Korea's traditional music instrument masters demonstrate instrument-making process to public

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국립국악원, 전통악기장인 제작시연
It's not everyday that traditional Korean music instrument masters demonstrate their elaborate skills to the public, but that's exactly what's going on at the National Gugak Center in southern Seoul.
Our cultural correspondent Park Ji-won went to check it out. 63-year-old Go Heung-gon has devoted the past 44 years of his life to making traditional Korean string instruments.
Designated as important intangible cultural asset number 42,... Go says... the entire process begins with a high-quality royal empress tree... that's grown for more than 30 years... and then dried for about 10 more years.
Only then can he proceed with making a 12-string gayageum or six-string geomungo,... both of which date back more than a thousand years.
Silk threads spun from cocoons are used for strings,... and all the ornaments are dyed with natural ingredients.
Altogether,... he has to go through about three-hundred different processes by hand.
"The craft of instrument-making is all about sound. Every step of the process takes a lot of effort... in order to produce a good quality sound."
Korea has some 20 kinds of traditional drums,... in all different shapes and sizes.
While most countries have a musical tradition of using some sort of drum,... Korean drums boast a unique pattern and design,... mostly notable by its taegeuk, or the yin-yang symbol.
Korea has also other traditional percussion instruments, pyeongjong and pyeongyeong ,... a bronze bell chime and stone chime instrument, respectively.
These instruments were originally derived from ancient China,... however,... master Kim Hyun-kon,... who has spent nearly six decades crafting musical instruments,... says that Korea developed its own design and sound in the 15th century.
"Korean instruments are significantly different from ancient Chinese instruments in their patterns, colors and shapes of the chimes."
This rare demonstration by the nation's intangible cultural asset masters,.... is open to the public through this Sunday at the National Gugak Center in southern Seoul.
Park Ji-won, Arirang News.

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