Bridge or Rosin?

[SuLi Sues YU]

 Hello! So today, on Eason Music, I found this really interesting 4300 year old wood bridge that would "improve your tone by leaps and bounds" (here's the link: www.easonmusicstore.com/products/4300-year-old-Erhu-Bridge/54). I have
also known that there is a rosin called Baker's Rosin, which some call the best, that also impacts your sound a lot ( www.bakersrosin.com/about.html ).

I was wondering, which of these two items would impact the sound quality of my erhu more?
And also, in general, what tends to impact sound more: the bridge or the rosin?

[Minh]

I found that each bridge brings its own little sound depending on their shape and material. I personally haven't experienced with many rosins, but I find the bridges easy to switch around when I feel like having a different sound, i'm going with bridges.

[SuLi Sues YU]

Jan 9, 2016 21:16:10 GMT Minh said:

I found that each bridge brings its own little sound depending on their shape and material. I personally haven't experienced with many rosins, but I find the bridges easy to switch around when I feel like having a different sound, i'm going with bridges.

Ok, thanks for your advice! Just curious, is there any bridge that you favor the most or does it depend?

[edcat7]

I haven't used that 4300 year old bridge and to be honest I'm sceptical. However I seem to remember there's a money back guarantee if you're not happy.

David and I use a pine knot bridge.. cheaply available from Redmusicshop.

As for rosin I use Pirastro Goldlex, it has just enough grip without too much dust.

From your other post: an expensive rosin and bridge will make no difference if the erhu is poor.

[Minh]

I actually have one of those ancient bridges, it improved the tone of one of my erhus, but on the other ones it sounded just like a regular black bridge.

I don't have any favorite bridges or sounds, it all really depends on what I feel like hearing, sometimes it's more mellow, sometimes it's more of a brighter brittle sound. For all I know to another person's ears it might sound not good, but I like what I like, it's a personal thing.

[edcat7]

I've always considered my HHR better than my teacher's budget erhu with brass tuning pegs. But when we play together his one always cuts through/ seems louder than mine. This is true when we swap erhus; his has more projection and is more responsive.

He uses a basic white bridge whereas I use a pine knot one. I suppose each has their own merits. But then he has been playing his one for decades whilst mine is only a couple of years old. I wonder if a certain sound of erhu is better suited for solo and others for ensemble work?

[SuLi Sues YU]

Jan 11, 2016 2:17:29 GMT edcat7 said:

I've always considered my HHR better than my teacher's budget erhu with brass tuning pegs. But when we play together his one always cuts through/ seems louder than mine. This is true when we swap erhus; his has more projection and is more responsive.

He uses a basic white bridge whereas I use a pine knot one. I suppose each has their own merits. But then he has been playing his one for decades whilst mine is only a couple of years old. I wonder if a certain sound of erhu is better suited for solo and others for ensemble work?

Interesting. But your erhu is of higher quality so maybe your erhu has better sound quality, like for example a very bright tone, while your teacher's budget erhu doesn't. That being said, what makes more difference in an erhu's voice? The wood quality or snakeskin?

[davidmdahl]

In my experience, the bridge has to match qualities in the erhu. A bridge that sounds great one on erhu is not so great on another. If you can, try a variety of different bridge shapes and woods to see what works best for the erhu. A high-quality erhu from a boutique erhu maker will likely choose the bridge well to match the erhu. A budget erhu from a factory might be more likely to simply grab a bridge from the pile and consider it good enough. I suspect that the bridge depends on the nature of the skin, such as tightness and thickness, and maybe on the strings. Sometimes the problem with a bridge is its geometry, and the position of the string grooves. If the grooves are either too far apart or too close together for the bushiness of the bow hair, playing cleanly can be a challenge. Also, examine the grooves to see if one side is deeper than the other. Sometimes the bridge will sound better turned 180 degrees, particularly if the outside string is laying in the groove cut for the thicker inside string.

As for rosin, a good quality European violin rosin is well-suited for erhu. I use a light amber rosin. The darker rosins for viola and cello are much too sticky.

Provided an erhu has a good skin that has been properly installed, all the player needs to be concerned with is a bridge and strings that match the instrument, and the proper adjustment of all the parts. If one thing is off, adjusting or replacing other parts may not have much of an effect. An experienced player or teacher can be invaluable to check out the adjustment to make sure all is well. Sometimes just moving the bridge to a more central location on the skin, or adjusting the pad, make a big difference in the sound and response.

There were times when I was wrestling with the erhu and struggling to get a good sound. I was sure that something was off on my erhu. I handed it to my teacher and he played some short passages, handed the erhu back to me, and told me to practice more.

Best wishes,

David