Pipa

a Chinese lute-like instrument dating back to the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC) bearing four strings, with a pear-shaped body made of hard wood, measures almost four feet long and a foot across the belly. The neck normally has six ledges made of wood, horn, or ivory, and the belly has twenty-six bamboo frets. The strings are typically plucked, with picks attached to each of the player’s five fingers, with the instrument held vertically in the lap.