Vietnam Chinese-four chord lute and Korea Pipa

Vietnam TY BA and Korea PIPA

By Pham Thi Hue

In the twentieth century, East Asia underwent upheavals which made a number of cultural values be at high risk of being lost. It is worth mentioning Pipa, a musical instrument known as the precursor of many others. Pipa is still in use and its shape seems to remain unchanged; however, the values accumulated through years have been almost lost. This phenomenon is similar to tradition losses occurred during the integration process in East Asia. This is the focus of the paper being expected to help artists to understand more about the situation and have measures to restore the being lost values.

Pipa originated in Egypt was introduced into Arabia, India, Persia and China through the silk pathway. It is considered as the most popular musical instrument in Tang dynasty. After that, it was introduced into Japan, Korea, and Vietnam as an instrument in the orchestra of ceremonial music. It was adapted to music language, being decorated in accordance with traditional art and outlook on life in each local which creates its diversity.

The solid body makes the major difference between Pipa and other gut string instruments. For this reason, building a Pipa is more difficult than other musical instruments. As a result, the machine heads used for adjusted the tension of strings in the headstock are always in backward direction. Its top is back folded, often being decorated with images of bat, jade cup, etc. skillfully and symmetrically. The Pipa strings were historically made of silkworm gut covered with bees wax. Pipa and other gut string instruments are today utilizing nylon and steel.

Korea Pipa

There are two types of Korea Pipa, but they are both now antiques.

Tang-Pipa (Pipa in Tang dynasty), a four string one, was brought into Korea along with the orchestra of Tang ceremonial music (Koryo dynasty 918-1392). Its length is around 128 centimeters with 4 frets on the neck and the backward machine head. Pipa was mainly used in Tang ceremonial music (Tangak), being twanged with a wood sector nail, which is similar to Biwa of Japan. In order to expand the playing range, 8 thin frets are attached beneath the soundboard which was similar to Chinese-four chord lute of Vietnam before 1960s.

The second is Hyang-Pipa with 5 strings. It is considered as indigenous Pipa with another name 5 string ohyon. It is 104 long, with 10 frets, with the vertical tapering neck on the side of the body. The user uses a pencil-shaped nail like zither komun-go (1). In the Silla united period, Hyang-Pipa was once an important instrument in Korean traditional music.

Ty Ba of Vietnam

According to Professor Doctor Tran Van Khe, Vietnam Ty Ba might be used in the orchestra of ceremonial music in Ly dynasty (1010-1225).

Its body is a pear-shaped and 85 centimeters long. The back was called “tortoise back” which was the symbol of noble and permanent. The neck, which is not separated from the body, is known as “phoenix neck”. In the Eastern conception, dragon, lion, tortoise and phoenix are sacred animals whose images are just used for decoration in imperial palace and holy places. Components of the instrument were named after these sacred images to show that it just served among higher class and in ceremonial music. Íts back is made of rosewood, and its sound board is made of wootung tree.

The strings are arranged in pitch order of octave: 1-4-5-8 with different names: Ho-Xang-Xe-Liu; Ton-Tang-Ton-Tinh; Tong, Lan, Mai, Truc; Dai-Thu dai-Trung-Tieu or Binh- Tho-Do-Tran with the reverse order: 8-5-4-1.

There is a big difference in the performance of Vietnam Four chord lute Ty Ba and Korea Pipa. The former uses a triangular playing nail or fingernail, while a big playing nail such as gakuBiwa, Hyang-pipa or even finger flipping in the same manner with China adapted Pipa is required for the latter. For ceremmonial music, Tang-pipa uses 4 frets named “Emperor foursome” which is similar to Biwa of Japan. These four frets are avoided in Vietnam ceremonial music to make it distinguished from East Asian Pipa. The eight frets beneath named “bat tiet” is the symbols of 8 directions. Each type of Pipa is characterized with its own machine head: Tang-pipa:A-d-G-g; Hyangak: Bb-eb-eb-bb; Vietnamese Ty Ba: G-C-D-g. The string arrangement of the Ty Ba is similar to that of Chinese Pipa A-D-E-a.

Depending on the context, each type of musical instrument is adapted and express the national music language that turns them into the traditional instrument of the nation.

It is string and fret arrangements and names of components that indicate outlooks on life of the locals. All nations have their orchestras to play foreign music as preserving quintessence of other nations, also enriching their own character. The traditional music is highly appreciated since it is regarded as the voice of the nation, representing the idea the national character is expressed through its own music.

Komun-go artists conserved the traditional hyang-pipa until 1930 (2). Sixty years later, Ms. Hoejang came to China to learn Chinese adapted Pipa and turned back to teach Korean students after 5 years of studying. It could be said that this was the second time Pipa was introduced into Korea regardless of its changes compared to Chinese modìied Pipa and the traditional Hyang-Pipa. Base on 5 string and straight neck Hyang-pipa, Ms. Hoejang rearranged the fret system and utilized flipping techniques like those of Chinese modìfied Pipa. Its string arrangement is A-A-d-e, two low-pitch strings are in the same course. The arrangement is now quite similar to those in Chinese modìfied Pipa and Ty Ba of Vietnam. The fret system has changed completely including two arc-halves which follows Western diatonic. Gut is also replaced with metal string which creates the same sounds with Chinese modìfied Pipa. Although they are more resonant, but the sensitiveness and the philosophy of the outlook on life contained in Eastern music have been dramatically reduced. Music is also seriously affected by the Western, becoming more showy, and gentle like the case of Chinese pipa.

In Vietnam, Vu Mai Phuong also had Vietnamese Ty Ba modìfied in 1970s. Frets were rearranged to serve new and foreign music. The fret arrangement systems of Korean modìfied Pipa and modìied Ty Ba of Vietnam are unintentionally identical in using Western diatonic. There are five more cromatic frets on the neck of the Vietnamese instrument instead of four “Emperor foursome”frets, eight beneath frets in equal seven grade - factor are replaced with fourteen ones in diatonic with two arc halves (e-f; a-b). Strings are more tightened which makes it less flexible when playing. Moreover, quality of traditional played music decreases due to the changes with frets. The traditional techniques are not taken seriously but the new ones which are similar to those employed in chord guitar.

In 1992, the researcher Bui Trong Hien restructured the fret board following the conventional standard. Among music institutions in our country, nonetheless, Pham Thi Hue is currently the only person being skilful with seven equal grades. Due to opposite opinions, restrictions in awareness as well as sound receiving, the conventional arrangement is even not widely accepted as the adaptation to Western diatonic.

Our manner with national musical instruments is nowadays opposite to our ancestor’s. In the past, musical instruments were introduced into our country, and then being adapted to become our own. They have now experienced changes to be match foreign music. What will be left for our children in the next 50 years? What will we teach them when we ourselves assimilate our traditional music?

Changes in music aesthetic and historical upheavals in the late 19th century put Vietnamese Ty Ba on the verge of being neglected. Like Korean Pipa, it once disappeared during a long period of time. Its utmost change in the 20th century was the fret arrangement in Western diatonic except for Biwa of Japan which sustain the unique character of Eastern music.

The changes also indicate great impacts of Western music to indigenous music and conception of music of contemporary artists. The youth know very little about this kind of instrument, and they even mistake that it was introduced into Vietnam in Ly dynasty accompanying ceremonial music. In fact, just its shape is kept, while its sound as well as the aesthetic values our precursors created has changed completely, which is actually devastating losses for Eastern music in the 20th century. Native character tends to be faded due to the trend of integration having made national instruments be fit to foreign music. How can we do to conserve our quintessence during the integration process?

Our own tradition development is often more valuable than borrowing from outside sometimes without careful selection. The greatest creations derived from tradition are permanently valuable.

What matter is to be better aware of appropriate changes, which helps sustain the tradition and educate next generations also love and respect to their national quintessence. The real values will certainly not be lost but being conserved along with the time flow.

1.2. The New Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments-Pipa, p115.B3.

Reference

Stanley Sadie- The New Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments

Asian Music across the world college of Koren music, Chungang University, June 2005.

Research: The importance of Vietnamese Ty Ba – Pham Thi Hue, 2007.