Korea stands among the few historical nations that have prevailed since 7000 B.C. Korea’s deeply rooted and distinctive customs are preserved by the people and their love for traditional culture. The venerable and sustained conventions of Korea include traditional music, food, clothing, language and ceremony.

The country’s unique traditional music is only to be found within Korean historical instruments. “Nanta,” an act of beating a drum, belongs to Korean Traditional Arts Performing Associations. The two most reputable Nantas deal with kitchenettes or traditional percussion instruments. The beautiful tunes are usually carried out during annual festivals season and international relations refining stages.

Traditional percussion music Nanta performance is the modernity of “Samulnori,” or traditional percussion quartet. “Samul” indicates “four objects” in Korean, and“Nori” means “to play.” In sum, Samulnori is “to have fun with four joyful instruments.”

Master Kim Sung Il, the chief of Korean Performing Arts Society in Vancouver explained four instruments incorporated in Samulnori;

“The harmony of four Korean percussion instruments produces an upbeat folk music. Kkwaenggwari (a small gong) symbolizes thunder, Jing (a large gong) is the sound of wind, Janggu (a double-headed drum) symbolizes rain, and Buk (a barrel drum) represents cloud.”

-During Cheondoong Performance-

Formally, Samulnori was a traditional folk music that had been celebrated in the means of promoting favorable weather. According to history, farmers prayed for good weather and agricultural prosperity. However, Samulnori becomes meaningless if not everyone enjoys it. Everyone is welcome to feel the beat and have fun! To illustrate, a kid could perform Nanta by grabbing a stick and repetitively hitting on a table. The whole idea is to produce a rhythmic beat by tapping on an object. Learning to Nanta is that simple; thus, we all can enjoy it.

“Cheondoong,” a Korean Traditional Percussion Music Performing Nanta, aims to promote Korean art and spread the message of ‘togetherness’ in Vancouver. This non-profit organization shared the honest behind-the-scenes stories on the following post.