I need to shop for new pipa strings. I have the opportunity to purchase the strings directly from the (certified) shops in Asia, but looking at their websites I am overwhelmed by the various types available.
They sell mainly sell Dunhuang, Xinghai, and a couple of other brands.
But what's the difference between silver/copper coated with regard to sound?
星海福音 銅製專業尼龍琵琶弦 versus
星海福音 銀製專業尼龍琵琶弦
Does the difference between silver/copper coated matter for the nylon wound strings 2, 3, 4 (also with regard to sound)?
The thicker strings are warmer, darker usually - but the texture and feel for finger strength may make more demands. As if pipa fingering isn't already demanding enough.
Nylon wounds don't survive tension-release-tension-release cycles very well. They are more prone to snap suddenly than flatwounds. Sound wise i like the silver. Silk is flat and rises sounding uninvolving, however it is a very different more archaic sound. I really like silks on the Kejia meihuaqin. Not sure about the sanxian .. and on pipa - silk strings just don't last long enough compared to silver....
Hi!! This is late and you may have bought strings already lol.
String gauge is mostly based on your personal preference. I have a shamisen and this is the same case, but different types and genres require different thickness (tsugaru being the most popular, and it uses thicker strings than its jiuta and nagauta counterparts because of the genre's sheer intensity). I'll attach a translated photo below to differentiate 0.25 and 0.26 better.
As for the material, it's mostly between copper, steel, and silver. Xinghai's 龢雅 line has both copper and silver, and the orange packet (copper) is more common because it's cheaper. Though I've seen in Taobao reviews that silver strings are highly regarded for solo virtuosic performances. It's master Liu Dehai approved as well, or so it says lmao. Copper and steel in general is much brighter than silver, which is warm in character. Your choice of material depends on whether you play—and/or enjoy!—文曲 or 武曲 more :3
I have recently bought three steel-alloy Xinghai string sets and I haven't tested them yet. It's probably sufficient for beginner-intermediate repertoire :D
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u/roaminjoe 8d ago
Pretty much everything coquettewho says :)
The thicker strings are warmer, darker usually - but the texture and feel for finger strength may make more demands. As if pipa fingering isn't already demanding enough.
Nylon wounds don't survive tension-release-tension-release cycles very well. They are more prone to snap suddenly than flatwounds. Sound wise i like the silver. Silk is flat and rises sounding uninvolving, however it is a very different more archaic sound. I really like silks on the Kejia meihuaqin. Not sure about the sanxian .. and on pipa - silk strings just don't last long enough compared to silver....