What is the Pipa?
The pipa, which some people call the Chinese lute, is a plucking instrument that can date back to the Han Dynasty (206 BCE - 220 CE).
Music
While Wan has focused on traditional Chinese music, particularly Cantonese music, he is also well versed in contemporary and experimental music where he combines Chinese sounds with Western music.
Music
A Traditional Pipa Music
Chinese classical music often tells a story without lyrics, and traditional pipa music is no different. While traditional pipa music can be categorized in many different ways based on tempo, structures, or schools, the most common classification is the one based on musical styles and artistic expressions.
Contemporary Pipa Music
As the modern pipa is fretted according to twelve-tone equal temperament, musicians and composers are expanding the lexicon to include diatonic and even chromatic scales in their compositions.
Cantonese Music
Cantonese music nowadays refer to various styles including but not limited to Cantopop, Cantonese opera, and narrative singing traditions like Nammyam (tune of the South) and Mukjyu (wooden fish, name of a wooden percussion instrument crucial to the singing tradition).
Western Music
Based on a twelve-tone scale, the modern pipa is a versatile fretted instrument that can play Western music as well as traditional Chinese music, making collaborations with western classical and other musicians possible.
Original Music
Discography
Restoration - Wan Yeung Traditional Pipa Music
Clair de Lune by Claude Debussy
Spring: Allegro by Antonio Vivaldi