South Korea · Woodworking / Musical Instrument Making
해금 / 가야금 제작
The haegeum (two-stringed fiddle) and gayageum (12-stringed plucked zither) are the two most iconic Korean traditional instruments — and their making is a craft tradition of considerable technical precision. The gayageum's twelve movable bridges (anjok) must be positioned to divide the string at the exact point that produces the correct pitch for each of the twelve tones of the Korean traditional scale — a tuning system that differs from equal temperament and requires acoustic calibration by ear. The haegeum's resonating body (the wooden sound box) must produce a specific 'buzzing' tone quality from a small piece of parchment attached to the bridge — the parchment tension assessed by the characteristic 'crying-laughing' tonal quality of a correctly made haegeum.
Risk level: Endangered · Not separately inscribed; within Korean ICH Living National Treasure system; Korean traditional music (jeongganbo) nominated separately
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