The ''galgo'' (or ''yangjang-go'' or ''yang-go'') is a traditional

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a ...

. The drum has an hourglass-shaped wooden body and two drum heads of identical diameter, similar to the ''

janggu The ''janggu'' (, also transliterated as ''janggo'' or ''changgo'') or sometimes called ''seyogo'' (slim waist drum) is the most representative drum in traditional Korean music. It is available in most kinds, and consists of an hourglass-shape ...

''. Compared to the ''janggu'', the ''galgo'' is fitted with a sound-adjusting funnel that is different. The ''galgo'' uses thinner drum skins and is struck with two

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, ...

sticks, ''chae''; the mallet shaped ''gungchae'' is not used. The pitch of the drum can be controlled on both sides of the drum rather than only one pitch per-side for the janggu. The Chinese ''

jiegu The ''jiegu'' ( 羯鼓; Wade–Giles: chieh2-ku3; pinyin: jiégǔ; sometimes translated as "wether drum"; also written as 鞨鼓) was a drum used in ancient China. It was hourglass-shaped and played with two wooden sticks. As for the structure, t ...

'', adopted from the Central Asian region of

Kucha Kucha, or Kuche (also: ''Kuçar'', ''Kuchar''; ug, كۇچار, Кучар; zh, t= 龜茲, p=Qiūcí, zh, t= 庫車, p=Kùchē; sa, कूचीन, translit=Kūcīna), was an ancient Buddhist kingdom located on the branch of the Silk Road ...

during the

Tang Dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

, is the model from which the ''galgo'' is derived. The Japanese '' kakko'', which is used in ''

gagaku is a type of Japanese classical music that was historically used for imperial court music and dances. was developed as court music of the Kyoto Imperial Palace, and its near-current form was established in the Heian period (794-1185) around ...

'' music, is also derived from the ''jiegu''. This instrument was popular after the rule of King

Yeongjo Yeongjo of Joseon (31 October 1694 – 22 April 1776), personal name Yi Geum (Korean: 이금, Hanja: 李昑), was the 21st monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. He was the second son of King Sukjong, by his concubine Royal Noble Consort Suk ...

in the

Joseon Dynasty Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and r ...

. It is often mentioned in the Jinyeoneuigwe (historical records of the palace). However, the ''galgo'' has fallen out of use by traditional music performers. Until 2015, if one wishes to see this instrument, normally it will be in The National Center for Korean Traditional Performing Arts, but it can also be seen as part of the Traditional Band of the

Republic of Korea Army The Republic of Korea Army (ROKA; ko, 대한민국 육군; Hanja: 大韓民國陸軍; RR: ''Daehanminguk Yuk-gun''), also known as the ROK Army or South Korean Army, is the army of South Korea, responsible for ground-based warfare. It is the l ...

when it performs in

military tattoo A military tattoo is a performance of music or display of armed forces in general. The term comes from the early 17th-century Dutch phrase ''doe den tap toe'' ("turn off the tap"), a signal sounded by drummers or trumpeters to instruct innkeeper ...

s, since a modern example has been recently manufactured in the traditional manner for the band.

See also