Arirang

Three beats and a hanging last note

The chorus is eight bars of 3/4 and the phrase always ends on a note that does not feel finished. That is the sound of the song: it is a farewell, and the melody refuses to close. Play the last bar quietly and let it hang.

• Bars 1-2: G, then C, then G again inside two bars. Do not rush the C.
• Bar 3-4: D7 to G, the only full cadence in the chorus.
• Melody notes on the way down are stepwise. If your chords are too loud you lose the line.

The refrain is the whole song

"Arirang, arirang, arariyo" is a nonsense refrain; the meaning of arirang is disputed, with readings ranging from a hill name to a linguistic corruption of an older word. What is not disputed is the second line: "arirang gogae-ro neomeo ganda" — going over Arirang hill. The song is about parting and the hill you cross when you leave.

There are dozens of regional versions (jeongseon arirang, jindo arirang, miryang arirang) with different tempos and different words. The version here is the one most commonly sung today.

Playing it for a non-Korean audience

The melody is easy to follow and the refrain is easy to join, which makes this a good group song even when nobody understands the words. Say one sentence about what it means before you start — going over a hill, saying goodbye — and the room will hear it correctly.