New bow too "poofy"

[gpburdell]

Hello all, I am new to the erhu, just started playing in mid January by getting a $60 one off Amazon.  I fancied myself somewhat decent for not having any teacher except my own innate musical ability and Youtube (and I do not believe there are any erhu teachers in my area).  I upgraded to the $330 Landtom one off of Amazon recently.  The bow it came with seems too...poofy.  Like when I bow, the hairs often hit both the strings and it's frustrating because my cheap erhu and bow don't do that.  I don't remember if I had this problem with the beginner set...if I sounded bad back then I just assumed it was because I was an abject beginner.

My bow from the $60 beginner set is much more "flat" and I never have problems with the hairs hitting both strings.  I try to keep my bow angle pretty perpendicular to the plane that the strings create so I don't think it's that.  Do new erhu bows just need to be broken in and do they become more "flat" with time?  

Also, when I use the old bow with the new erhu, even that bow still makes more screechy noises than old bow and old erhu.  Is it possible that the strings themselves need to become broken in?

[davidmdahl]

Welcome to the forum, gpburdell, and congratulations on your new erhu. I played on a Landtom erhu several years ago which someone wanted me to check out. I was pleasantly surprised. A sample of one is not a lot to go on, but it is promising. Bows come in at least two styles, with bow hairs that lay flat and the other with the hairs in a bunch. One is Shanghai style, and the other is Beijing style, but at the moment I don't remember which is which.

If your bow is playing both strings, the string channels on your bridge are too close together for the bow. You might try a different bridge that has the channels further apart. You can also cut a new channel for one of the strings, but you might not want to do that on your only bridge. Depending on the wood, it is easy to cut off more than you intended. I suggest ordering a selection of bridges, so you can see what sounds the best, and that works well with your bow.

A new erhu with a new bow does often need to be adjusted properly, and broken in. A new bow takes a lot of strokes on the rosin, and playing will improve the sound. Bad sound can come from a variety of sources. Common reasons include an inadequate damper, an ill-suited bridge, and player technique. I find that a lot of bridges are too high, and the sound is better with a shorter one.

Best wishes,

David

[gpburdell]

Thanks for your reply David. Good to know that I wasn't completed scammed by buying the Landtom.

That's great information about the flat and bunched hairs in the bows. What is the reason for the difference? It seems a bit pointless to have a bunch of hairs if they are not in contact with the string (as seems to be the case with my poofy one).

The erhu came with two bridges, one some sort of dark wood, and the other light. With the new erhu I am using the dark one and I haven't even examined the other one to see how far apart the channels are. I will look into the spare bridge, and also a flat bow.

[edcat7]

I've tried various after market bows and I too have found them to have too much hair. My favourite bows were included with the erhus.

[davidmdahl]

Mar 7, 2018 22:07:03 GMT edcat7 said:

I've tried various after market bows and I too have found them to have too much hair. My favourite bows were included with the erhus.

The maker or vendor is likely to have included a bow that worked well with that particular erhu. I have had very good luck with after-market bows though. If you don't like the hair in a bunch, try the Beijing maker Li Huai Gang. The price is a little more, but the hair lays pretty much flat. A cheaper option is Wang Xiao Di, also from Beijing.

Sometimes a new bow with a thick bunch of hair just means it is time to try another bridge with more space between the grooves.

Best wishes,

David