P'I-P'A

Pinyin Pipa, short-necked Chinese lute prominent in Chinese opera orchestras and as a solo instrument. Ultimately of West Asian origin, it was known in China by the 2nd century AD. It has a shallow, pear-shaped body with a wooden belly and, sometimes, two crescent-shaped sound holes. There are 4 convex frets on the neck and 6 to 13 frets on the belly. The four silk strings run from a fastener on the belly to conical tuning pegs in the sides of the bent-back pegbox. Although formerly a plectrum was used, the strings are now plucked with bare fingers while the instrument is held vertically on the player's thigh. A common tuning (relative pitch) is cfgc (top note around middle C). There are several varieties of p'i-p'a in China, and closely related instruments are also found in Vietnam and Korea. The p'i-p'a reached Japan by the 8th century AD. The Japanese form of the instrument, the biwa, exists in several varieties. The biwa, which has only four frets, is important in narrative and court music.