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Tag Archives: Pipa

Chinese Plucked Stringed Instruments Posted by on Dec 7, 2017

Chinese Stringed Instruments

These days, young Chinese carry iPhones and listen to pop music (流行音乐 – liú xíng yīn yuè) by day, and they hit KTV (karaoke) clubs at night. Walking around Chinese mega-malls, you’re bound to hear the likes of Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, or Cantonese/Taiwanese pop stars. So, you may be asking yourself, where is the…

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Chinese Traditional Instruments: PíPá (琵琶) Posted by on Sep 27, 2011

The pípá (琵琶) is a four-stringed, plucked Chinese musical instrument often referred to as the “chinese lute”. Similar to western guitars and mandolins, the pipa has a pear-shaped wooden body with a varying number of frets ranging from 12–30, depending upon the style and sound desired. Unlike the erhu, which is played with a bow (like…

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