biwa instrument classification

Japanese and foreign musicians alike have begun embracing traditional Japanese instruments, particularly the biwa, in their compositions. 1800 Geography: Japan Culture: Japanese Medium: Wood, mother-of-pearl and ivory Dimensions: 35 12 1/8 11 1/2 in. sanxian, (Chinese: "three strings") Wade Giles romanization san-hsien also called xianzi, any of a group of long-necked, fretless Chinese lutes. In the narrative traditions where the pipa is used as an accompaniment to narrative singing, there are the Suzhou tanci (), Sichuan qingyin (), and Northern quyi () genres. Northern Wei dynasty (386534 AD). Detail #2 shows the backside of the instrument; detail #3 is a side view revealing both the shallowness of the bowl-shaped resonator and the height of the frets that are glued onto the neck. de Ferranti, Hugh. [21] For example, masses of pipa-playing Buddhist semi-deities are depicted in the wall paintings of the Mogao Caves near Dunhuang. Liu also studied with other musicians and has developed a style that combines elements from several different schools. In the 18th century, samurai in the Satsuma area (southern part of Kyushu island) adopted the blind monks biwa music into their musical practices. For example, a piece like "The Warlord Takes off His Armour" is made up of many sections, some of them metered and some with free meter, and greater freedom in interpretation is possible in the free meter sections. The heike-biwa, smaller than the ms-biwa, was used for similar purposes. Further, the frets and the nut are wide, which provides a surface, not a point, for a string to touch. 36 in. During the Qing dynasty, scores for pipa were collected in Thirteen Pieces for Strings. The biwa developed into five different types in its long history: . This overlap resulted in a rapid evolution of the biwa and its usage and made it one of the most popular instruments in Japan. The biwa is a four stringed lute and it is approximately 106 cm long (42 inches). Updates? Traditionally, the duration of each pitch subdivides the measure into two equal durations. Over the centuries, several types of biwa were created, each having a certain size plectrum, a specialized purpose, a unique performance technique, and varying numbers of strings and frets. While blind biwa singers no longer dominate the biwa, many performers continue to use the instrument in traditional and modern ways. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Chikuzen Biwa. Hitting the body of the instrument: The plectrum is used to hit the black protective part on the front of the instrument. Pipa is also an important component of regional chamber ensemble traditions such as Jiangnan sizhu, Teochew string music and Nanguan ensemble. New York, 1903, vol. Typically, the lowest notes of the arpeggios are open strings, while the highest ones can either be fingered pitches or an open string. Finally, it is not customary to finger more than one pitch within a harmonic structure, so if a fingered pitch were to be included among the grace-notes, then the last pitch would need to be an open string. The fingers normally strike the strings of pipa in the opposite direction to the way a guitar is usually played, i.e. The pipa, pp, or p'i-p'a ( Chinese: ) is a traditional Chinese musical instrument, belonging to the plucked category of instruments. The full vibrating lengths of the strings, the distance between their bend over the nut and the knots that secure their lower ends to the string holder, are all 27.7 inches. [6] Another Han dynasty text, Fengsu Tongyi, also indicates that, at that time, pipa was a recent arrival,[7] although later 3rd-century texts from the Jin dynasty suggest that pipa existed in China as early as the Qin dynasty (221206 BC). Since the biwas pegs do not move smoothly, tuning the instrument to a different mode requires time. As one of the modern types of biwa that flourished in the late 19th to early 20th centuries, Satsuma-biwa is widely played today in various settings, including popular media. [68] The Shanghai progressive/folk-rock band Cold Fairyland, which was formed in 2001, also use pipa (played by Lin Di), sometimes multi-tracking it in their recordings. Two basic types of wood are used to make stringed musical instruments: woods for soundboards (top plates) and those for frame boards (back and side plates). During the war time in early 20th century, biwa music was easily adapted to the nationalism of Imperial Japan, and many songs that emphasized the virtue of loyalty and sacrifice for the country were created and widely played. [2] Pear-shaped lutes have been depicted in Kusana sculptures from the 1st century AD. The body is narrower and smaller than the other types of biwa. The transmission parameter (product of propagation speed and Q value of the longitudinal wave along the wood grain . In the early 1950s, he founded the traditional instruments department at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. [21] The pipa underwent a number of changes over the centuries. The fish is an auspicious symbol of Buddhism signifying wakeful attention since most fish lack eyelids and remain alert. Malm, William P. 1959. Mural from Kizil, estimated Five Dynasties to Yuan dynasty, 10th to 13th century. Typically, the duration of each group subdivides the measure into two equal durations. The scores were written in tablature form with no information on tuning given, there are therefore uncertainties in the reconstruction of the music as well as deciphering other symbols in the score. In Satsuma-biwa classical pieces, the thickest string (the first) is in principle used only as a drone, and usually tuned to the same note as the third string, making the second the lowest. The Museum's collection of musical instruments includes approximately 5,000 examples from six continents and the Pacific Islands, dating from about 300 B.C. During the Qing dynasty, apart from those of the various schools previously mentioned, there was Chen Zijing (), a student of Ju Shilin and known as a noted player during the late Qing dynasty. The strings are struck with a hand-held wooden plectrum. Omissions? The biwa is a relative of Western lutes and guitars, as well as of the Chinese pipa. The biwa may be used to accompany various types of narrative, as part of a gagaku (court music) ensemble, or as a solo instrument. In the beginning of the Taish period (19121926), the satsuma-biwa was modified into the nishiki-biwa, which became popular among female players at the time. Tataku: This is similar to hazusu, except that this time, two non-struck pitches follow the struck one. When two strings are plucked at the same time with the index finger and thumb (i.e. Yoko Hiraoka, a member of the Yamato Komyoji ryu, presents a lecture/recital of Japanese Biwa music. The traditional pieces however often have a standard metrical length of 68 measures or beat,[46] and these may be joined together to form the larger pieces dagu.[47]. Bodmin, Cornwall, Great Britain: MPG Books, pp. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Most ms biwas have tear-shaped bodies, but this rustic fish-shaped example was probably used by a wandering Buddhist monk. However, the playing of the biwa nearly became extinct during the Meiji period following the introduction of Western music and instruments, until players such as Tsuruta Kinshi and others revitalized the genre with modern playing styles and collaborations with Western composers. (92.7 20 12.7 cm), Classification: Heike-biwa is an accompaniment instrument specifically used to chant the Tale of Heike stories () in the traditional way dating from the medieval era. Noted contemporary pipa players who work internationally include Min Xiao-Fen, Yang Jin(), Zhou Yi, Qiu Xia He, Liu Fang, Cheng Yu, Jie Ma, Yang Jing(, Yang Wei (),[64] Guan Yadong (), Jiang Ting (), Tang Liangxing (),[65] and Lui Pui-Yuen (, brother of Lui Tsun-Yuen). Popular Japanese three-stringed lute. This type of biwa is used for court music called gagaku (), which has been protected by the government until today. In biwa, tuning is not fixed. [51][52] Different schools have different repertoire in their music collection, and even though these schools share many of the same pieces in their repertoire, a same piece of music from the different schools may differ in their content. This is due to the fact that the space between the strings on the first three frets is so short that a fingered 1st fret on the 3rd string, for example, would damp the following 4th string, as shown on Figure 7. The biwa strings are plucked with large wooden pick called bachi (, The basic technique is to pluck down and up with the sharp corner. Australian dark rock band The Eternal use the pipa in their song "Blood" as played by singer/guitarist Mark Kelson on their album Kartika. It is similar in shape to the chikuzen-biwa, but with a much more narrow body. At the beginning of the Meiji period, it was estimated that there were at least one hundred traditional court musicians in Tokyo; however, by the 1930s, this number had reduced to just 46 in Tokyo, and a quarter of these musicians later died in World War II. Sometimes called the "Chinese lute ", the instrument has a pear-shaped wooden body with a varying number of frets ranging from 12 to 31. The traditional Satsuma-biwa has 4 strings and 4 frets (Sei-ha and Kinshin-ryu schools), and newer styles have 5 strings and 5 frets (Nishiki and Tsuruta-ryu schools). The biwa originated in the Middle East and was delivered to Japan via the Silk Road in the 8th century. Generally speaking, biwa have four strings, though modern satsuma- and chikuzen-biwa may have five strings. Players hold the instrument vertically. There are some types of traditional string instrument. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. String-bending for example may be used to produce a glissando or portamento. to the present. There are more than seven types of biwa, characterised by number of strings, sounds it could produce, the type of plectrum, and their use. The surface of the frets is constantly shaved down by the strings, and one of the most important points in the maintenance of the biwa is to keep the surfaces as flat as possible to get goodsawari. Other early known players of pipa include General Xie Shang from the Jin dynasty who was described to have performed it with his leg raised. 1. Harmonics: The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th harmonics of each open string can be performed by attacking the string with either the plectrum or the finger, and in both cases, the overall sonority is quite soft. Finally, measure 5 shows a rare instance where a melodic tone (F# in this case) is doubled on the second beat of the biwa's pattern. Kaeshibachi: The performance of arpeggio with an up-ward motion of the plectrum, and it is always soft. The Edo period proved to be one of the most prolific and artistically creative periods for the biwa in its long history in Japan. During the Song dynasty, many of the literati and poets wrote ci verses, a form of poetry meant to be sung and accompanied by instruments such as pipa. From the Dingjiazha Tomb No. [20], Garfias, Gradual Modifications of the Gagaku Tradition 16, Garfias, Gradual Modifications of the Gagaku Tradition 18, Ferranti, Relations between Music and Text in "Higo Biwa", The "Nagashi" Pattern as a Text-MusicSystem 150, Learn how and when to remove this template message, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Biwa&oldid=1097578427, This page was last edited on 11 July 2022, at 14:28. Players from the Wang and Pudong schools were the most active in performance and recording during the 20th century, less active was the Pinghu school whose players include Fan Boyan (). Fine strings murmur like whispered words, The instrument is also held vertically while playing. Four or five frets are attached to the body, and it is played with a large wooden plectrum (bachi). Gao Hong graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music and was the first to do a joint tour with Lin Shicheng in North America. Typically, the second pitch is fingered on the same string one or two frets lower than the first one, and the note is attacked and then lifted off into the second fret position. This minute design detail gives rise to sawari, the distinctive raspy tone of a vibrating string. By the late 1940s, the biwa, a thoroughly Japanese tradition, was nearly completely abandoned for Western instruments; however, thanks to collaborative efforts by Japanese musicians, interest in the biwa is being revived. In Japan, the biwa is generally played with a bachi instead of the fingers, and is often used to play gagaku. [24] However, it continued to be played as a folk instrument that also gained the interest of the literati. Chikuzen was an historic northern province on Kyushu, the southern-most main island of Japan. A player holds it horizontally, and mostly plays rhythmic arpeggios in orchestra or ensemble. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. Its classification is a type of a Chordophone. However, following the collapse of the Ritsury state, biwa hshi employed at the court were faced with the court's reconstruction and sought asylum in Buddhist temples. By the Kamakura period (11851333), the heike-biwa had emerged as a more popular instrument, a cross between both the gaku-biwa and ms-biwa, retaining the rounded shape of the gaku-biwa and played with a large plectrum like the ms-biwa. Both were pupils of Wang Yuting (18721951), and both were active in establishing and promoting Guoyue ("national music"), which is a combination of traditional regional music and Western musical practices. By the middle of the Meiji period, improvements had been made to the instruments and easily understandable songs were composed in quantity. Blind priests would play them in order to tell stories and tales of ancient war. This music was cherished and protected by the authorities and particularly flourished in the 14th-15th centuries. Biwa music is based on a pentatonic scale (sometimes referred to as a five-tone or five-note scale), meaning that each octave contains five notes. It may be played as a solo instrument or as part of the imperial orchestra for use in productions such as daqu (, grand suites), an elaborate music and dance performance. The interval between the pitches of the open string and first fret is a major second, while the interval between pitches on two adjacent frets is a minor second. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. A new way to classify the acoustical properties of woods and clearly separate these two groups is proposed in this paper. The plectrum also contributes to the texture of biwa music. In 1868, the Tokugawa shogunate collapsed, giving way to the Meiji period and the Meiji Restoration, during which the samurai class was abolished, and the Todo lost their patronage. Popularly used by female biwa players such as Uehara Mari. [67] It is very much the same as the modern pipa in construction save for being a bit wider to allow for the extra string and the reintroduction of the soundholes at the front. Biwa. NGDMI v.1: 234-237. From the 3rd century onwards, through the Sui and Tang dynasty, the pear-shaped pipas became increasingly popular in China. Of particular fame were the family of pipa players founded by Cao Poluomen () and who were active for many generations from the Northern Wei to Tang dynasty. Pipa has been played solo, or as part of a large ensemble or small group since the early times. This is the original form of biwa that came to Japan in the 8th century. Resonator design, chordophone: bowl with wood soundboard, Vibrational length: tension bridge to ridge-nut, Pitches per string course: multiple (by pressure stopping against fretted fingerboard), 4-string biwa (gallery #1): greatest width of plectrum The gogen-biwa (, lit. The typical 5-stringed Satsuma-biwa classical tuning is: CGCG, from first string to fourth/fifth string, respectively. Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API. The name "pipa" is made up of two Chinese syllables, "p" () and "p" (). Another new style called Chikuzen-biwa () was created in the 19th century in northern Kyushu Island, based off of the blind monks biwa music, and adopting shamisen, Satsuma-biwa, and other contemporary musical styles. (92.7 20 12.7 cm), The Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments, 1889. Techniques that produce vibrato, portamento, glissando, pizzicato, harmonics or artificial harmonics found in violin or guitar are also found in pipa. The instrument itself also varies in size, depending on the player. So, here are six traditional Japanese instruments you can listen to today! [23], During the Song dynasty, pipa fell from favour at the imperial court, perhaps a result of the influence of neo-Confucian nativism as pipa had foreign associations. The strings are tuned in fourths, and the melody is played almost exclusively on the highest pitched string. 2. Player - Instrument Interface and Sound Production. And thanks to the low tension of the strings, it is easy to bend the strings by adding pressure. These, according to the Han dynasty text by Liu Xi, refer to the way the instrument is played "p" is to strike outward with the right hand, and "p" is to pluck inward towards the palm of the hand. Figure 4 introduces the biwas six traditional tunings. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. After almost dying out post-World War II, the tradition was revived in part due to interest shown in the instrument by the internationally known contemporary composer Tru Takemitsu, who wrote instrumental compositions for the instrument. [citation needed]. Pei Luoer was known for pioneering finger-playing techniques,[25] while Sujiva was noted for the "Seven modes and seven tones", a musical modal theory from India. These monophonic do not follow a set harmony. During the 1910s a five-string model was developed that, since the 1920s, has been the most common form of the instrument (gallery #2). Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Famous solo pieces now performed include: Most of the above are traditional compositions dating to the Qing dynasty or early 20th century, new pieces however are constantly being composed, and most of them follow a more Western structure. Wei Zhongle (; 19031997) played many instruments, including the guqin. This music was cherished and protected by the authorities and particularly flourished in the 14th-15th centuries. However, false nails made of horn existed as early as the Ming period when finger-picking became the popular technique for playing pipa.[24]. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Songs are not always metered, although more modern collaborations are metered. [8] The varying string thickness creates different timbres when stroked from different directions. In Satsuma-biwa classical pieces, the thickest string (the first) is in principle. Example 4 also shows the biwa's standard one-measure motive. The strings are sounded with a large, thick, fan-shaped plectrum called a bachi (detail #6), traditionally made of wood (the practice bachi pictured here is made from resin). Shakuhachi 2. [31] Celebrated performers of the Tang dynasty included three generations of the Cao familyCao Bao (), Cao Shancai () and Cao Gang (),[59][60] whose performances were noted in literary works. Clara H. Rose (d. 1914) Catalogue of the Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments: Asia, Gallery 27. 2000. Komoda Haruko. The biwa is related to the Chinese pipa, an instrument that was introduced to Japan in the late 7th century. This type of biwa is used for court music called gagaku (), which has been protected by the government until today. The biwa has a shallow, rounded back and silk strings (usually four or five) attached to slender lateral pegs. The strings are depressed not directly against the frets, but between them, and by controlling the amount of applied pressure the performer can achieve a range of pitches and pitch inflections. Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription. The biwa (Japanese: ) is a Japanese short-necked wooden lute traditionally used in narrative storytelling. [16], While many styles of biwa flourished in the early 1900s (such as kindai-biwa between 1900 and the 1930s), the cycle of tutelage was broken yet again by the war. The pipa is one of the most popular Chinese instruments and has been played for almost two thousand years in China. The six fret type is tuned to B, E, B and b. Formation: Japanese. During the 1950s, the use of metal strings in place of the traditional silk ones also resulted in a change in the sound of the pipa which became brighter and stronger. With turned wrist, he gathered the strings to pluck and strum faster. [72] He was also the first musician to add a strap to the instrument, as he did for the zhongruan, allowing him to play the pipa and the zhongruan like a guitar. [17][18] The pear-shaped pipa may have been introduced during the Han dynasty and was referred to as Han pipa. Another often-used technique is rubbing the long side of the bachi on the strings to get wind-like sounds. Beginning in the late 1960s to the late 1980s, composers and historians from all over the world visited Yamashika and recorded many of his songs; before this time, the biwa hshi tradition had been a completely oral tradition. The four-string specimen is tuned to a shamisen tuning called honchshi (interval structure, from the lowest string upwards, of P4 - P5, with the top two strings tuned in unison): approximately B2 E3 B3 B3; a typical tuning for the 5-string instrument has the intervallic sequence of P4 (down) P4 (up) M2 (up) P4 (up), approximately E3 B2 E3 F-sharp3 B3. Its plectrum is the same as that used for the satsuma-biwa. The flowers fluttered, and from Heaven the phoenix trilled, This may be due to the fact that the word pipa was used in ancient texts to describe a variety of plucked chordophones of the period from the Qin to the Tang dynasty, including the long-necked spiked lute and the short-necked lute, as well as the differing accounts given in these ancient texts. It was in the late 20th century that this instrument started to be re-discovered and re-evaluated in various musical settings, such as soundtrack for movies and ensemble and orchestra music, culminating in Toru Takemitsus signature piece November Steps, which premiered in New York City in 1967. Koizumi, Fumio. Jiaju Shen from The Either also plays an Electric 5 String Pipa/Guitar hybrid that has the Hardware from an Electric Guitar combined with the Pipa, built by an instrument maker named Tim Sway called "Electric Pipa 2.0". Its size and construction influences the sound of the instrument as the curved body is often struck percussively with the plectrum during play. We speculate that being half-way in the section, the purpose of this clash may be to avoid a too strong feeling of cadence on the 'tonic E,' since there is one more phrase to come before completing this section. The satsuma-biwa is traditionally made from Japanese mulberry, although other hard woods such as Japanese zelkova are sometimes used in its construction. The biwa is a relative of Western lutes and guitars, as well as of the Chinese pipa. Since the revolutions in Chinese instrument-making during the 20thcentury, the softer twisted silk strings of earlier times have been exchanged for nylon-wound steel strings, which are far too strong for human fingernails, so false nails are now used, constructed of plastic or tortoise-shell, and affixed to the fingertips with the player's choice of elastic tape. A pipa player playing with the pipa behind his back. In spite of its popularity, the nin War and subsequent Warring States Period disrupted biwa teaching and decreased the number of proficient users. The basic technique is to pluck down and up with the sharp corner. Several types of biwa, each with its own social setting and repertoire, have evolved in Japan over the past 1300 years, the specimens pictured here being called most accurately the chikuzen biwa. Its tuning is A, E, A, B, for traditional biwa, G, G, c, g, or G, G, d, g for contemporary compositions, among other tunings, but these are only examples as the instrument is tuned to match the key of the player's voice. to the present. Options are limited when considering that a fingered string between two open strings must be fingered on the 4th fret to avoid damping. Grinnell College Musical Instrument Collection - Chikuzen Biwa. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. In the 13th century, the story The Tale of Heike ()was created and told by them. As part of, Metalwork by Goto Teijo, 9th generation Goto master, Japan (16031673). For the left hand, as mentioned above under the Construction section, bending of the strings (oshikan, ) and delicate control of it to create a vibrato effect (yuri. ) Because of this bending technique oshikan (), one can make two or three notes for each fret and also in-between notes. Biwa (Japanese instrument) - MIT Global Shakespeares Biwa (Japanese instrument) The Biwa is a Japanese teardrop lute, similar to the lute and the oud, with a short neck and frets. [12] The plectrum is also critical to creating the sawari sound, which is particularly utilized with satsuma-biwa. An example tuning of the four string version is B, e, f and b, and the five string instrument can be tuned to C, G, C, d and g. For the five string version, the first and third strings are tuned the same note, the second string three steps down, the fifth string an octave higher than the second string, and the fourth string a step down from the fifth. Among the major variants are the gakubiwa (used in court music), the msbiwa (used by Buddhist monks for the chanting of sutras), the heikebiwa (used to chant stories from the Heike monogatori), the chikuzenbiwa (used for an amalgam of narrative types), and the satsumabiwa (used for samurai narratives). Shamisen 5. She now performs with Red Chamber and the Vancouver Chinese Music Ensemble. In modern biwa, particularly in Satsuma-biwa, one sometimes strikes the soundboard sharply to get percussive effects. [3] From roughly the Meiji period (18681912) until the Pacific War, the satsuma-biwa and chikuzen-biwa were popular across Japan, and, at the beginning of the Shwa period (19251989), the nishiki-biwa was created and gained popularity. The biwa is a plucked string instrument that first gained popularity in China before spreading throughout East Asia, eventually reaching Japan sometime during the Nara period (710-794). It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. The archlute ( Spanish: archilad, Italian: arciliuto, German: Erzlaute) is a European plucked string instrument developed around 1600 as a compromise between the very large theorbo, the size and re-entrant tuning of which made for difficulties in the performance of solo music, and the Renaissance tenor lute, which lacked the bass range of the 38.5 in. The most basic technique, tantiao (), involves just the index finger and thumb (tan is striking with the index finger, tiao with the thumb). Its plectrum is small and thin, often rounded, and made from a hard material such as boxwood or ivory. Telling stories and holding religious practices with biwa accompaniment became a profession for blind monks, and it was these wandering blind monks who carried on the tradition. Several related instruments are derived from the pipa, including the Japanese biwa and Korean bipa in East Asia, and the Vietnamese n t b in Southeast Asia. On the plectrum, figure of a golden phoenix with flowers in its beak, The da and xiao categories refer to the size of the piece xiao pieces are small pieces normally containing only one section, while da pieces are large and usually contain multiple sections. [38] It has however been suggested that the long plectrum depicted in ancient paintings may have been used as a friction stick like a bow. length [6][7] According to Liu Xi's Eastern Han dynasty Dictionary of Names, the word pipa may have an onomatopoeic origin (the word being similar to the sounds the instrument makes),[6] although modern scholarship suggests a possible derivation from the Persian word "barbat", the two theories however are not necessarily mutually exclusive. One of the biwa's most famous uses is for reciting The Tale of the Heike, a war chronicle from the Kamakura period (11851333). Sandstone carving, showing the typical way a pipa was held when played with plectrum in the early period. The Traditional Music of Japan. The strings are numbered from the lowest (first string) to the highest (fourth string). The main part of the music is vocal and the biwa part mostly plays short interludes. [71][self-published source] In 2014, French zhongruan player and composer Djang San, created his own electric pipa and recorded an experimental album that puts the electric pipa at the center of music. Example 4 shows that the biwa's melodic pitch doubles the basic melodic tone on the downbeat of almost every measure, except in measure 4 where the melodic tone 'E' is supported with a 'D' in the biwa's part. The main part of the music is vocal and the biwa part mostly plays short interludes. biwa, Japanese short-necked lute, distinguished by its graceful, pear-shaped body.