The Pipa Jiangnansizhu Performing Art

The traditional stringed and woodwind instrument music popular in the southern part of Jiangsu province (Shanghai included) and the western part of Zhejiang province is generally known as Jiangnansizhu Music in China. It can be traced back to Kunqu opera rhyme and other kinds of folk music which all have the characteristics of Jiangnan----geographically south of the lower reaches of the Changjiang River. There have been many articles generally introducing this kind of music on a theoretical basis, or dwelling on the melody architecture of it. However, we have rarely seen researchers discoursing on the features of one single musical instrument in a brand of Jiangnansizhu Music, of which Pipa is most typical. Pipa's reverberant, delicate and ethereal sounds and profuse in displayability testify its significant role as one of the main strings-plucking instruments in the brand. To cooperate with players of other instruments in the brand, and thus to fully display the beauty of music when playing, it is suggested that a Pipa player pay close attention to the norms of musical performance, as they are crucial to the displayability of Pipa.