The Janggu

By: Janice and Amy

Our instrument of choice is called the Janggu. Janggu is a traditional instrument originated from Korea. It belongs in the percussion family. The Janggu has 2 sides where the sound comes from. The right side is called the chaepyeon, the left is called gungpyeon. Using 2 playing sticks called the gungchae and the yeolchae, you can compose some rhythms using the deep, rich sounds from the gungchae and the high, shrill sounds of the yeolchae. The gungchae's tip (small oval-shaped wooden ball at the end of the stick) should hit the center of the gungpyeon. The yeolchae should be on a slight tilt upwards, not horizontally and the tip should go past the center a little bit on the chaepyeon. Mostly, the Janggu is played with the gungchae in your left hand and the yeolchae is in your right hand, but it is possible to play the opposite way. The hitting of the playing sticks have different names by the sounds and names. The 3 basic ones are dong, ttak, gung. These sounds-in order- are: dong as only the gungchae playing, ttak as only the yeolchae, and gung is together.

The performance of the Janggu

Janggu doesn't only have to be played only solo. It can be with vocal, other instruments in other families, jazz, orchestra, band instruments, and more. The Janggu is usually in Samul Nori (The play of 4 instruments) Janggu can be the main part of a song, but it can also be the background beat or rhythm. Janggu doesn't make a tune like a piano. It makes the beat using gungchae and yeolchae.

Some famous players are Kim Duk Soo, Kim Young Bae, and Choi Tae Hyun. They also play the other instruments in Samul Nori.

Now that you learned about the Janggu, you can help strengthen the bond as well. Every culture has diverse music and this is Korea's. The Janggu has many good and bad memories and it carries tradition which we should respect. Thank you for watching our prezi, and we hope you enjoyed it.

The Invention and Innovations of the Janggu

We don't really know if there is a real invention date of the janggu since the janggu is over 5000 years old. It's been changed over the years and has gained different purposes. Janggu's been used for shaman ritual ceremonies, farmer's music, and Namsadang (which are entertaining travelers who play music for famous people, festivals, and more). Namsadang are trained professionals and make a living out of performing. The quality of the Janggu is better now that we have technological innovations. The cow and horse skin is cleaner and better quality which gives the Janggu a fuller, clear sound. The inner body is now glazed and has better wood without the roughness and the splinters. The playing sticks are higher quality as well.

One of the masters of

Janggu,

Kim Duk Soo

The Janggu

About the Janggu

We chose this instrument because...

We chose it because we'd like to introduce a unique and cultural instrument instead of a well known one. However Janggu is becoming more and more popular and starting to be well known to people outside of Korea. This year it's about the 50th anniversary of the special cultural relationship between Korea and Canada. These 2 countries have a special bond, and we can teach Canada about Korean culture/music to make this relationship stronger. In this Prezi you'll learn all about the Janggu, one of the Korean instruments.

Diagram of the Janggu

Conclusion

This is the diagram of the Janggu. The soundboards are the gunpyeon and the chaepyeon. You hit these soundboards and sound vibrates. The adjustable cord is tightly tied to the metal hooks holding the string and rim together. The sound box is basically where the sound comes from. The middle of the sound box is called the jorongmok. The leather sliders are pulled the oppostite way to tighten the cords. Below the Janggu are the playing sticks.

Bibliography

Websites we used-

-www. musical-instruments.findthedata.org -www.tutogigpedia.com

-en.wikipedia.org

-www.lifeinkorea.com