GEPIK Traditional Korean Music Class

Monday: Samul Nori Samul Nori is a type of traditional Korean percussion music. There were about 10 foreign teachers that arrived at Byeonjeom Middle School, which was a challenge in itself because there were no signs anywhere to tell us where in the school we were supposed to go, and like most Korean middle schools the building was huge and a little like a rabbit warren! I asked a lady who came out of the main office in halting Korean and she directed me to the second floor where I got lost again and accidentally found the library where I asked again. Pretty sure my answer came out as "odiya" GEPIK "aki" class. Which basically means where is GEPIK instrument class...obviously I need to learn how to say class and most likely work on my sentence structure! Either way it got the message across and they were very helpful! After locating the right room all the foreign teachers stood around and got involved in a self directed little getting to know you session which tends to happen a lot when you put a bunch of foreigners together. We waited for people to arrive and then eventually got started. The two Koreans teaching us had so little English that it was difficult to get started - just like when we are teaching it is hard for them to give instructions when we don't speak the same language - although probably more intimidating because we are adults. Either way before long we were sitting with drums in front of us, hourglass shaped drums called Janggu, and ready with the drumsticks in our hands in the correct position. One of the drumsticks is shaped like a long pointy chopstick, flat on one side and slightly rounded on the other, and the other is a long thin stick with a heavy bit of round rubber on one end. They started on some basic drumming, very slowly, trying to teach us how we were supposed to strike them and hand position etc. By the end of the class we had three different types of drum rolls down pat and we were picking up speed, we did 8 counts of each and then a finishing beat. It was actually loads of fun and sounded really cool. So...a bit more about Samul Nori.... it basically means "four instruments", kwaengwari (a small flat gong which produces a high-pitched metallic tone), jing (a large gong made from brass), janggu (hourglass shaped drum with two heads that produce different sounds at each end - when played together they are believed to represent the harmony of man and woman), and buk (shallow barrel shaped drum with a round wooden body), and it is a type of music that has evolved from Buddhist farming music. It was originally used by rice farmers in celebrations that were held to ensure a good crop. Tuesday: More of the same... we learned a different sequence and then practiced putting the two together. The second sequence was much more challenging than the first even though the first is much longer. Each day we also do a solo, we go around the group and every body practices doing it by themselves, though the teacher drums at the same time so we don't get lost! Wednesday: We practiced the previous 2 sequences that we learned, and then they also taught us a third, telling us that we had learned more quickly than they had anticipated. When we arrive each day we sign in, basically to establish that we were at the lesson, which I think is for GEPIK rather than for the teachers. Some of the people attending are on holiday, while others, like myself, are on work time...so it's important they know that i am not just taking the afternoon off! When we signed in the head teacher gave us each a necklace with a large wooden symbol on it. The message on the symbol had been burned in, I am not entirely sure what it says, the teachers English wasn't good enough to explain! We are all having a great time with this class, it's challenging enough to keep it interesting, and it's good to be "doing" something! Our only complaint is that the room we are learning in is freezing! The temperature here has been averaging between minus 7 and minus 19 degrees Celsius for the last week and it really feels like this room has no heating! It doesn't help that we are sitting on basically a concrete floor with a thin sheet of silver shiny stuff over it. By the end of the classes we are all frozen to the bone and my only thought has been to get warm as quickly as possible! Turns out I don't really cope so well with it being this cold! Thursday: This was the final day of our Samul Nori music lessons, we had to practice everything we had learned and then perform it to the actual Samul Nori performers (all of whom teach it for a living), then they performed for us. It was a little intimidating when they all came in with their costumes on, looking all professional, and they had just informed our "leader" that she had to keep count of the music. We decided to work together as a team...I kept count and nodded at her when it was time to change the rhythm, which worked really well till I messed up the second change and had to figure out where I was too...oops! We still made it in the end...and through all my messing up I managed to keep count and keep our leader on track. I think we pulled it off pretty well in the end! Then the professionals performed for us...I was so glad we had gone first because trying to follow their act would have been next to impossible! They were incredible - they moved so fast and they were so passionate about it - not to mention how difficult and complex the sequences were! After spending 3 days learning it I had a whole new appreciation for the musicians! I took a video so I will attempt to upload it this weekend. After the class had finished we all decided to go and have dinner, just the foreign teachers, not the musicians - though I suspect that they may have joined us had we asked them! We wandered down the road to the "all-you-can-eat" Galbi place and sat and ate different meats for about an hour. I always leave that restaurant feeling like I am going to explode! The middle school where we were having the classes was conveniently close to all my favourite restaurants... and I just happen to be a regular at the Galbi place we went too. All-in-all it was a great week and we all had a lot of fun - talk about an experience you wouldn't get anywhere else in the world!