Kayagum

Sound and Character

The sound of the kayagum is deep, warm, lyrical, and soft. Unlike the Japanese koto, the strings of the kayagum are tensioned more loosely, and the musician can strongly pull and vibrate the string with their left hand behind the bridge while playing, achieving unique deep pitch bends.

Design and Features

A long hollow body made of paulownia wood, featuring 12 (in modern versions — up to 21 or more) silk or synthetic strings resting on movable “goose-foot” shaped bridges.

Genres Used In

• Korean traditional court and chamber music
• Folk epic genre sanjo
• Contemporary Korean ethno-fusion and ambient