel strings, similar to those used for the Chinese guzhengBrass strings have also been introduced to produce a louder sound, which is preferred for accompanying dance (Park 2004). To play modern music, gayageum with a greater number of strings have been developed, increasing the instrument's range. Gayageum are available with 13, 17, 18, 21, 22, or 25 strings The 21 string gayageum is normally found in North Korea." (Choi 2005). (Choi 2005), although instruments with more strings are also available on custom-made basis.

i have searched for some videos in order to show this magical instrument. whenever i hear this instrument i can avoid myself from crying . it can express your sadness , joy and nature.