PEPA

Pepa is a reed pipe that is connected to a buffalo-horn. Also known as pempa, pepati, singra and xuri, it is an aerophone or a wind instrument, usually made with a buffalo horn, with a small bamboo pipe attached to it. Pepa has four parts namely the hing or thula, the reed pipe known as the gofnola or nolisa, supohi or the reed and the mukhoni, which is the mouthpiece.

Three varieties of Pepa are seen in the Assamese traditional music namely, the Gutia Pepa, which consists of all these four parts, the Jur Pepa, where two separate Pepas of four parts each are used, and the Juria Pepa, where there are two separate Pepas with three parts each. They are tied together with a single fourth part which is the mukhoni.

There are two versions of Pepa — single and double. The single horn/bamboo has five or six holes and the dual-bodied instrument has four holes. A metal ring is attached to the opening of the horn that functions both as a mechanical reinforcement and an embellishment. The Pepa is usually under two ft in length, but the size may vary.