This basic beginner’s poomsae is introduced to the 8th kup student. Taekuk Il Jang is about heaven, or the sky. It’s trigram is Keun, (pronounced “gun”), represented by 3 solid lines.
At the beginning of the Il Jang music, there are 4 bars of time to allow the practitioner to assume ready stance – this is the first statement of the Taekuk musical theme, played by strings in an ethereal pattern. Then the music starts in the rising melodies and harmonies. Near the end, it moves into lydian mode, which is sometimes described as “more major than major”. The major chord with a raised 4th tone functions as the climax of the music as an expression of perfection and light. (40 seconds, 112 beats per minute-bpm)