- What is Pipa?
- Photos
Introduction
A YouTube video showing a pipa player in action
The pipa (Chinese: 琵琶; pinyin: pípá) is a four-stringed Chinese instrument, belonging to the plucked category of instruments (弹拨乐器/彈撥樂器). Sometimes called the Chinese lute, the instrument has a pear-shaped wooden body with a varying number of frets ranging from 12–26. Although, like its smaller sibling, the Chinese liuqin, it may look like a lute, in fact neither pipa nor liuqin has an actual neck, as the soundboard body spans the entire strings to the head of the instrument, making them handheld zithers.
Evolution
Prototypes of the pipa already existed in China in the Qin Dynasty (221 BC–206 BC). At that time, there were two types of pipa. One was straight-necked, with a round sound box constructed from lacquered Paulownia wood, and two faces mounted with leather. The other was believed to be inspired by the primitive forms of zheng, konghou, and zou. It also has a straight neck, a round sound box, and also four strings, along with twelve standards of notes. This model was later developed into the instrument known today as the ruan. The modern pipa is closer to the instrument which originated in Persia/Middle-East (where it was called barbat) and was introduced into China beginning in the late Jin Dynasty (265–420 A.D.)
Repertoire
There are numerous pipa pieces in the common repertoire which can be split into four distinctive styles: 「文」 wen (civil), 「武」 wu (martial), 「大」 da (suite), and 「小」 xiao (solo).
Famous pieces include:
- Ambushed from Ten Sides (simplified Chinese: 《十面埋伏》
- Flute and Drum at Sunset (simplified Chinese: 《夕陽簫鼓》
- White Snow in Spring Sunlight (simplified Chinese: 《陽春白雪》
- Dragon Boat (simplified Chinese: 《龍船》
- Dance of the Yi People (simplified Chinese: 《彝族舞曲》
- Big Waves Pushing the Sand (simplified Chinese: 《大浪淘沙》
On top of these traditional melodies, new pieces are constantly being composed, most of which follow a more Western structure.
