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Post by Curt Geesdorf on Jan 13, 2009 1:48:10 GMT
A friend of mine brought me an erhu, direct from China. I do not remember now if it was purchased in Shanghai or in Beijin. He told me it was very difficult to find. And I thought just the opposite ... Someone could assess the quality of the instrument, based on these pictures?    []s Curt |
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Post by song on Jan 13, 2009 9:37:20 GMT
It looks like a starter of starters erhu from the tag.
SW
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Post by andrewwilt on Jan 13, 2009 16:58:54 GMT
Could you post some pictures of the instrument? Specifically, the snakeskin as well as the body of the instrument. Those two would be an indicator of the quality. Also, if you feel comfortable, how much did your friend pay for it in China?
Andrew
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Post by davidmdahl on Jan 13, 2009 17:37:59 GMT
I know that many people try to save money on Chinese instruments by having a friend or family member pick it up during a trip to Asia. My erhu teacher has students whose parents have purchased an instrument this way. Unfortunately, it rarely results in a good instrument. A non-musician has almost no chance of making a good choice, and the helpful salesman will usually see this as a chance to get rid of a slow seller. Human nature being what it is, the merchant is more likely to sell his good instruments to local teachers and musicians, and dog instruments to tourists who will never come again anyway. Recent changes in the Chinese economy have dramatically increased the cost of good instruments, so it is really hard to get a bargain.
However, if you can get a erhu player who you trust to make a selection for you, you can get a good instrument. My erhu teacher did this for me during a trip to Chinese during December. If this is not an option, I suggest that your best option is to go through an outfit like Eason. The cost might be more, or it might actually be less than what you might pay in a Chinese music store. I think you are much more likely to get a good instrument.
The pics indicate you have a Dunhuang erhu. Dunhuang makes just about every sort of traditional Chinese instruments, in a wide range of quality, from firewood to artist level. Hopefully your Dunhuang is closer to the artist end.
Post some photos if you want more informed responses, but in the end it is your own opinion that counts. If you enjoy playing your erhu, it was a good purchase.
Best wishes,
David
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Post by dsouthwood on Jan 13, 2009 17:40:31 GMT
I notice that the number on the tag pictured above is 01A. I have an ebony Dunhuang erhu, and the number on the tag is 07A. Does anyone know what those numbers mean, and what the scale is?
Dennis
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Post by Curt Geesdorf on Jan 13, 2009 22:44:45 GMT
I'm just curious, as the quality of the instrument. I'm not concerned about this! The price was between USD 40.00 and USD 50.00. I am not a musician, just love the sound of the erhu and I am very happy to have one. If I can play something on it, great ... But I am aware that I will not find a teacher next to me, to instruct me. At most, can take some lessons in violin. Oh, yes! I have the videos of Sung Wah (excellent), and others! more pictures:       []s Curt |
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Post by song on Jan 14, 2009 9:43:25 GMT
Hi Curt,
You definitely can play a tune or 2 on it. But there are some things you can do to improve the tone.
First put a damper of felt material under the strings below the bridge. If you can, change the bridge. The black horse hair bow will sound scratchy and noisy. It would be good if you can change it as well.
Regarding the numbering on the dunhuang erhu, the larger the number the better the quality.
SW
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Post by davidbadagnani on Jan 16, 2009 9:43:53 GMT
A friend has a beautiful ebony Dunhuang erhu here in Ohio. She didn't play it for several years, storing it in the basement, and the body cracked straight through in two places. Has anyone heard of such a thing happening to an erhu body?
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Post by Curt Geesdorf on Jan 16, 2009 15:54:03 GMT
Thank you all, now I have a lot of work to try to play ;D  Perhaps in the future I buy the Eason's "Erhu Resurection Kit"! []s Curt |
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Post by davidmdahl on Jan 16, 2009 17:24:02 GMT
A friend has a beautiful ebony Dunhuang erhu here in Ohio. She didn't play it for several years, storing it in the basement, and the body cracked straight through in two places. Has anyone heard of such a thing happening to an erhu body? I don't have enough experience with large numbers of erhus, especially Dunhuang, to contribute much of a data point, but I know of such problems with green, poorly chosen, or insufficiently dried ebony used for flutes. The problem might be worse when the erhu is stored where the humidity fluctuates widely. Maybe quality wood is getting so scarce that Dunhuang is getting less choosy. Best wishes, David |
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Post by davidbadagnani on Jan 17, 2009 0:45:08 GMT
Interesting. I have never seen nor heard of an ebony dizi, although one occasionally finds them in jade or porcelain. And Irish flutes are often made of African blackwood. I wonder what species of ebony Dunhuang uses. Is it the same as the African blackwood used to make oboes and clarinets (Dalbergia melanoxylon, called "mpingo" in Africa)? Supposedly the ebony species are in an unrelated genus called Diospyros. A friend has a beautiful ebony Dunhuang erhu here in Ohio. She didn't play it for several years, storing it in the basement, and the body cracked straight through in two places. Has anyone heard of such a thing happening to an erhu body? I don't have enough experience with large numbers of erhus, especially Dunhuang, to contribute much of a data point, but I know of such problems with green, poorly chosen, or insufficiently dried ebony used for flutes. The problem might be worse when the erhu is stored where the humidity fluctuates widely. Maybe quality wood is getting so scarce that Dunhuang is getting less choosy. Best wishes, David |
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Post by calden on Jan 17, 2009 0:55:11 GMT
A friend has a beautiful ebony Dunhuang erhu here in Ohio. She didn't play it for several years, storing it in the basement, and the body cracked straight through in two places. Has anyone heard of such a thing happening to an erhu body? David: The humidity changes drastically in many parts of the United States, getting especially dry in winter. I have several Chinese instruments that did not survive the translocation to the San Joaquin Valley in Central California well. This was well before I knew about things like humidity controlled environments. Even now that I know I still don't do what I ought to. Bad boy, me. Besides being made in a more humid environment, many Chinese folk instruments are not made well, shall we say, and would probably fall apart even if there were surrounded by epoxy resin.  Carlos |
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Post by davidmdahl on Jan 17, 2009 2:48:34 GMT
Interesting. I have never seen nor heard of an ebony dizi, although one occasionally finds them in jade or porcelain. And Irish flutes are often made of African blackwood. When I wrote flute, I should have wrote traverso or Baroque flute. In another epoch of my life, I played a boxwood traverso with other "early music" types. While African Blackwood (grenadilla) is popular for modern Irish flutes, ebony was one of the woods used for historical European flutes. As I understand it, ebony is somewhat different than grenadilla. When well-chosen and appropriately dried, it holds up well as an instrument wood, but it can crack if precautions are not taken by the maker and musician. I have not seen a serious Chinese flute made of anything other than bamboo. There is a youtube video of a performance on what looks to be a jade flute, so there must be some exceptions. I have a Vietnamese flute in wood (sao go), but I think that bamboo is more common. Best wishes, David |
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