Hello!
I want my last passion blog post to end with something I know personally–that I enjoy. With that said, this final post is going to end how we started: with Korean culture.
I recently gave a final presentation for my Korean class about the Korean immersion camp I have gone to for the past 5 years. It not only reminded me of how amazing my experiences with the camp have been, but also showed me again what I love most about Korean culture. There are so many different things that make up a culture, and I appreciate that I have gotten a taste of what it is like to be involved in a culture outside of my own.
This past summer when I was at camp I learned how to play an instrument called the 장구 (janggu). It is one of many instruments involved in something called 사물놀이 (samulnori). I had the time of my life learning how to play this instrument, and I wanted to share that with you!
First, I wanted to give a little background on what exactly it is.
Samulnori is typically composed on four members each playing a different instrument, combined with a dancing performance. The name itself is an indicator of this, as “sa” means four, “mul” meanings thing, and “nori” is to play. I want to introduce the instruments that are part of the ensemble.
- K’kwaenggwari
This, quite possibly, is the loudest instrument ever. I can say that because we used to bang them to wake us up EVERY morning at camp. Although it has a bad connotation for me, I can admit that there is a specific technique to playing this that may not seem hard, but trust me, it is. Essentially this instrument is a small, handheld gong. A bamboo mallet is used to produce the tones. Instead of just trying to use words, I’ll let you listen for yourself. This instrument is related to lightening,. You’ll see why.
https://omeka1.grinnell.edu/MusicalInstruments/items/show/352
- Jing
This can be seen in the video above as well. It is the larger gong that is held up on a beautiful wooden craft. It can actually be played by hand as well. Instead of a wood-tipped mallet, the jing requires a padded stick. The instrument is also loud, but has a much deeper sound. It is commonly associated with the wind.
http://mymariamargareta.blogspot.com/2012/08/korean-traditional-musical-instruments.html
- Buk
The Buk, too, is also in the first video! This is a drum. It can held by hand, or there are ways to tie it to you, which will make sense once you see the videos I post of myself at the end! It is made of a hollowed piece of wood that had leather skin on either ends. The mallet isn’t really special, as it is just a wood stick. It is the bass sound for the ensemble. It is associated with the clouds.
http://www.soundofasia.com/bukkobadr151.html
- Janggu
Lastly, the janggu. This is the one I am most familiar with because I was taught how to play this at camp. The shape of the drum is interesting because it is like an hour glass. Both sides are covered with different types of leather skins, which produce different tones. One is higher, and one is lower. Moreover, there are two different mallets used on the one drum. The thick ropes that connect the two ends of the drum are used to tune the instrument. You can see in my picture the little patches tying the rope together. This can be slid up or down to tune the drum. This drum represents the rain.
This year my teacher’s family came down and put on a performance for us. He has been teaching and performing for 10 years. The whole family performed the ensemble. He played the janggu, kkwaenggwari, and danced.
These are a few pictures and videos of my performances with my class! Mostly we just play different patterns, but for one part we had a cool little chant. In Korean of course.
Well friends, I sure hope this was an interesting blog blog post! I love sharing my camp with others because it is such a huge part of my life, and I am continuously grateful for the opportunity to meet such wonderful people and learn Korean.
For anyone who is learning a language, I recommend checking out Concordia Language Villages. There are are 18 different languages. All immersion camps, mostly all in Minnesota. You won’t be able to be a villager, but you can apply for internships and to be staff members! AND it’s paid! If you have questions just feel free to ask me!
Sadly, this is all I have for you guys!
Thank you for sticking around and reading my posts! I hope I was able to teach you something new about a culture or nation that you didn’t know before. I also hope that this sparks your interest in the world around us, because it is truly a diverse, beautiful place.
Peace
http://www.lifeinkorea.com/culture/samul/samul.cf?Subject=history
https://www.samulnori.xyz/about-samulnori
Wow those performances are pretty cool. It’s pretty interesting to see people playing traditional instruments and it’s amazing that you got to experience that over five years. Was nice reading your blog 🙂
also for the Concordia villages, do they have 18 different ethnic groups for those camps? That’s pretty insane to have so many camps grouped up together.
Hi Cali! I have really enjoyed reading all of your passion posts so far this semester. It has been great to learn so much about different cultures outside of my own, and yet relate their traditions back to my own experiences. The Korean ensemble of 4 instruments is very interesting to me because it reminds me of how popular European string quartets are, with four instruments as well. It is really interesting to me how the Korean ensemble is made up of all percussion like instruments. The music that is made and the performance that is done is truly captivating, I imagine you had a great experience at your immersion camp seeing that in person. Thanks for posting!