Korean Buddhist Monk Drumming Contest

Korean Buddhist Monk Drumming Contest

(1)
In big temples in Korea, there are 2 ceremonies everyday.
One is morning ceremony, around 4:00 AM, and the other one is evening ceremony, around 6:00 PM.
As a beginning of the ceremonies, monks of the temple are playing 4 different percussive instruments; a large bell, a fish shaped wooden block, a bat shaped metal plate, and a large drum.
According to Korean Buddhism, playing each instruments has meanings, such as; Playing bell is for rescuing all deceased souls from the hell(under world), playing wooden fish is for rescuing all deceased souls from the ocean, playing metal bat is for rescuing all deceased souls from the sky, playing the drum is for rescuing all deceased souls from the earth.
Among these instruments, playing drum requires some skills. And once you know how to play the drum, you would be able to play other instruments naturally. That is why they encourage younger generation monks to learn it to maintain the tradition by doing this drumming competition. If you go to the contest site, you will recognize that it’s a cheerful festival for them.

(2)
Although most of Korean traditional rhythmic structures are based on 3 (triples)s or 5 (quintuple)s but Korean Buddhism monk's drumming, which has being played every morning and evening ceremony at the temple, is in 2 (duple) or 4 (quadruple) structure.

It is because that 3s or 5s usually contains "delicious emptiness" within pulses and typical "Korean bouncing groove". So, those rhythmic groove has a bigger possibility of "being emotional".

Compare to that, Korean monk's drumming delivery on 2 or 4 are not in vertical bouncing but more like horizontal "spreading", not emotional but "spiritual".

(3)
Do not know when it was recorded, sometime mid 2000s, I guess. This drumming contest is about encouraging the younger generation monks for maintaining the tradition.