Kayagum (가야금)
Kayagum is the most representative Korean traditional stringed
instrument.
It has a soundboard made of paulownia wood and sides and back made of chestnut
or walnut, with silk or silk-wrapped steel strings.
It was
invented by Kasil, a king of the Kaya kingdom during the early 6th century.
The traditional kayagum used to have only 12 strings suited for the Korean
musical scale, but more recently a number of strings have been added, and
modern versions of the instrument have 25 strings.
Its sound is deep and rich,
quite similar to that of a harp, but the kayagum has more of an oriental spirit