Pipa << `pee` pah >> is a four-stringed Chinese musical instrument that resembles a lute. The pipa has a wide range of dynamics (loudness or softness) and a variety of playing techniques. In performance, the pipa can be a solo instrument or form part of a chamber group. It ranks among the most expressive of Chinese stringed instruments.
A pipa has a bent neck and a pear-shaped body. The musician holds the instrument upright on the lap and plucks the strings with metal attachments to the fingers that resemble artificial fingernails. Fingers on the right hand pluck the strings while the left-hand fingers touch the strings in a variety of ways to create melodies and special effects. The pipa may have from 4 to 30 horizontal frets (ridges) of various lengths attached across the neck and body of the instrument. By holding a string against a fret, the musician controls the tone of the string.
The pipa neck and body are made of paulownia wood. A fret can be made of bamboo wood, horn, or ivory. Strings were once made primarily of silk, but most modern pipas have steel strings wrapped in nylon. The top of the neck usually is shaped like a symbolic object, such as a bat, or the head of a dragon. The middle of the neck is frequently decorated with jade.
The pipa is one of the oldest Chinese stringed instruments. Its history extends back nearly 2,000 years to the Han dynasty.
