Biwa Four String Lute Musical Instrument cover photo - 133295667

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Biwa, Japanese short-necked lute, distinguished by its graceful, pear-shaped body. The biwa has a shallow, rounded back and four silk strings attached to four slender lateral pegs. The instrument is played with a large wedge-shaped plectrum called a bachi. The strings are tuned in fourths, and the melody is played almost exclusively on the highest pitched string. The biwa may be used to accompany various types of narrative, as part of a gagaku court music ensemble, or as a solo instrument. Although typically it is used to play short standardized phrases between lines of vocal text, it may be used for longer programmatic pieces depicting battles, storms, or other dramatic events. Performers on the instrument frequently pluck two notes simultaneously, producing a variety of intervals, especially when the singer is silent.

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