Traditional Korean music and instruments have been at the forefront of this year’s Korea Week celebrations in the city. On Friday, a two-woman folk ensemble takes the stage
Traditional Korean music and instruments have been at the forefront of this year’s Korea Week celebrations in the city. On Friday, a two-woman folk ensemble takes the stage
Ongo Jishin. This Korean proverb of yore translates to “understanding the new by learning the old”. Traditional instruments are simply a gateway to the future, believes Id, a Korean band, whose sound is a delightful dance of traditional wind instruments such as piri, taipyeongso and senghwang. As the Sir Mutha Venkata Subbarao Concert Hall fills with a reminder of times unknown to all of us, it is colorfully dotted with guitar riffs and keyboard interludes that sound familiar. This is what ID thrives on: creating contemporary sounds in traditional ways.
The band recently performed in Chennai as part of the city’s Korea Week celebrations, organized by the Korean Cultural Centre, New Delhi and the Inco Center in association with the Consulate. This weekend, a two-female folk music act, titled DUO BUD, will perform ahead of the closing day celebrations in the city.
Korean Band ID | photo credit: Seungyulnah
ID derives its music from Korean folk songs and legends: this is something that has made their music stand out since the band’s formation in 2015. “‘Jeongsun arari’, a folk song, describes the landscape of Mount Geumgangsan in the Korean peninsula. Our song became the motif of ‘Yoonbul Arari’,” says frontman Nam Kimun.
Her song ‘Nanani’ was inspired by ‘Nani Tarayeong’, a traditional work song sung by women during oyster harvesting on the beach of Incheon. “We intend to describe the city at night with neon lights in this song,” he adds. Although Piri (small reed instrument made of bamboo) was the instrument the founding members of the band specialized in taipyeongso (double reed instrument of the oboe family), sengwang (free reed mouth organ), guitar, drums, keyboards and zanggu (an hourglass). Were. -shaped drum) complete the ensemble. The band’s next aim is to collaborate with Indian folk musicians. ,
While id’s soundscape flows between traditional and contemporary, DUO BUD leans on folk sounds—it’s the result of a healthy battle between Janggu and Gageium (a plucked zero with a minimum of 12 strings). Also formed in 2015, when DUOBUD debuted, it was rare to find a female pair. Percussive sounds were considered background music only, not as a single. “Deviating from the current style of wild and intense percussion elements, we focused more on the delicate and lyrical vocals in Korean sensibility, using the characteristics of geejum,” says Jinhee Lime, who heads the Garing gaegium (which has 25 strings, a modern version) ) in the ensemble.
Duo Bud | photo credit: Song Kwang Chan
Sora Kim says that Janggu is a drum that is played with a stick and is the only percussion instrument that can be tuned to produce pitch. “For better accompaniment with the timbre, mood and tempo of each musical, we have selectively used pungamul (peasant music) janggu and musok (shamanistic music) janggu. The band’s repertoire is largely inspired by nature. “Nature is always near and comforting but can be unintentionally oblivious such as the moon in the night sky and the trees in front of the house and by reinterpreting Korean traditional music, we want our songs to be for those who Life needs rest everyday,” says Jin.
ID acknowledges being in a constant struggle to find a balance between preserving traditional music and adapting it in contemporary times. “Traditional music has its own merits. We just want to look at it from a more diverse angle and share the results with more people,” says Naam. K-culture is becoming increasingly strong around the world, Jinhe believes that K-traditional music, dance and crafts are also being accepted in the global market.
Back in Chennai, she says viewers are welcome to explore this correlation. “For audiences or K-pop fans experiencing Korean traditional music for the first time, it can be fun to compare and contrast Indian and Korean music or K-pop and DUO BUD music,” says Sora.
DUO BUD will perform on 21st October at 7 PM at Music Academy, TTK Road. Admission is free.