The Chinese Lute (Pi Pa)

The pipa , a combination of pi and pa, originally referred to two right-hand techniques: pi meant "to play forward" and pa "to play backward". The archetype of the modern pipa, which had a half-pear-shaped soundbox, a crooked neck, 4 or 5 strings and 4 frets, originated in Central Asia and arrived in China in the 4th century AD. The immortal poetry Song of the Pipa by Tang poet Bai Juyi reveals the instrument's great popularity in the Tang and Song period (618-1279). Until then a plectrum was used; after that time, performers only used their fingernails, which still persists today.

The number of frets has gradually been increased, up to 23-25 frets in the modern type, expanding the instrument's range chromatically. Now the strings are steel wires, instead of silk, with or without nylon coiling round. Its range is over three and a half octaves. The pipa's clear, bright and mellow tone and its variable volume can be seen from the description of Bai Juyi's verses:

The bold strings-they patterned like the dashing rain,

The life strings-they sounded like the lovers' whispers.

Chattering and pattering, pattering and chattering,

As pearls, large and small, on a jade patter fall.

Today the playing techniques are even more sophisticated. The pipa is often used for solos and in ensembles or in the modern Chinese orchestra.