When was pipa made

Moore, J. Myers, John. Visiting The Met? Seated Female Musicians. Citation Moore, J. Modern pipas are made out of several types of materials. Their soundboards are made out of wutong wood, their frets and turning pegs are made of ivory, buffalo horns or wood, and their lower frets are made from bamboo.

The quxiang pipa was used during the Sui and Tang dynasties for entertainment and was often paired with singing and dancing or accompanied by an ensemble. Traditional forms of the pipa are still played in Fujian and northern Shaanxi despite the increasing popularity of factory-made forms. After the Tang dynasty, the pipa was used more for narrative singing and regional opera and its playing position switched from being vertical to horizontal.

The number of frets on the pipa increased from about 4 to around frets after the Tang dynasty. The modern fake nails used when playing pipa are generally made of plastic and a special kind of adhesive tape is used to bind them onto the natural nails. As one of the steps in the production procedure, both the nails and tape are soaked in a special solution so that it can make a better sound when being used to pluck the strings. The ingredients of the solution are a secret and only a few producers know the recipe, which is generally handed down in families.

Zhang Nu is a pipa professor at Minzu University of China. Growing up in a family with both parents being professional instrument players, he started playing pipa at a very young age. He has witnessed a Chinese cultural revival over the last several decades and sees it as an opportunity to boost the popularity of traditional Chinese instruments among the younger generation. In recent years, he has also noticed a growing number of pipa lovers at various ages, having contributed to helping promote and pass on this important Chinese instrument to more people.

For children who play the pipa , Zhang indicated that happiness and relaxation should be the dominant feeling they get in the pipa performance. Zhang is very glad to see a growing interest in pipa.

In his words, pipa is an instrument that is able to bring joy and peace to people through its lively and expressive sound, and it is at the same time a medium for carrying Chinese culture and values. The Chinese lute gained its regal title from its wide array of playing techniques, expressive depth, and dominance in both folk music and legend. Ancient murals in the Dunhuang Caves along the Silk Road depict this instrument in the hands of heavenly maidens.

The celestial music plucked from their delicate fingers drifts down to Earth like fluttering flowers.