Chinese Musical Instruments - The Pipa
[Ben]
"Well I'm here in the studio with
Vivian Ge, she plays the traditional
Chinese musical instrument, the Pipa and she's going to be telling us a little bit about the instrument and hopefully playing some songs for us as well.
Thank you very much for joining us today Vivian.
[Vivian Ge, Pipa
Player]
"
Thank You."
[Ben]
"Could you first introduce our audience to this instrument?"
[Vivian Ge, Pipa Player]
"The Pipa is an instrument inherited from
China's ancient history, according to historical records, it has a history of over two thousand years. The Pipa has always had the title of being the king of folk music. The instrument has a special structure, it is 35 inched long. The 3 or 35 represents heaven, earth and man, and the 5
of 35 represents the 5 elements of metal, wood, water, fire and earth. It has four strings and these four strings represent the four seasons of spring, summer autumn and winter."
[Ben]
"What material are the strings made out of?"
[Vivian Ge, Pipa Player]
"
Modern strings are made out of
Nylon or
Steel, but in ancient times they used beef tendon or silk strings."
[Ben]
'What are the characteristics of its sound?"
[Vivian Ge, Pipa Player]
"The sound of the Pipa is pretty special. Its high tones are very bright, its mid tones are gentle and its low tones are thick. Its range of notes is very wide, so it can express an abundant array of sounds. It can express war, it can express culture. Its expressions of culture are more tactful, with an unspoken message to them. In expressing war, the sound is more intense and more forceful."
[Ben]
"Vivian can you now play for us a few typical Pipa pieces?"
[Vivian Ge, Pipa Player]
"
I'll play a music first called A Moonlit
Night On
The Spring River. This music describes a scene that the bright moon is in the sky at night, drums are going on, and the river is quietly flowing, and a small boat is floating on the river.
[Vivian Ge, Pipa Player]
"
Next I will play a piece called '
Ambush from 10
Sides.' This piece portrays the story of the battle between the Han and
Chu armies at the beginning of the
Han Dynasty in 202 BC. At that time, the Han army used an ambush from 10 sides to defeat the Chu army. This piece portrays the whole process of the battle, from the preparation before hand to the intense middle of the battle to the conclusion. I will now play a section of the beginning part of the piece."
[Ben]
"Vivian, thank you so much for coming to perform in our studio."