ANN/THE KOREA HERALD – Skilled kkwaenggwari player Kim Mi-jung was first introduced to Gochang nongak – a type of traditional farmers’ music developed in Gochang-gun, North Jeolla Province – during her college days when she joined a traditional music band. Since then, her passion for this art form has led her to make regular pilgrimages […]
“Gochang nongak first came into my life at a college traditional music band. Since then, I've gone to Gochang every summer and winter to learn the music,” said Kim Mi-jung, a kkwaenggwari player of Gochang nongak, a type of traditional farmers’ music developed in Gochang-gun, North Jeolla Province. The kkwaenggwari is a metal percussion instrument or gong with a radius the length of the span of.
Performers wearing hats that look like huge flower bouquets walk in single file while beating rapidly on instruments slung over their shoulders. Thunder-like sounds from the leather drum skins reverberate across the auditorium, filling the space with booming rhythms. Among the instruments, the sounds of the "janggu," a traditional percussion instrument consisting of a two-headed drum covered with leather an.