KCC Fort Gayageum and Korean Class in Manila

I can't believe it's almost a few months since I studied Korean and learned to play the Gayageum (Korean zither). Maybe I was not very good at it so I stopped for a while haha. I miss the enthusiasm in our classes though, my classmates and my teachers. I can't commit for another 3 months though for classes at the Korean Cultural Center (KCC) at the Fort for now so it's self study for me. Practise speaking in Korean in my travels to Korea for one - I did a handful of that during my most recent trip with the Korea Tourism Organization and Asiana Airlines! Anyway, here's a sample of my attempt at the gayageum and our performance hehe. It's helping me prepare for the next series of posts about Korea!

 

Learning Gayageum - Korean Zither Classes in Manila and Seoul

I've only been in Seoul for a few days and I'll be missing a part of school (literally and emotionally) for my trip. You see, I've been so into making progress these past few weeks with the Gayageum =D This is, by far, the closest I've been to playing an instrument and putting music back into my life. It has always been my dream to sing while playing but I've long given up hope because I've failed at numerous attempts in learning to decipher the notes in the music sheets haha. This type of Korean zither creates one of the most relaxing music for me when I hear it. Originally observed from the instrument guzheng of China, King Gasil of Gaya commissioned Wu Ruk to make a Korean version according to the stories of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. There are different kinds of Korean zithers (some up to 18 and 25 strings, more modern) and what we have for the class is the Gayageum (12 strings and more traditional). The latest good news I've received from this morning is that my Seoul homestay host has a gayageum I can practise on!!! Hihihi. I quickly asked my classmates to send me a copy of our music sheets today LOL. Now the only thing to do is schedule a house day here to play! :D Let your heart beat for the Korean zither and fall in love with the Gayageum through this post...

I'm pretty sure the feet are not 100% correct haha.