I selected “Spring Rain” by Meng Xiao because of the musical artist’s impressive solo performance. More specifically, I was shocked by Xiao’s ability to carry an entire musical performance just through the use of the traditional Chinese instrument known as the pipa. After my first listen, I learned that the pipa had an incredible range that could be manipulated through the technique of its performer. For instance, I noticed that the timbre of the pipa was very distinctive because it gave a sense of warmth due to the intense plucking of the strings by Xiao. However, even though Xiao demonstrated a sense of warmth, I believe that she also intentionally played much slower in the first thirty seconds of her performance to give an essence of blissful coldness. Additionally, I thought “Spring Rain” had a relatively thin texture since Xiao was the only musician performing throughout the piece. Despite this, I thought the pipa was still able to create a true musical experience through the different techniques and sounds that Xiao was able to produce. Ultimately, I think Xiao demonstrated her deeper reasoning behind her performance by using the pipa to portray the warmth of the spring sun after a long and painfully cold winter months. Overall, it is evident that “Spring Rain” by Meng Xiao provides an exceptional display of music from China by utilizing a beautiful instrument such as the pipa not only through sound, but also through the physical attributes of the instrument.