Encyclopedia of Contemporary Chinese Culture

PIPA

pipa: translation

Traditional musical instrument
The pipa is a four-stringed, pear-shaped, fretted plucked lute from Central Asia that had appeared in China by the seventh century AD. Its body is made out of hollowed out teak covered with a soundboard of wutong wood (Firmiana platanifolia). Four strings traditionally made of silk (now often of steel) stretch from a string attachment and bridge located near the base of the resonator to their individual tuning pegs which are inserted two on each side of the head. A varying number of frets consisting of horizontal bamboo strips (pin) glued to the soundboard run from the midsection to the upper body and give way to frets consisting of triangular blocks (xiang) made of ivory, cow horn or plastic on the neck of the instrument.With four xiang and ten to thirteen pin, a traditional pipa was capable of playing in only two or three modalities. Since the late 1940s, more pin have been added, resulting in a total of twenty-four frets that allowed for equal-tempered tuning, increasing the instrument’s harmonic and transpositional capabilities.
The term pipa is onomatopoeic, representing a downward and an upward stroke respectively by the thumb and index finger of the right hand on a string. All five fingers are used quite extensively for plucking. In performance, the instrument is typically set on the left thigh of the seated player, who holds it upright with the instrument’s neck and head close to his left ear. An exception can be found with the pipa used in the Minnan nanyin ensemble wherein the instrument is held at a horizontal angle.
The pipa has long been employed in narrative song (quyi) and string ensemble traditions and as a solo instrument. It provides the main accompaniment in oral narrative genres such as Suzhou tanci, Beifang quyi pipa and Sichuan qingyin pipa. Both traditional ensemble and solo pipa pieces are part of repertories associated with five different schools of pipa-playing based in the Jiangnan area with Shanghai as the centre. Since the 1950s, additional contexts for performance have been created. The expanded musical and expressive capabilities of the modern pipa lend it to the performance of Western-style compositions as well as new chamber music arrangements of traditional pieces using both Chinese and Western instruments. In the modern Chinese orchestra, which performs guoyue (national music), there is a pipa section.
See also: traditional music; traditional music composers; traditional music performers
MERCEDES M.DUJUNCO

  1. pipa—Type genus of the Pipidae...Crosswordopener
  2. pipa—pipa translation [Swahili Word]u pipa [Swahili Plural]u mapipa [English Word]u barrel [English Plural]u barrels [Part of Speech]u noun [Class]u [Swahili Example]u pipa l...Swahili-english dictionary
  3. pipa—см. Pacific Industrial Property Association...Англо-русский словарь по патентам и товарным знакам
  4. pipa—pulseintegrating pendulous accelerometer импульсный интегрирующий маятниковый акселерометр...Англо-русский словарь технических аббревиатур
  5. pipa—I бочонок курительная трубка тех.em плавкий предохранитель тех.em детонатор взрыватель язычок духовых инструментов см.em pipiritaa Ам. прост.em живот брюхо К.Р.em Пан. не...Большой испанско-русский словарь
  6. pipa—f трубка курительная pipa turca кальян fumare la pipa курить трубку pipa da apicoltore дымарь в пчеловодстве количество табака в трубке dare per una pipa di tabacco ...Большой итальяно-русский и русско-итальянский словарь
  7. pipa—m зоол.суринамская пипа...Большой французско-русский и русско-французский словарь
  8. piffpaff—msz. пифпаф...Венгерско-русский словарь
  9. pipa—трубочный...Венгерско-русский словарь
  10. pipa—трубка курительная формы pipja pipk pipt трубка ж галочка жu птичка ж [\pipat \pipaja \pipak] . трубкаhossz szr \pipa чубукkis \pipa трубочкаbiz. rvid szr \pipa н...Венгерско-русский словарь
  11. pípa—pipa I f ppu ppur труба трубка курительная флейта дудка свисток dansa eftir ppu es плясать под чьюл. дудку II vi ppti pift свистеть дуть в свисток...Исландско-русский словарь
  12. pipa—бочка взрыватель детонатор предохранитель с плавкой вставкой предохранитель с плавкой вставкой проходной изолятор сквозной изолятор...Испанско-русский политехнический словарь
  13. pipa—f Ю. Ам. П.Р. нн. живот брюхо Кол. К.Р. Пан. Экв. незрелый кокосовый орех andar en pipa Ч. estar hecho una pipa П. быть в стельку пьяным pipa y pipa Пан. от случая ...Испанско-русский словарь. Латинская Америка
  14. pipa—m зоол. суринамская пипа...Новый французско-русский словарь
  15. pifpaf—m смu pifepafe...Португальско-русский словарь
  16. pipa—f бочка бочонок пипа старинная мера объема жидкостей равная гектолитров рзг маленький толстый человек браз рзгu пьяный браз воздушный змей браз зоолu пипа суринамская...Португальско-русский словарь
  17. pipa—pez vi. vt. reg. курить ipf. трубку....Румынско-русский словарь
  18. pipa—ma бочка бочонок бакpipa la mafuta ya petroli бак с горючим баррель нефтяной...Суахили-русский словарь
  19. pipa—Трубка свисток...Шведско-русский словарь II
  20. pipa—pipa.strong дудкаpipa.strong трубка...Шведско-русский словарь
  21. pipa—Труба трубка...Шведсько-український словник