The vibrational modes of a small Korean bell have been studied, by usi
ng holographic interferometry and modal analysis with impact excitatio
n. The asymmetry due to the dang jwa and the ornamentation gives rise
to mode doublets and a slow beating, which is carefully controlled and
considered to be an important characteristic of Korean bell sound. Mo
de doublet splittings range from 1 % to 9 %. The fundamental (2,0) mod
e, which decays much more slowly than the higher modes of vibration, d
etermines the pitch of the bell.