What is "bipa"

The bipa is a pear-shape lute that is a traditional Korean musical instrument which is related to the Chinese pipa, the Vietnamese đàn tỳ bà and the Japanese biwa. In the past, there were two types of bipa: the hyang-bipa and the dang-bipa. The former was native to Korea while the latter was imported from Tang dynasty.

The bipa fell out of use in the early 20th century. Attempts to revive it initially failed in 1988/89 due to fact that there are no existing professional players but recently was successful. The recreation uses the existing modern Chinese pipa as a basis and the two modern bipa types were constructed almost exactly like pipa but modified to the Korean form, even with the use of fake nails and techniques. The difference is in the reintroduction of the two soundholes on the front. As well as this, the other type uses five strings. The strings used are of nylon, rather than the metal-nylon used for the Chinese pipa.

There are versions made that follow more closely to the original lines, not made like pipa, using silk strings and being plucked with bare fingers or with a plectrum.