How is the ajaeng played differently from most zithers?
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Korean music
Musician playing a kŏmungo, a type of Korean zither with six strings.
While many zithers are primarily plucked, the Korean ajaeng is distinct because it is played with a bow.12
To play the instrument, the performer sits on the floor and moves a bow—traditionally fashioned from a hardened forsythia branch—across the silk strings to the right of the movable bridges. Simultaneously, the player uses their left hand to press the strings on the opposite side of the bridges to vary the pitch and create vibrato. This technique produces a characteristically raspy tone and highly expressive, inflected melodies.1