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Traditional Instruments
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The piri is made of bamboo and was introduced to Korea from the Middle East. The piri produces a wide range of pitches and is known for its soulful sound, making it a key instrument in a variety of pieces. It is most often used to play the main melody in ritual music, court music, and folk music. Types of piri vary based on the type of bamboo used in crafting the instrument and the thickness of the finished product. Piri fall into these main categories: hyang piri, dang piri, and se piri. The dang piri, which is known for its volume, is played in royal court music and Jongmyo Jerye rite music. 
The tungso is a vertical flute made of thick, aged bamboo. Until the mid-Joseon Era, tungso had been used mainly in court music, but by the end of the 19th century and the early 20th century, it became a more widely used instrument. Today, it is played in accompaniment to masked dances like the Bukcheong Sajanoreum. 
The taepyeongso is carved out of a single piece of wood. The loud and piercing sound it produces has kept it confined mostly to marching bands. In the past, it was used to raise military morale or signal a military victory; nowadays, it is used in Daechwita (large-military band music designated as an Important Intangible Cultural Property) and pungmul music.
The saenghwang is a mouth organ constructed from a mixture of long and short bamboo pipes mounted on a round windchest. It is the only Korean instrument that is able to produce 3 notes at the same time. Originally, the instrument's windchest was made from a dried gourd, which was easily breakable and hard to find. Thus, under the rule of King Sejong (4th ruler of Joseon, reigning 1418 - 1450), the windchest was replaced by wood. The saenghwang has a bright, beautiful sound and is used in combination with danso (a type of flute). 
The daegeum is a large bamboo, side-blown (transverse) flute usually played from a seated position. One of the most widely used Korean musical instruments, the daegeum produces a clear sound with a special timbre and is commonly used in both solo and ensemble performances. The daegeum was such a beloved instrument in days of yore that there was even a folk song praising the daegum, saying, ‘The daegeum makes the enemy retreat, cures illness, and calms the wind and wave.’ In ensembles, the daegeum is typically given the honor of playing the tuning pitch, much like the oboe in many western orchestras. The different types of daegeum (jeongak daegeum and sanjo daegeum) are named according to their varying lengths and resulting tonal differences.
The sogeum is a small, bamboo, side-blown flute that, together with the daegeum and junggeum, makes up the samjuk family (literally ‘three bamboos’). It produces the highest register of all the Korean wind instruments and is thus not typically a solo instrument. 
The danso is a vertical bamboo flute with a clear and elegant tone. It is relatively easy to blow and is small and portable. For this reason, the danso is used as an educational tool in Korean primary or middle schools. Based on its structure, it is thought to be a modified version of the tungso dating back to the mid-Joseon Era. 
Perhaps the most well known of all Korean traditional instruments to date, the gayageum has a clear and graceful sound and is relatively easy to learn. It has 12 silk strings and a resonating chamber hollowed out of wood from the paulownia tree. When playing the gayageum, the left hand presses the strings below the anjok (the movable bridges supporting the strings), while the right hand plucks or strums the strings above the bridge. Types of gayageum include the pungnyu gayageum from the Silla Era (BC 57 - 935) and the sanjo gayageum used in folk music, along with a number of modern-day variations featuring more strings. 
In the past, the geomungo was a favorite musical instrument, particularly revered by scholars. Of all the instruments in the string section, the geomungo is considered the ‘leader,’ largely thanks to its wide range of sound spanning over three octaves. The geomungo typically has 6 twisted silk strings: three of which pass over a series of 16 convex frets, and the remaining of which rest upon three movable bridges called anjok. The instrument is plucked with a bamboo stick called a suldae. Sounds produced by traditional Korean instruments are expressed orally in a system known as gueum, much like pitches are often expressed by the syllables do, re, mi, fa, and so on. For geomungo, the various sounds are expressed by the words/syllables 'dang', 'dung', 'dong', 'jing', 'deung', 'deong', 'heung', and 'cheong,' which are very melodic words, despite their relative lack of meaning.
The ajaeng is generally played while in a seated position, with one end of the instrument propped up on a stand with the other end slanting down. It is played using a bow and produces a deep, rich, loud sound that makes it the perfect addition to an orchestra or wind ensemble. Unlike other string instruments, it typically has seven strings, but some may have up to 9 strings for a wider range of sound. The small ajaeng used for folk music is called a sanjo ajaeng. 
The only traditional instrument with European origins, the yanggeum is a metal-stringed instrument that was first introduced in Korea in the 18th century. Since the instrument uses metal strings as opposed to silk, it does not allow for nonghyeon, the sound produced by the unique reverberation of strings as performers’ fingers slide from one pitch to the next. Instead, the metal strings produce clear tones that focus on distinct notes. The yanggeum is still used today in performances of Yeongsanhoesang (ensemble musical pieces consisting of 8 or 9 movements). This instrument lends itself well to duets with the danso and has become increasingly popular in this form. 
One of the most critical traditional instruments in modern-day ensembles, the haegeum is a string instrument made with only two strings that is played with a bow. It has a hollow sound box, rod-like neck (both made of bamboo), and a bow made of bamboo and horsehair coated with rosin. Despite only having two strings, the haegeum can produce a number of cheerful and sad sounds that vary greatly depending on the mood and skill of the musician. For this reason, the haegeum is an essential part of most traditional performance groups and is featured in a variety of pieces ranging from the most solemn rituals to the most cheerful of folk music.
The most clamorous of Korean percussion instruments, the kkwaenggwari is a disc-like gong made of brass that is 20 centimeters in diameter. These types of instruments are called ‘sogeum’ when used in royal ceremonial rituals, but similarly-shaped instruments featured in farmers or folk music are known as ‘kkwaenggwari.’ In a farmers group of musicians, two people play the kkwaenggwari: the sangsoe and the busoe. The musician is the role of sangsoe leads the music by playing high-pitched tones, while the busoe accompanies using softer tones. The kkwaenggwari is held with one hand and struck with a wooden mallet and can be played using a variety of grips and techniques. For example, musicians can control the length of each sound by placing their fingers on the gong at varying intervals to cut off the gong’s sound. 
The jing is a large gong that is widely used in farmer, shaman, Buddhist, and military music. It is made using high-quality brass. The jing used in farmers music is, on average, 37 centimeters to 38 centimeters in diameter; the one used in court music is slightly larger, while shamans use slightly smaller ones. It is struck with a padded stick for a softer tone. In samullori, the jing serves to keep the beat. Depending on how hard it is struck, it either gives a gentle, lingering sound or a big, magnificent sound with lots of reverberation. 
The janggu is an hourglass-shaped drum that is widely used in accompaniment with other instruments to produce a strong rhythm section. Its body is made of wood, and the drumheads are made of animal skin. The bukpyeon drumhead on the left side is played with the palm. It is covered with a thicker hide, producing a low tone. The chaepyeon on the right, which is played with a bamboo stick, has a thinner skin for a higher tone. The chaepyeon can be struck in the center of the drumhead or struck close to the rim to create a different sound. The pungmul janggu is a featured instrument in samullori and is played using gunggulchae, a stick with a round end. 
In the past, a buk was made out of one single piece of wood, but nowadays, its body is made out of two pieces. The skins of this double-headed drum are made of cowhide. There are 20 or so types of buk in Korea, 10 of which are rarely used. The skins of the drums used in farmers band music are attached to each other by lacing leather strings across the body of the drum. Wooden pieces wedged between the body and the strings further tighten the skin, producing varied pitches. The skins of the buks used in pansori however, are nailed down around the body of the drum, making it impossible to adjust the pitch. 
The sogo is a small double-sided drum with a handle that has a diameter of 20 centimeters or so. It is called by different names depending on region. In some regions, sogo players wear a peaked hat called a gokkal. In pungmul, the sogo player is usually in the back, mainly playing the part of the dancer or cheerer instead of the drummer. The Korean traditional dance performed with sogo is called sogochum. 
The bak is a clapper made of six pieces of solid birch held together by a leather cord. The six pieces are slightly separated and then struck together to produce a loud clapping sound. The person playing bak is called jipbak and simultaneously plays the role of the conductor. The bak is used to signal the beginning and end of orchestral music, ensemble music, and ritual music. It is also used to indicate a change in rhythm, formation, or movements in a court dance. 
The chuk is used in Confucian and royal ancestral shrine ceremonies to signal the beginning of a ritual music performance. It is always placed on the eastside of the stage/performing area. Not an instrument in the classical sense of the word, the chuk is a wooden, trapezoidal box that has a wooden rod passing through a hole in the top of the box down to its bottom (picture a butter churn). The ‘player’ jams the stick down into the bottom of the box to symbolize the start of the performance. At the end of the performance, a similarly-shaped eo (placed on the west side of the stage), is played in the same manner.
The pyeonjong consists of a set of 16 brass bells of the same shape that are suspended from a set of two parallel rods. Originating from China in the 12th century and having been used in court music, it has been localized and produced domestically since the 15th century. The bells vary in pitch according to their thickness. Today, the pyeonjong is used in Munmyo Jeryeak and Jongmyo Jeryeak ritual music. 
The pyeongyeong is made of 6 L-shaped stone slabs that are suspended from a set of two parallel rods. This instrument produces a clear and consistent tone that remains unaffected by temperature and other environmental factors, making it a popular instrument by which to tune other instruments. Together with the pyeonjong, it is used in Munmyo Jeryeak and Jongmyo Jeryeak ritual music. 
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