Any pipa fans out there?

[Meng Lelan]

I enjoy listening to pipa music (especially Liu Fang and Zhang Qiang) but I don't know how to buy one and where to take lessons. I am in Texas in the US but travel occasionally to China. Would appreciate advice. Thanks.

Lelan

[studentyoung]

Please check 上海琵琶网, where you can buy 琵琶 and relative CDs and VCDs.(Please learn how to choose a good 琵琶 before you try to buy one.)

http://pp-web.yueqi.sh.cn/colligate/pp/list.html (上海琵琶网)

http://fab.tom.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=19642 (琵琶CD by张强)

http://www.yueqi.sh.cn/books/vcd.asp?cateid=39&page=2 (琵琶VCD for learning)

You can also go to 新华书店 to look for 琵琶CDs or VCDs.

You can also check the link below to look for a suitable course.

http://www.baidu.com/s?ie=gb2312&bs=%D6%D0%D1%EB%D2%F4%C0%D6%D1%A7%D4%BA+%C5%FD%C5%C3&sr=&z=&cl=3&f=8&wd=%B1%B1%BE%A9%C5%FD%C5%C3%C5%E0%D1%B5%B0%E0&ct=0

Anyway, good luck!

Thanks!

[Meng Lelan]

Thank you so much studentyoung! I see they sell the Dunhuang pipa, that is supposed to be quite good.

Lelan

[shoppingchinano]

I don't know much about Liu Fang, but Zhang Qiang is popular in China.

However, there are many other Pipa players, such as Wu Yuxia, Yang Jing, Liu Dehai, Wu Man, and I think any of the four are far much better than the two you liked.

The tutorial VCD from Wu Yuxia or Ye Xuran are among the best.

As to Pipa, you need to know what your local climate condition is, is it humid or dry? As the Pipa made in north and south China can be heavily affected by it. Frankly speaking, Pipa from Dunhuang is just of average quality, of couse, there is exception, but it is difficult for you to figure out which one is good.

Only Guzheng from Dunhuang is among the best.

[Meng Lelan]

Is it possible to get the Wu Yuxia VCD online? I'm in Texas - very hot and dry all the time but this month it has been raining a lot. So I don't know what to do about the kind of pipa.

[studentyoung]

Is it possible to get the Wu Yuxia VCD online?

Yes. Please check the link below, which is for customers in North America (北美地区) to shop online.

http://cache.baidu.com/c?word=%B1%B1%C3%C0%2C%B5%D8%C7%F8%2C%CE%E2%3B%D3%F1%CF%BC%2Cvcd&url=http%3A//www%2Echinausmall%2Ecom/shop/product%5Finfo%2Ephp%3Fproducts%5Fid%3D45478&p=8b2a9544c09759ef08e2977e4b5f92&user=baidu

I'm in Texas - very hot and dry all the time but this month it has been raining a lot. So I don't know what to do about the kind of pipa.

First, please put your pipa back to its box to keep it from heat and moisture, after you play it.

Second, it would weaken pipa’s volume and worsen its tone, if it was affected by moisture.

Third, the glue used to stick pipa’s surface and other parts is made from fish maw / swim bladder. This kind of glue is easy to be affected by moisture and caused parts unglued.

Forth, make sure all the strings are loosened, if you don’t want to play it for a long time.

Pipa, like other traditional Chinese musical instruments, should be kept in cool, shady and dry place in order to avoid the affection from heat and moisture.

Thanks!

[Meng Lelan]

Seems like pipas are made out of either hardwood or rosewood. Rosewood is more expensive. I'm not sure why? Because rosewood is better quality?

[studentyoung]

Seems like pipas are made out of either hardwood or rosewood. Rosewood is more expensive. I'm not sure why? Because rosewood is better quality?

First, rosewood are rarer than other common hardwoods, because of over logging (过度砍伐). Second, the destiny of rosewood is higher than those of other common hardwoods, which means that rosewood is harder and better than other common hardwoods to make musical instruments and furniture.

Thanks!

[HashiriKata]

the destiny[/b'] of rosewood is higher than those of other common hardwoods

I think you mean "the density of..." ?

Apart from what sudentyoung's said, I believe "rosewood" is wood from a specific type of tree, whereas "hardwood" is just a generic term for any wood that is not "soft". Hardwood is therefore easier to come by, and hence less expensive.

[studentyoung]

I think you mean "the density of..." ?

Ah~ ~! Yes, thanks for pointing out my typo!

Apart from what sudentyoung's said, I believe "rosewood" is wood from a specific type of tree, whereas "hardwood" is just a generic term for any wood that is not "soft". Hardwood is therefore easier to come by, and hence less expensive.

Oh, I think the meaning of “hardwood” in Chinese people’s mind is different from westerners’. For Chinese people, “hardwood” means the wood is very hard or tough (木质坚硬) and good for making furniture and even musical instruments, like Mahogany (红木), red sandal wood (紫檀木), boxwood (黄杨木), Chinese jujube wood (枣木)，etc. These kinds of hardwoods are so rare that they are much expensive than softwoods.

http://cache.baidu.com/c?word=%D3%B2%C4%BE%3B%B6%A8%D2%E5&url=http%3A//zhidao%2Ebaidu%2Ecom/question/17122560%2Ehtml&p=877ed116d9c04bff57efce0c4754&user=baidu

For westerners, hard wood just means the wood from broad-leaved or angiosperm trees, so some hardwoods are even softer than some softwoods.

The term hardwood designates wood from broad-leaved (mostly deciduous, but not necessarily, in the case of tropical trees) or angiosperm trees. Hardwood contrasts with softwood, which comes from conifer trees. On average, hardwood is of higher density and hardness than softwood, but there is considerable variation in actual wood hardness in both groups, with a large amount of overlap; some hardwoods (e.g. balsa) are softer than most softwoods, while yew is an example of a hard softwood. Hardwoods have broad leaves and enclosed nuts or seeds such as acorns. They often grow in subtropical regions like Africa and also in Europe and other regions such as Asia. The dominant feature separating hardwoods from softwoods is the presence of pores, or vessels. [1]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardwood

Thanks!

[shoppingchinano]

Ok, if you can keep the pipa box dry, I think a pipa from north China should be the choice.

If you aren't sure what you are buying from the sellers online, call the manufacturers directly and they will ship you what you need, and in most cases, the price is something lower than what you would expect from online sellers, also you can expect a relatively good quality.

Days ago, I bought a pipa from a well-known craftsman in Beijing, even though the appearance looks not so good as I expected, the sound however is very good.

Just as the water shortage everywhere, the price of the wood used for pipa, erhu and guzheng making is soaring these days, so the price for these instruments increases too, when I bought an aged redwood pipa about one year ago, it cost usd1100, but today it is usd2010 instead, of couse, the appreciatin of CHINESE currency against dollar contributes to the rise.

Just for your reference only, you can find some pipa products on our website, I do think the good Pipa is expensive today.

Erhu | Pipa | Guqin | Guzheng | Dizi

[kongfumaster]

>>>> shoppingchinano

It is silly to say "any of the four are far much better than the two", after saying that you don't know much about Liu Fang (and I don't know how much you know about Zhang Qiang either).

This kind of gossip reflects poor education.

There is a simple way to avoid stupid opinions: just do some investigation.

After you got to know all their music well enough, you may say something about their difference, and then ask yourself "Am I in the position to judge?" - don't forget, they are all internationally acclaimed artists.

I hope that this advice could help you to become a little more intelligent person for the rest of your life.

Cheers

[Meng Lelan]

How do you write "rosewood" in Chinese?

[muyongshi]

According to my dictionary it is 黄檀