daegeum

The daegeum (also spelled taegum, daegum or taegŭm) is a large bamboo flute, a transverse flute used in traditional Korean music. It has a buzzing membrane that gives it a special timbre. It is used in court, aristocratic, and folk music, as well as in contemporary classical music, popular music, and film scores. And daegeum has a wide range and has a fixed pitch, so other instruments tune in to the daegeum when playing together. It is critical to understand that there are two types of daegeum: Jeongak and Sanjo. Jeongak Daegeum is a bit longer than Sanjo Daegeum and is the formal daegeum used historically at court. Sanjo Daegum is a bit shorter and historically more associated with the commoners. They both have the unique and aforementioned buzzing membrane.

Smaller flutes in the same family include the junggeum () and sogeum (), neither of which today have a buzzing membrane. The three together are known as samjuk (; literally "three bamboo"), as the three primary flutes of the Silla period.