ajaeng
Sign in to saveThe ajaeng () is a Korean string instrument. It is a wide zither with strings of twisted silk. It is played with a slender stick of forsythia wood that is drawn across the strings in the manner of a bow. The ajaeng mainly plays the bass part in ensemble music. Some instruments have as many as nine to twelve strings. It is similar to the Japanese koto, but is bowed rather than plucked.
Key facts
- Instrument.name
- Ajaeng
- Instrument.image
- File:산조아쟁 Sanjo ajaeng.jpg
- Instrument.classification
- Bowed string instruments
- Instrument.related
- Bowed psaltery Cello Crwth Double bass Yazheng (China)
- Korean name/auto.hangul
- 아쟁
- Korean name/auto.hanja
- 牙箏
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Image
- Ajaeng.jpg
Show 4 more facts
- Commons category
- Ajaeng
- Hornbostel-Sachs classification
- 312.22
- McCune–Reischauer romanization
- ajaeng
- Revised Romanization
- ajaeng
Sources (1)
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Article
4 sectionsContents
- Description
- See also
- References
- External links
The ajaeng () is a Korean string instrument. It is a wide zither with strings of twisted silk. It is played with a slender stick of forsythia wood that is drawn across the strings in the manner of a bow. The ajaeng mainly plays the bass part in ensemble music. Some instruments have as many as nine to twelve strings. It is similar to the Japanese koto, but is bowed rather than plucked.
The ajaeng is generally played while seated on the floor. It has a tone similar to that of a cello, but raspier. Some contemporary players prefer to use an actual horsehair bow rather than a stick, believing the sound to be smoother. The instrument is used in court, aristocratic, and folk music, as well as in contemporary classical music and film scores.