Learning to Play Korean Traditional Instruments

During my trip to Korea, I wanted to do a Korean traditional music experience. Specifically the danso or the gayageum. I wanted to try the danso because it is a flute, and I already play the flute. As for the gayageum, I had seen it many times when watching Korean historical dramas but I only wanted to learn how to play it after hearing this cover of Alicia Keys' If I Ain't Got You by a YouTuber called Luna. Online I saw a workshop for a danso making and performing , but unfortunately it was no longer offered. Most programmes I saw were long term programmes for residents of Korea.

Since the danso has fewer holes than the flute and even the recorder, I was curious as to what music for the danso was like- there could only be so many covered-uncovered hole combinations. First I just searched for "Korean Flute Sheet Music". I saw sheet music for Arirang and also another song called Doraji, which I had never heard of before. I found them on a website called Flute Tunes which I would normally go to to find flute sheet music. I just played the two songs on my flute. They were quite simple.

I then changed my search terms to 단소 악보 (danso sheet music), I came across a treasure chest of apps. These apps were created by CATSNU. They have apps which allow you to "play" many of Korea's traditional instruments including the danso and gayageum!!
**Random Prezi giving an introduction to Korean Traditional Instruments.

I downloaded these two in a hurry on my iPad. Since the gayaguem had the names of the notes beside each string, I played Ariring using the sheet music I found online. I like the fact that there is a function where you can "press down the string" to make the vibrato sound. The danso app is soooo cool, there is a mode where you have to blow into the mic in order to play the danso. Amazing! I tried the danso app on my android phone but it was different and more complicated. I have no idea why.

The danso app on the iPad is a bit complicated too. In the settings you can change the range of the notes but I have no idea which one is most appropriate in which situations. Random information I found about the danso is that danso music has names for different notes - 태0 황1 무2 임3 중4 협5 (numbers represent the number of holes covered from top to bottom- a special note seems to be 남3.5). I guess it would be equivalent to do re mi fa so la ti do.

I won't bother my head too much with the details though. When I go to Korea to live for an extended period of time, I will most likely take a course on how to play some traditional instrument.