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The pipa, pípá, or p'i-p'a (Chinese: 琵琶) is a traditional Chinese musical instrument belonging to the plucked category of instruments.Sometimes called the "Chinese lute", the instrument has a pear-shaped wooden body with a varying number of frets ranging from 12 to 31.
The antecedent of ruan in the Qin dynasty (221 BC – 206 BC), i.e. the Qin pipa, had a long, straight neck with a round sound box in contrast to the pear-shape of pipa of later dynasties. The name of "pipa" is associated with "tantiao" (彈挑), a right hand techniques of playing a plucked string instrument.
It can also be played with fingers (index finger and thumb with acrylic nails), which is similar to the way of playing the pipa (琵琶). The zhongruan is a tenor-ranged instrument in the family of ruan (阮). In ancient China, the ruan was called Qin pipa (Qin [Dynasty] pipa, 秦琵琶) or Ruan xian (阮咸).
The biwa arrived in Japan in the 7th century, having evolved from the Chinese bent-neck pipa (曲項琵琶; quxiang pipa), [1] while the pipa itself was derived from similar instruments in West Asia. This type of biwa, known as the gaku-biwa, was later used in gagaku ensembles and became the most commonly known type.
Pipa. This instrument appeared two thousand years ago. Pipa is a general name. Playing the instruments with the hand forward or backward controls whether the sound is pi or pa. [3] In Tang dynasty, pipa was popular in the palace. Emperors as well as ordinary families all played pipa in daily life. Many paintings of that time show the pipa.
Cheng Yu playing the P'ipa. Cheng Yu is a Chinese musician, known as a performer of the pipa, a Chinese four-stringed lute, She gained a BMus in China and an MMus in the United Kingdom. She completed her PhD studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London on Ancient Xi'an Music. [citation needed]
The main part of the music is played in a rapid manner, utilising a variety of pipa techniques to describe the furious battle between the armies of Chu and Han, such as flipping, sweeping, circular fingering, wringing, rolling, and halting. The last few sections of the music depict Xiang Yu's defeat, then his suicide beside the Wujiang River.
Two Pipa players of the NENU Folkloric Orchestra playing in a concert in Valencia. The pipa is the alto range member of the plucked string section. One of the more well-known Chinese instruments, this instrument has been associated with imperial concubines and songstresses at teahouses , often conveying the stereotypical image of a demure damsel.