| Sogeum | |
.jpg) | |
| Korean name | |
|---|---|
| Hangul | 소금 |
| Hanja | 小笒 |
| RR | sogeum |
| MR | sogŭm |
Thesogeum (Korean: 소금; also spelledsogum orsogŭm) is a small bamboo transverse flute used in traditional Korean music. Unlike the largerdaegeum, it does not have a buzzing membrane (although it did have one in ancient times).[1] It is used in court, aristocratic, and folk music, as well as incontemporary classical music, popular music, and film scores.
The overall length and thickness are not constant becausesogeum is made of natural bamboo, but it is 40 cm long and 2.2 cm thick.[2]
Other larger flutes in the same family include the medium-sizedjunggeum and the largedaegeum; the three together are known assamjuk (hangul: 삼죽; hanja:三竹; literally "three bamboo"), as the three primary flutes of theSilla period.[3]
Thesogeum has the highest and clearest tone amongwind instruments, and is often composed of singular numbers in ensemble, where other wind instruments are composed of multiple instruments.[2]
Sogeum is played in the same way as playing the Daegeum. Sogeum can theoretically sound all twelve notes of thechromatic scale, but actually only eight notes are played naturally. Sogeum plays a role of making the songs that require high tone and clear tone in the main music, and it is rarely used as a solo instrument.[4]