DaechwitaKorea.net
Instrumentation also helps to distinguish a distinctive Korean sound. The Daegeum is a large transverse flute that is over two feet long. It was traditional used in court music but also now used in folk music. It is comparable to the oboe and is set in the B flat key. It can cover more then two octaves. The oldest incarnation of a daegeum is from the seventh century. A less western instrument is the Gayageum. This twelve-stringed zither structure is similar to a Chinese cheng and a Japanese koto. To play one uses the right thumb, index and middle finger to pluck and the left index and middle to press on the stings. This instrument is over fourteen centuries old. The Daechwita is the military band used in parades. Its instrumentation contains a nabal, nagak, taepyeongso, jing, janggo, and yonggo. A nabal is a brass horn. The nagak is a conch shell. The taepyeongso is similar to a conical oboe. The jing is a gong. Janggo and yonggos are both drums. This band started to appear around fourth century.
