Pungnyoo Gayageum is known as the origin of all Gayageums present and to have been made by King
Ga-sil of Gaya state about 6C. Since then Ureuk the master of Gaya state defected to Silla to deliver the
music, which including Gayageum has been handed down to present days. The resonance box spacious
is made of a whole paulownia board with its inside dug out large. And the end part is decorated with
the shape of yangidoo (sheep's ear).
Sanjo Gayageum (Sanjo means Free-style Solo)
Kim Chang jo(1865~1919), the master of Pungnyoo (taste for the arts) started to use Sanjo Gayageum style of
present days, not former original Gayageum, to play Gayageum Sanjo.
Thus Sanjo Gayageum was made as used to play Gayageum Sanjo about 100 years ago. Sanjo
Gayageum has thinner strings, narrower width, and shorter length than Pungnyoo Gayageum. And the
end part is clean-cut, not yangidoo style. Upon all of this Sanjo Gayageum is easy to play a jump tune
and produces wide range of sounds with different performance from poongnyoo Gayageum.
Sanjo Gayageum is used widely in Sanjo, accompaniment of folk song, sinawi, singing together, and
created songs.
Improved Gayageum (18 stringed, 25 stringed)
Gayageum for low-pitched, middle, and high-pitched tone was invented to play Gayageum duets. 18
stringed and 25 stringed Gayageum was to extend the range of sound. Iron-stringed, not of silk,
Gayageum is often used for dancing and accompaniment.
The size of structure of Original and Sanjo Gayageum
Original Gayageum
We make this digging out the inside of a whole paulownia board with T-shaped
yangidoo put beneath the resonance body fixing boodeul. This is 151㎝ long
and 28.5㎝ wide.
Sanjo Gayageum
We make this sticking upper board and base together with bongmi put instead
of yangidoo. This is 136㎝ long and 20㎝ wide.
Author Information
(714-801)1203, Daegaya-ro, Daegaya-eup, Goryeong-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Korea
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