Saturday, September 6, 2008

Jiegu

The ''jiegu'' was a drum used in ancient China. It was hourglass-shaped and played with two wooden sticks.

It was adopted from the Central Asian region of Kucha during the Tang Dynasty and became a popular instrument for dancing, particularly among nobles. Emperor Xuanzong of Tang was known as a skilled player of the instrument.

A Korean instrument derived from the ''jiegu'' called ''galgo'' is still occasionally used in Korea. In Japan, the ''kakko'' is also derived from the ''jiegu'', and is still used in ''gagaku'' music.

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