Pipa advice

[antonino]

Hi,
My name is antonino and a newby. My local collector/auction room has a pipa for sale. It looks in very good condition but I do not know what to look for. Help!
I am familiar with western lutes. I have been playing archlute for some time. It is an unusual instrument and would be interested in purchasing it. In the lute world there is the ubiquitous 'Pakistan Lute'. Which is a factory manufactured lute which requires more work to get it into playing mode than the price. I want to avoid this.
The pipa does have a makers lable just behind the bridge. I will try to get some photos if it will help.

Can anyone advise.

Thanks and greetings from Malta

[davidbadagnani]

Finding a very nice pipa at a good price is never a bad thing. :-) But you should know that the pipa's technique is drastically different from that of the Western guitar and lute. If you do get a good instrument, the next step would be to find a teacher. Is there a Chinese music community in Malta? The Maltese flutist Laura Falzon, who has worked with the UK-based guzheng player Zi Lan Liao, might know.

Some of the other Chinese lutes that are played with plectra rather than fingers, such as the ruan, liuqin, and yueqin, and even the sanxian, are probably easier to begin with.

A photo (or photos) will tell us a lot. Please post once you get some.

[davidmdahl]

I have a very fine pipa, but don't really know much about playing it. I found that the pipa is a challenging instrument and my dabble time has been severely restricted for too long. I think that you could have some fun using a guitar pick instead of the finger picks.

Regarding how to identify if the pipa you are considering is a good choice, I can only offer general advice. Make sure that there is no warpage or other damage. If there is a lot of wear on the frets, or they are not positioned correctly, you will have trouble playing certain notes. If possible, tune it up and try to make sure that every note plays clearly.

Listen to pipa recordings and watch pipa videos to see what sort of sounds and other characteristics of the pipa are typical. It might help you to determine if your prospective pipa makes the appropriate sounds and has quality parts.

Especially for Asian instruments that have intrinsic beauty, I like to look for evidence that the instrument has been played and well-cared-for. You probably don't want one that is meant to hang on the wall, or one that has been abused or worn-out.

Check the pipas on the Eason website to compare features and value.

Best wishes,

David

[antonino]

Thanks for the advice. I have the pipa in my workshop.
It was made by Skylark (I know Skylark's reputation for their violins!). It is in an unplayed condition. It was found in the store of a local musical instrument dealer when the company finished. The company had been in business for 100 yrs or so until the family died out.

I picked it up cheap. It has a tuning key missing. But other than that is is in perfect condition. Needs new strings. No wear on frets, no cracks. Slight damage to varnish on back.

Is it worth restoring?

Thanks

Antonino

[calden]

Sounds like it is worth restoring, if it is in that condition. We still don't know if it was made to be a real player or a decorative instrument.

Something to watch for (I know because this happened to me with several Chinese instruments, including a pipa) is humidity levels. In many parts of China the humidity is relatively high, and if an instrument made in that kind of climate is taken to, say, Arizona, it will in a short time - a year or so - develop lots of maladies: splitting seams, cracks, horn frets separating, bamboo frets coming off, etc. etc. I don't know what the climate is on Malta - I imagine there's a pretty good amount of humidity.

These aren't always fatal problems, but they need to be addressed, and fixes may leave it in less than cosmetically wonderful condition.

Throw us some pictures!

Carlos

[antonino]

Thanks for advice. I have started to clean it. I thought the back was black laquer, but cleaning the years of grime I have found it to be a lovely red mahogany which really glows. The problem is it needs new tuning peg. I have found a source in Hong Kong and am awaiting a reply.

Re humidity. Here in Malta the humidity is about 60-80% on average. Apears to favour instruments as not dry enough to crack and not wet enough to cause warping (going on my Archlute).

Will post some photos. (Not sure how to upload photos!)

Anthony

[antonino]

One more question. Is there a difference between a Shanghai pipa and a Bejing pipa?

A

[czy]

yes.
the sound of it.
beijing pipas generally have a brighter sound than shanghai pipas.
besides that, i personally feel beijing pipa is more comfortable to use.
as to whether there are any more differences, i am not too sure.
so ya(:

[shoppingchinanow]

Mar 20, 2009 11:52:02 GMT antonino said:

One more question. Is there a difference between a Shanghai pipa and a Bejing pipa?

A

In my personal experience, Pipa from Beijing are more suitable for the playing of modern melody, while those from Shanghai, for example, Shanghai Dunhuang, is perfect for the ancient melody instead.