Nongak / Nongbuga 농악 / 농부가

Pungmul (also called nongak) is a traditional Korean community band music that blends driving percussion, shawm melodies, dance, and call-and-response singing. It was historically performed outdoors by farming villages during agricultural work, seasonal festivals, and communal rituals. The ensemble is led by the kkwaenggwari (small hand gong) and anchored by the jing (large gong), buk (barrel drum), and janggu (hourglass drum), often joined by taepyeongso (Korean shawm), sogo (small hand drum), and sometimes nabal (long trumpet). Performers dance in swirling formations, frequently wearing ribboned hats (sangmo) whose spinning becomes part of the choreography. Rather than harmony, pungmul emphasizes cyclical rhythmic patterns (jangdan), layered textures, and collective energy. It is festive, participatory music meant to animate public space—parading through streets (gilnori) or gathering in a field (madang) for an ecstatic, ritual-like finale (p’an-gut).