Healing sound

Lee Jung-dae, a “daegeum” or traditional bamboo flute maker, demonstrates how to make the instrument at his workshop at Incheon Training Center for Intangible Cultural Properties, west of Seoul. / Korea Times photos by Shim Hyun-chul

'Daegeum' maker seeks popularization of traditional instrument

By Chung Ah-young

INCHEON ― Every winter, Lee Jung-dae, a “daegeum” or traditional transverse bamboo flute maker, wanders around bamboo groves in the southern part of the nation to find the finest materials for making the instrument.

“December is the best time to obtain the best bamboo because it comes right after the first frost of the season. But such bamboo is getting harder to get,” Lee said in an interview with The Korea Times.

Lee said obtaining good wood is the starting point of the years-long daegeum manufacturing process. As the demand for bamboo has declined in recent years, many grove owners have decided to stop growing them.

“It is becoming a kind of race among daegeum makers to obtain good bamboo,” he said.

In order to be used for daegeum, the bamboo must be at least three years old. But as bamboo is becoming rare, many people just harvest it at any time, regardless of its age.

“The quality of materials determines the quality of the wooden instruments. How much good bamboo I obtain affects how many high-quality instruments I will produce,” he said.

Daegeum was traditionally made of old yellow bamboo. But in modern times, the double-grooved bamboo, called “ssanggoljuk,” is more often used owing to its thicker and regular internal diameters, which make it more suitable for drilling a hole. Other types of bamboo have irregular internal diameters, which do not produce a good sound.

The double-grooved bamboo is very rare ― only about one double-grooved bamboo can be found out of 10,000 bamboo shoots, Lee explained.

Lee said he needs to prepare the materials in the proper conditions to make the instrument. First, he dries the wood in open air for about three years, during which it warps. Then, he stretches the warped bamboo. He drills into the inside diameter to make the holes and mouthpiece. Finally, he wraps the bamboo with silk threads to prevent cracks on its surface.

“The flutes that I am working on now are made from the materials that I prepared four to five years ago,” he said.

From flute player to maker

Lee was first enthralled with the sound of daegeum on the street and began learning how to play the ancient instrument in 1982 under the apprenticeship of daegeum player Kim Jung-shik.

“First, I just began playing the flute because I liked the sound it makes. But once I played the flute, I became eager to obtain a better flute,” he said.

While learning to play daegeum from his master, he also learned how to make it.

He said becoming a good daegeum artisan also requires one to be a good player.

“Good instrument makers are all good players. Without knowing how to play it well, we cannot make the right sound for other players,” he said.

After five years of playing the instrument, he decided to become a bamboo flute craftsman, out of his passion to make the best instrument with the best sound for his own satisfaction.

The artisan learned daegeum making techniques by visiting some 20 traditional bamboo flute masters across the nation, as “Akhak Gwebeom” (“Manual of Musicology” or “Musical Canon”) was the only available reference for learning how to make traditional instruments. The manual is an important music reference work from the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910), comprising nine volumes in three books.

“Except for the manual, there were no standard rules for making the instrument in a traditional way. Rather, the manual has a kind of a rule-of-thumb approach, lacking in accuracy and detail such as with regard to figures and measurements,”' he said.

“For example, there are tens of methods to dry the wood. After researching them, I found the most desirable method for making the instrument,” he said.

Owing to the complicated process, he makes only an average of 20 to 30 bamboo flutes a year.

The instrument produces a distinct vibrating sound that is both refined and mellow, which makes Lee love his job even more.

“The instrument is one of the most traditional ones that use the natural material as it is. It is natural and human. The daegeum sound makes listeners comfortable and relaxed. It’s a healing sound,” he said.

Lee said compared to wooden wind instruments in China and Japan, daegeum produces less accurate and flamboyant sounds but gives players more room for creative improvisation and interpretation.

The artisan said he hopes that more people would appreciate Korean traditions. “Tradition is the language, behaviors and practices reflecting the thinking of our people. Thus, those who keep the tradition should be respected more,” he said.

Popularization

Recently, the number of daegeum players has increased owing to governmental efforts to foster traditional culture. Many schools have adopted traditional music in their curriculum, and many traditional music troupes are being formed.

The increasing popularity of daegeum is posing difficulties for Lee, though. “It is true that a growing number of people is asking me to make more flutes. But it is harder to supply them because good materials are getting rarer,” he said.

As high-quality bamboo has become scarcer in Korea, he has turned to sourcing from other countries. He traveled around other Asian countries such as Indonesia, Myanmar and Nepal, where similar kinds of bamboo trees grow.

Lee said most types of bamboo in these countries are not appropriate for making the flute because they are softer than those in Korea.

“So I went to the mountains in these areas, which have an altitude of 2,000 to 3,000 meters, and found bamboo trees that are hard enough for making the flute,” he said.

The flute costs around 2 to 3 million won. Beginners use a PVC flute, but as they become intermediate players, they have only a few instrument options. So, Lee has worked to develop alternative flutes for intermediate-level players before they move on to professional flutes.

“I found similar kinds of bamboo in other countries several years ago. Although the flutes made from these types of wood might not produce the same sound that I have made so far, they can be used to make flutes that will dramatically help many amateur daegeum players who began with just PVC flutes,” he said.

After working on bamboo for seven years, he said he will soon produce the alternative flutes for amateur players in order to popularize the instrument.

Who is Lee Jung-dae?

Lee Jung-dae’s artistic name is “seoljuk,” which means a lone bamboo in the snow, a fitting metaphor for his solitary life as a “daegeum” or traditional bamboo flute maker. Born in 1958 in Incheon, he was designated as the city’s Intangible Cultural Property No. 9 for daegeum making in 2001. After Lee first became enthralled with the sound of daegeum on the street, he began learning how to play this ancient instrument in 1982 as an apprentice of daegeum player Kim Jung-shik. After five years of playing the instrument, he decided to become a daegeum maker in order to make the best instrument for his own satisfaction. He is currently the leader of the traditional music band Gureum.

Lee Jung-dae’s artistic name is “seoljuk,” which means a lone bamboo in the snow, a fitting metaphor for his solitary life as a “daegeum” or traditional transverse bamboo flute maker.

Born in 1958 in Incheon, he was designated as the city’s Intangible Cultural Property No. 9 for daegeum making in 2001.

After Lee first became enthralled with the sound of daegeum on the street, he began learning how to play this ancient instrument in 1982 as an apprentice of daegeum player Kim Jung-shik. After five years of playing the instrument, he decided to become a daegeum maker in order to make the best instrument for his own satisfaction.

He is currently the leader of the traditional music band Gureum.

What is daegeum?

The large “daegeum,” which dates back to the 7th century Silla period, is one of three transverse flutes, along with the mid-sized “junggeum” and the small “sogeum.”

Daegeum has six finger holes and features a thin, vibrating membrane called “cheong,” a hole covered with the pith of a reed.

The bamboo instrument was used in court, aristocratic and folk music in ancient times and is still vigorously played in contemporary classical and popular music, and in film scores.

It has two types ― “jeongak” (court music) daegeum and “sanjo” (folk music) daegeum. Jeongak daegeum, which has 13 holes, is usually used for chamber music, while sanjo daegeum, which is smaller than jeongak daegeum, is used for solo music with drum performances and “sinawi” (improvisational ensemble music) performance with folk songs and dance.