A Plan for the Re-establishment of Jeongganbo Terminology through the Analysis of its Use in Elementary Music Textbooks
Authors:   National Gugak Center, Jo Eunsook 
Published: May 2024

Jeongganbo (井間譜), a notation method that replaces the time value of the sound
with the area of space by creating a space in the shape of the letter ‘jeong’ (井), is
characterized by the uniqueness that requires notating one or more musical elements,
such as pitch, rhythmic pattern, playing technique, and lyrics, in each space. Due to
the fundamental characteristics of jeongganbo, various types of jeongganbo have been
developed and utilized in Korean traditional music education of general schools, but
research on names or conceptual errors indicating various types of jeongganbo has
not been conducted, raising the need for research. Accordingly, this study reviews the
terminology and concepts of jeongganbo presented in the current 8-9 types of
elementary school music textbooks, further analyzing the use of various jeongganbo
types and seeking ways to redefine jeongganbo terminology for effective discrimination
of the current single name of jeongganbo. The results of the study are summarized
as follows.
First, there are some errors in the concepts of jeongganbo stated in dictionaries and
compendia, including the statement that the pitch in addition to the time value is
notated. In addition, the concept of jeongganbo presented in the current elementary
school music textbooks was mainly presented to teach 5th and 6th graders how to play
traditional wind instruments, danso and sogeum. While 7 types of the textbooks is
relatively accurate in using it, 1 type makes an error.
Second, the result of the analysis after classifying the types of jeongganbo used in
the current 8-9 types of elementary school music textbooks according to the notation
type and notation method of notation content (music elements) is that the notation
form of jeongganbo is divided into vertical and horizontal types. The result of classifying and examining the use of jeongganbo according to the way musical elements such as
syllable of rhythmic patterns, name of pitch, melodic line, lyrics and others are notated
is that various types of jeongganbo for a whole musical piece, one rhythmic pattern
beat, or one line have been developed and they are widely used across 3rd to 6th grades,
depending on the instruction content or instruction stage.
Third, there are the principle of generating terms to differentiate and refer to various
types of jeongganbo. First, there is separation by notation type; second, separation by
notation method of music element; third, separation by the level of notation method
even for the same musical element; fourth, unification of terms in the case of the same
functional notation method of a single music element; and fifth, it is referred as
jeongganchongbo when two or more musical elements are combined. The names of
many jeongganbo created by these principles are classified into sub-concepts such as
‘horizontal/vertical jeongganbo’, ‘horizontal/vertical jeongganchongbo’, ‘horizontal/vertical
gueum-jeongganbo’, ‘horizontal/vertical yulja-jeongganbo’, ‘horizontal/vertical garakseonjeongganbo’,
‘horizontal/vertical gasa-jeongganbo’, and ‘horizontal/vertical gita-jeongganbo’;
and all these sub-concepts leads to the higher concept, jeongganbo.
It is assumed that various types of jeongganbo will continue to be developed and
utilized in the future, which is a phenomenon that highlights the inherent characteristics
of jeongganbo as an open score, and its infinite succession and development is expected.