Janggu
The janggu in five languages — janggu, janggo, Janggu
Related
Five languages
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
| Chinese | 杖鼓 |
| English | janggu (also janggo) |
| Italian | janggu |
| German | Janggu |
| French | janggu |
The janggu is Korea's hourglass-shaped double-headed drum: narrow in the middle and wide at both ends, with a skin on each head, struck with a bamboo stick in the right hand and by bare hand on the left. The heads are tuned to different pitches, adjusted by tightening or loosening the lacing before playing. It anchors pansori, nongak and samulnori, and is a core rhythm instrument of Korean traditional music.
Watch out: the janggu is an hourglass drum, not a barrel drum. The Chinese 长鼓 names this instrument in Korean contexts but another long drum in Yao contexts; English janggu and janggo are two spellings of the same instrument.
Read deeper → The janggu
Sources
- 各语种乐器名与杖鼓的形制，参 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "Changgo"；本文为原创表述
Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.