Sanjo Gayageum

The Gayageum (가야금 - also Romanised to Kayageum or Kayagŭm) is a traditional stringed instrument from Korea. It is a close relative to the Japanese Koto and the Chinese Guzheng. Like these instruments, it is a zither with movable bridges and is played by plucking the strings with the right hand and bending them with the left hand.

There are 3 main kinds of Gayageum:

• The Court Gayageum is the oldest variant, it has 12 strings
• The Sanjo Gayageum also has 12 strings but they are spaced closer together to allow for faster playing styles. The Sanjo Gayageum design evolved in the 19th Century with the emergence of Sanjo music. This is the Gayageum on which this library is based
• The Modern Gayageum can have anywhere between 13 and 25 strings. They are usually made much larger in order to accommodate the extra strings