Connor Helms

Yangtze River
Serenade for
Pipa

Lun:

sha,

Accents at the beginning of each lun cycle with the thumb are occasionally
desired. I will put star-asterisks above or below the notes where I desire
such thumb accents. Lun notes will always have 3 or more tremolo slashes
thru the stem. If there is no lun symbol but there are still some sort of tremolo
slashes, that means you are to tremolo using just one nger, a non-lun trem.

Simply place a left hand ngernail gently against a string so that a buzzing
timbre is produced when plucked (not enough pressure to completely
mute the string, but enough to inhibit resonance). Sometimes played in
conjunction with string crossing and/or bartok/snap pizzicato. Symbol used
if only a few notes in a passage are to be played sha.

String Crossing: Take one string, with the left hand pass it completely over the other.
Then simply barre fret the two strings down at the same fret. The sound resembles
that of a cymbal, a more brittle sha. Sometimes three strings will be asked to be
bundled together. It is important that all strings involved produce this buzzy timbre
and not ring clearly as normal. This technique is readily combined with sha and/or
bartok/snap pizzicato.

Body knocking is represented with an X. I will specify where on the body to strike
and with what. Open palm slap, plectrum(s) slapping, knuckles knocking, using
end of palm close to wrist. On the front or back of the body near the bridge or
near the neck or at center, on the rib/side of body near bridge or neck or at center etc.
Sometimes I call for a single nger's plectrum to tap the body between the strings
while the other ngers are continuing to play.
T.P. for thumb plectrum, I.P. for index,
and so on - M.P., R.P., P.P. for the other ngers.
'M.P. knock between' would be to use the middle nger right hand plectrum to
knock the body between the strings as the other ngers continue to play.

Bartok Pizzicato is also used, with the standard snap pizzicato symbol. Take the right
hand thumb and slap bass style pluck or take the thumb and index and lift the string(s)
high above and suddenly release, the string(s) will bounce o the frets to produce a
buzzy timbre. This can be combined with other techniques, such as sha or string crossing,
or even using all three at once.

Left hand pizzicato

Harmonics:

3
Natural is the 1st bar, articial harmonics the 2nd. Note how
natural is notated at sounding pitch, while articial is notated
at the stopped note oval notehead with noded note diamond
notehead. In this case, the node is a perfect 4th higher than the
stopped note, which produces a sounding note 2 justly intonated
octaves above the stopped/oval note. Also notice the tablature
notation, and how it is the same for either type (articial having
a number other than 0 for the stopped note). Tapped harmonics
will have a diamond note head an octave above (or an 11th or 12th
as may be the case) rather than a 4th or 5th.

Scrapes:
The rst style you simply gradually take a plectrum and scrape
it across the string, glissandoing through the specied range.
The second type you scrub back and forth a bit as you glissando
up, rather than a smooth straight path from note to note.
The violent type is where you very swiftly and amboyantly take
the plectrum(s) and scrape as fast as possible from the entire specied
note range back and forth for the notated rhythmic value. You would
be able to make it all the way from A and back several times
in the example given at any tempo. Scrapes across multiple strings
at once can also occur. Note that the fret numbers don't indicate
left hand nger placement, but rather where the right hand plectrums
should be dragging across the pipa strings, the left hand generally
unused.

Here is a particularly complex instance. First, notice it is 2 strings

being scraped. In addition, a third and even fourth string are
being plucked along the way. Simply take say the thumb and
index plectrums to scrape the lowest strings (IV and III) while
using any of the remaining right hand ngers to pluck the
strings being fretted by the left hand ngers on the highest
strings (II and I). Note also that the spread between the scraped
strings is not uniform throughout, slowly going from a 5th
to a tritone and back.

With fret pressure, I don't ask for more than a major third,
usually even less than this, and only on the rst 6 convex
frets. There are 4 symbols for fret pressure note bends then,
one for each interval.

Notice that pressurized notes have triangle noteheads.

Also note the fret number indicated by the tablature, all of these
notes stem from the B.

4
The rst example demonstrates portamento to the next note at a later
pace compared to normal. The next note is an earlier portamento
than normal, however it isn't a fret-to-fret sliding, it's a fret pressure
portamento (notice the two 4s in the tab and the triangle notehead).

Here are a few types of ornaments. In the rst notice how it's
a fret pressure note, allowing us to go down in pitch. This is
also why it says fret 2 rather than 3, in keeping consistent
with normal fret pressure notes. In reality, you are lowering
about a quarter tone from 'ghost fret 3' to about 'ghost fret
2.5'. I have also noted these '2.5' or '3.5' frets in the rst
couple to demonstrate. I would not do this in the actual
score, but just leave the '2' or the '3' and rely on the
notation as the guide. These rst two are simply slight
bends and releases taking the entire notated value
to execute.
The next two are fast ornamentations, and the tab looks more
like I would normally write in a score. In the third note, very quickly
after plucking the note you would apply a small amount of
fret pressure and release. In the fourth and last note, you would
wait ever so slightly until you near the end of the note value,
and then execute a fast slight bend and release.

Simply take the lowest string, IV, and at the designated fret push
it up over and beyond the fretboard to prevent ringing, the timbre
will be like a muted bartok pizzicato. Doing the same with the high
string is designated by the same symbol but upside down. May be
accompanied by the text 'IV beyond fretboard'.

A-D-E-A Tuning at the start of the piece. This is written an octave

higher than sounding (notice the 8 at the bottom of the clef).

Yangtze River Serenade for Pipa

e = 75

Connor Helms

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Copyright 2012 Connor Helms

10 10 10 12
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thumb notes
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accel.

62

10

14 17 17 19 19 22 17 19 17
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15 14 14 17 17 14 17 17 22 22
19
16
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17
17
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19 17 19 19 14 17 17 14 10 10
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21
15 15 14
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q = 70

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&
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dim

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19 17 19 19 14 17 17 14 19 14
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113

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119
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17
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16 14 17 16 14 16 14 12 16 14 12 17 16 14 16 14 12
12
0
12
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12
12
12
12
12
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123
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& 3 3 3

170
120

16 14 16 14 12 17 16 14 16 14 12 17 16 14 16 14 12
12
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12
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12
12
12
12
12
12
12
0
12
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17
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16 14 16 14

12 17 16 14 16 14 12 17 16
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staggered scrapes # # q = 180 >
125 # #
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20

21

19
18

20 21
19
16

20 21

20

19
18

19

16
19

q = 90

# # # #
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129

21
24
21
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19
21
19

16
17
16
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12
14
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21
24
21
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19
21
19

16
17
16
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12
14
14

16
17
16
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12
14
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19
17
16
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21

19
18

12
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20 21
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18

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q = 180 >
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16
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hold over
2nd time
through

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4
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16
14
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131

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16
14
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134

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11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11
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4
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9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9
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11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11
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6
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0
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4
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138
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7
4
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4
4
4
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11

4
0
6
4

17 17
0 12

16

0
16 16 14
14 14

17 17 17 19
14

16
14

11

14
11

12 11

21 16 16 14
12
12
16
16

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142

mf

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12
7

11 11
9 10 14 12 14 14 12
11
12 9

11
14 12

16 14

17 17

16

9 12 14

11
7 9 12

16 16 14
14 14

17 17 17 19
17 17 17 19

16
16

14
14

17 17 17 19

16

14

11
7

12

21 16
21 16
16
21 16

16
16
16
16

14
14
14
14

e = 140

# ## n # # n## n #
& # # # n # # n #
J
J
J
146

IV beyond
fretboard

sha,

w/ left thumb move

fret to fret

9 12 12

12 14 13

normal

IV beyond
fretboard

11 11 11 14 16 15
11 11 11 14 16
X
X X X
X
X
X X

15
X

11 11 11
9
9

14 16 15
11 11 11 14 16
12 12
9
9
12 14

15
13

# n## n # 6 # #n # # #

# #
& #nn # 8 n
J
J
3
q. = 60

149

0
0
0
0
11 11 11 14 16 15
11 11 11
9
9 12 12
9
9

0
0
14 16
12 14

15
13

12 14 12

0
0

14 14 14
13
12

16

12

16

12

16

12

16

12

16 11

0
0
13

13
11

11

13
11


# n # # # # #
& #
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12

q. = 66.6

accel.

153

12
12

0
0
14

13
11

14

0
0
14

7
0
0

14

14

14

14

14

12
14 14 14 14
15
12
12
12
12
12

12
12
12

14

14 12
14 14 14 14
12
12
12
12
12

12
12
12

11 11 12
14 14 14 14
14 14
13
14
13
11
11
11

#

# ## #### # # # # # # #

& #

#
#

158

12 12 11

12 12

14 14

11

12 12 14 14

14 14
14

11

13
11

14

12

14 14 14

16

12

9 12 9

12

16 12 16 12

12 16 12 16 12 16

14 14
14

14

11

11

11

11

11

11

11

11

11

11

11

11

16

11

11

16
12

11

16

11

12

16
12

11
12

j
#

# q. = q = 100
#

2
# # ## # # # 2

& #
# 4 n 4
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163

12

12

16 12

14

12 16 12
14

14 14 14

12
9

12

18 14

11 12 12

16 12 11 11 11 11

14 14 14

18

14
13

12

11

13
11

13

14 11

11

14
12

11

14 11

12

14
12

11
12

0 12
0 12
0 12
0 12

q = e = 200
168
b

b
5


b #

8
& 4 # n

13

0 11

0 11
0 13
0

0 12

0 13
0 11

11

0 12

0 12
0 12

13

0 12

0
0 12

0 12

0 12

7 12

7 12

7 12

&

173

7 12

0 7 12
0 7

0 7 12 12 7 0

12

0 7 12

0 7 12
0 7 12

0 7 12
0 7 12

12 0
12

7 0

0
12 7 0

0
12 7 0

12 0
12 0
12 0 12 0

&

13

accel.

178

12 0 12
12 0 12 0 12
12

12 0 12 0 12 0
12 0 12 0

0
0

12
12

12 0 12

12 0

12

0
0

12 0 12

12 0 12

12 0 12
0

12 0

12 0 12 12 12 12
12

12

12

6
& # # # # # ## ## n 8

183 e = 240

4
2

4
2

187
n 5
6
b

8
& 8 b

12

14 14

12

12 15 15

12

12 15 15

12

12

12

14

14 14

15

15

12

14

12

14

14

12 15 15
12 15 15
11
12 11

12

# #

& # #

191

0
0

&

195

0
0

21

10 12 12
9 12
0
0

10 12 12
9 12
0
0

12

16 16

12 15
0
0

12 16 16
12 15
0
0

16 19 19
15 17
0
0

16 19 19
15 17
0
0

Play 4 Times

#
#

19 22 22
17
0
0

19 22 22
17 21
0
0

0
0

0
0

10 12 12
0

12 15 15
11

12

9 12
0
0

12
12 15
0
0

16 16

#
#

&

14

199

16 19 19
15 17
0
0

19 22 22
17 21
0
0

19 22 22
17
0
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