China
Chinese

Wood, metal strings, bone
ca. 1980’s
Length: 40 in
Chordophones – Lutes

The pipa (Chinese: pinyin) is a four-stringed shallow, pear-shaped plucked instrument with 12-26 frets.   It has a pitch range of @ 3.5 octaves.  The origin of the Chinese pipa dates during the Qin Dynasty (221 – 206 BCE) and is sometimes called the Chinese lute.  Originally, the pipa was held at an angle, like a guitar, but during the Tang dynasty it was converted to an upright playing position.  Its name comes from the words for forward (pi) and backwards (pa) plucking of the strings.