Lute

Every time when I introduce the instrument I play, people looked at me as if I spoke some nonsense.

“Flute?” They tried to connect what I say to an instrument that makes more sense to them.

“Lute.” I stated with absolute certainty.

Finding out that so few people understand how magical and unique this instrument is, I decide to write an article promoting it.

Lute actually possesses a history over 2000 years. It originated from around Chin Dynasty, and its name is Pipa if directly translating the pronunciation from Chinese. Pi and Pa are all fingerings which symbolizes how people pluck the chords. During Han Dynasty, Pipa became extremely popular, and it spread to many other places such as Palau, Japan, and Southeast Asia.

The unique part about Lute is that there are many special fingerings. Tan and Tiao are the basic plucking of the chords. Lun is like a trembolo, which you do tan and tiao in a brief time. There are also other interesting ones such as Hua, which you glide through the chords, and Fan, which you gently touch the chord to create a sound like a ripple. Lute is filled with magnificence and you could easily re-create a song with a lute because of the versatality of the instrument.

Lute could be utilized to play traditional Chinese songs, but it could also be used to play modern songs or even English songs, It gives the melody more tastes and generates a new feeling inside the listeners.

I will keep updating about Lute, and I am planning to talk about my experiences and learning while serving as the Teen Cultural Ambassador at the National Palace Museum. Stay excited!!