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Category Archives: Instruments

Instruments

Pipa

andrewsalamanca May 5, 2016 Comments are off 24675 Views

Early History

The Pipa (琵琶) is a 4-stringed lute with nearly 2,000 years of history in China. The instrument first appeared in China during the Wei dynasty (386-534 C.E.), introduced along ancient trade routes connected with Central and West Asia. It is a relative of the Arabic Oud, an ancient pear-shaped lute, and it is the predecessor of the Japanese Biwa, the Vietnamese dan ty ba, and the now obsolete Korean Bipa.

The two characters, pi (琵) and pa (琶), originally referred to two finger techniques, pi (琵) “to play forward,” and pa (琶) “to play backward.” It is also known that Pipa (琵琶) used to refer to any plucked string instrument of ancient times. The Xiantao, a plucked instrument that dates back to the Qin Dynasty (222-207 B.C.), is considered to be one of Pipa’s predecessors. It features a round body and a straight neck.

By the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-220 C.E.), the instrument became known as the Qin Pipa (秦琵琶) and it featured 4 strings and 12 frets. In the Western Jin Dynasty (256-316), the Qin Pipa was named after a great scholar, Ruan Xian, who was one of the “Seven Sages of Bamboo Grove.” Due to his great mastery on the instrument, it has become known as Ruan while the Pipa referred to a new version in the same family of instruments.

During the Northern and Southern Dynasty (420-589 C.E.), a plucked string instrument called the Oud or barbat, arrived via the Silk Road. This instrument became known as the Hu Pipa, hu meaning foreign in Chinese. During the Tang Dynasty (618-907), foreign music was appreciated and adopted by the royal court. A fusion of the earlier string instruments with the foreign Oud eventually lead to the Tang Pipa.

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Middle Eastern Oud.

The Tang Pipa originally was played horizontally and plucked by using a large wooden plectrum. The Japanese Biwa. descendant of the the Pipa, still maintains this position and playing technique. The Tang Pipa was larger than the modern Pipa, had 4 or 5 silk strings, and less frets. During the mid-Tang and Song dynasties (960-1279), the fingernails were used to play the instrument in an upright position.

5 string pipa
5 string Pipa

Pipa players from the Nanguan style, popular to the southern province of Fujian and Taiwan, play the instrument horizontally and with a small plectrum. It should also be noted that the Nanguan Pipa maintains the earlier pentatonic system of frets and is generally a dark blue color, similar to early the Tang Pipa.

Modern Pipa

Modern Pipa
Modern Pipa

Surprisingly enough, the Pipa, an instrument with many centuries of history, has only evolved into its modern form during the 20th century. Three major innovations made in the 20th century distinguish the modern instrument from its ancestor.

The first and most significant innovation was regarding the tuning system. Prior to the 20th century, the frets on the Pipa were arranged for a pentatonic scale. This meant the intervals, or spaces, between frets were longer or shorter than each other. The instrument was also limited to play only in a few keys.

In the 1920s, Liu Tianhua (刘天华), Pipa and Erhu virtuoso, experimented with new designs that would revolutionize the instrument. Liu Tianhua is credited with inventing the chromatic pipa. He increased the number of frets ( 2 on the neck and 5 on the body) and arranged the notes for a chromatic (12-note) scale. This resulted in a Pipa with equal temperament, a system of tuning in which every pitch is separated by the same interval. The chromatic pipa could now be in all 12 keys making it suitable for playing both Chinese and Western repertoires. It was not until the 1950s, that his experiments were further developed and his innovative designs lead to a standardized, modern version.

The second innovation lead to a drastic transformation in the Pipa’s playing style and sound. Pipa players eventually started wearing fake nails, often made of turtle shell or plastic, fastened to the fingers with cloth tape. The nails offered greater volume and attack. The nails also allowed players to develop new techniques leading to an evolution of playing style.

The third innovation replaced traditional silk strings, that were low in volume, with nylon-wound metal strings. The metal strings were much louder and had a brighter sound than the silk strings. The switch to metal strings, along with the use of fake nails enhanced the power and the musical expression of the instrument.

Instruments

Gu zheng

andrewsalamanca May 5, 2016 Comments are off 120817 Views

The Gu zheng (古箏) is a traditional Chinese zither with approximately 2,500 years of history. The character Gu (古) literally means “ancient” while Zheng (箏) means “zither.” Indeed it is one of China’s oldest instruments. The earliest form of the instrument emerged during the Warring States Period (475-221 B.C.E) and it gained popularity during the Qin Dynasty (221-206 B.C.E). During the Tang Dynasty (618-907 C.E.), the gu zheng was highly appreciated and became one of the most popular instruments.

Zither Family

The Gu zheng descended from the Se ( 瑟), an ancient zither played more than 3,000 years ago. The Se is made of a large, rectangular soundbox, contains 25 silk strings, and moveable bridges. It is one of China’s most important ancient instruments, along with the Gu zheng (古箏) and the Gu qin ( 古琴).

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Se ( 瑟). Ancient Chinese zither.

The Gu zheng is the parent instrument in the Asian long zither family. It is the ancestor to the Japanese Koto, Korean Gayageum, Mongolida Yatga, and the Vietnamese Dan trah.

Instruments

Mridangam

andrewsalamanca May 5, 2016 Comments are off 5299 Views

The mridangam is a double-sided drum found primarily in South India. It is the main form of rhythmic accompaniment for Carnatic music and religious kirtan music. The mridangam originated from the pakhavaj drum, a barrel-shaped drum that is also the predecessor of the North Indian tabla. The mridangam is an ancient drum that has been enjoyed for many centuries.

According to ancient Hindu scriptures, the mridangam was known as “Instrument of the Gods” due to its preference among a number of deities including Ganesha and Nandi. Legend has it that Nandi, companion of Lord Shiva, played the mridangam during the performance of the “Taandav” dance by Shiva.

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Clay Mridangam

The name mridangam is derived from 2 Sanskrit words, “mrid” meaning clay, and “ang” meaning body. In fact, the original material of the mridangam was made of clay. Modern day drums are commonly made from hollowing out a single block of wood, usually from the jackfruit tree. The body of the mridangam is barrel-shaped with two openings at each end. The two openings are covered with leather and are laced together with leather straps around the circumference of the drum. The straps are strung with high tension and are used to tune the drum, occasionally with the aid of wooden pegs placed in between the straps. The bass head is usually tuned one octave lower than the treble head.

The right side of the drum is the treble head. It is made of 3 concentric rings of leather, although only 2 are visible from the outside. The outer ring is usually made of cow hide, while the inner ring is usually made of goat hide. A permanent black spot of paste covers the center of the drum head. This paste is made from boiled rice, iron filings, and manganese. This spot of paste gives the mridangam its unique tones. Striking this spot creates different harmonics based on the various finger techniques used.

The left side of the drum is the bass head. It is made of two rings of leather, the outer ring is made of buffalo hide and the inner ring is made of goat hide. Before playing the mridangam, a temporary paste of rice flour and water is applied to the bass head. This makes the leather more flexible and it lowers the pitch. It also allows the player to produce a more dramatic bass sound that is characteristic to the mridangam by bending the note after the head is struck. After each performance, the paste is removed.

The Indian Tala System

The tala rhythmic system is perhaps one of the most complex rhythmic systems in the world. It is highly mathematical and takes many years to master.

Tala is a rhythmic cycle made up of beats. It is similar to the concept of a measure. In South Indian Carnatic music, the rhythmic cycle can range from 3 beats to 29 beats. The rhythm is counted with a series of claps, waves, and finger movements to set the beat.

There are 3 basic units which can be combined to create a tala cycle.

Anudrutam contains one beat. Counted by one clap of the hand.

Drutam contains 2 beats. Counted by a clap, followed by a wave of the hand (or a clap with the same hand palm up)

Laghu is a hand clap on the first beat, followed by a counting on the fingers. The number of beats can be 3, 4, 5, 7, or 9.

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Andrew Salamanca is a composer and teacher who travels the world to explore all types of music, dance, art, and cultures. He has learned to play more than 10 instruments from 5 continents. He has over 15 years of musical experience and 9 years of teaching experience. Andrew invites you to explore the world of music with him!!

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