Music 2 Resource Kit – Pipa Tuning activity

~ mitchelljamesdavis

Pipa tuning activity – score reading and tablature pitch transcription 

N.B. Students to perform this activity individually so that the learning intent (learning the Pipa standard tuning) is consolidated on a deeper level.

N.B. To be completed as an early activity in studying this work PRIOR to students looking at the class arrangement provided (it will become clear why with a certain string instrument used in the arrangement and relevant score instructions)

Musical References from “Hectic Jacaranda” : Labelled cells 1, 7, 11a, 15a

Resources : https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/xar9vcugizb9vmnof2w9r/h?dl=0&rlkey=7ocpup8wjmv64b6ce3zjgrjue

  • Score screenshot excerpts and audio excerpts of cells 1, 7, 11a, 15a provided to students

Instructions

  • This activity is intended to teach and consolidate working knowledge of tablature notation.
  • Students are required to determine the tuning notes for the 4 open strings of the Pipa
  • This is to be completed using the provided score screenshots and corresponding audio excerpts (audio from each cell excerpt contains only the Pipa part, the guitar part removed digitally for convenience). 
  • Each cell chosen for the activity uses one string of the Pipa for convenience in transcription and working out the tuning notes for open strings.
  • Students should use an instrument they are familiar with to transcribe and play along to the audio/score excerpts provided. This will allow students to identify the pitches used in each example in order to help determine the open string tuning note from each example.
  • Cell 1 score/audio excerpts to be used for string 1 tuning transcription
  • Cell 7 score/audio excerpts to be used for string 2 tuning transcription
  • Cell 11a score/audio excerpts to be used for string 3 tuning transcription
  • Cell 15a score/audio excerpts to be used for string 4 tuning transcription
    • Hint : fret 0 on tablature equals the open string
    • Hint : as it will become clear by the examples, each single fret movement on the same string equals one semitone movement in pitch.
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Published by mitchelljamesdavis

Mitchell Davis is currently a music education student at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, born in 1997 in Sydney. Following a positive experience with music education in primary and secondary school combined with a personal interest in music as an art form and pastime, the decision to become a secondary school music teacher was naturally made. Complimentary to studying music education, Mitchell also holds ongoing experience working casually in a youth centre in his home town of Liverpool, New South Wales. After studying a Certificate IV in Youth Work, It was here that he initially found his confidence and appreciation for working with young people to achieve positive outcomes, predominately running various sport and recreational youth programs both in local Liverpool school environments and at the youth centre's facilities. Mitchell's specific area of musical expertise is in contemporary popular music. He is a guitarist and songwriter who enjoys genres such as heavy metal, extreme metal, hard rock, blues and pop. He has begun to write, release and perform his original music in order to gain greater experience in the world of contemporary music and give more value to his skills in becoming a music educator.

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