Ajaeng

Ajaeng

Classification	Bowed string instruments
Related instruments
Bowed psaltery Cello Crwth Double bass Yazheng (China)

The ajaeng (Korean: 아쟁; Hanja: 牙箏) is a Korean string instrument. It is a wide zither with strings of twisted silk. It is played with a slender stick of forsythia wood that is drawn across the strings in the manner of a bow (or it can be played w/ a Horsehair Bow). The ajaeng mainly plays the bass part in ensemble music. Some instruments have as many as nine to twelve strings. similar to the koto but bowed

The ajaeng is generally played while seated on the floor. It has a tone similar to that of a cello, but raspier. Some contemporary players prefer to use an actual horsehair bow rather than a stick, believing the sound to be smoother. The instrument is used in court, aristocratic, and folk music, as well as in contemporary classical music and film scores.

The traditional ajaeng is divided into a daeajaeng (Korean: 대아쟁; Hanja: 大牙箏) for jeongak (정악; 正樂) and a soajaeng for folk music (小牙箏, or sanjo ajaeng, 散調牙箏). Since the second half of the 20th century, various improved ajaengs have been made and used to play various ranges.^[1]