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Post by jeongmee on Jun 22, 2005 21:07:59 GMT
Hey everyone I'm really new to this whole website and i just registered in order to ask a some questions about the erhu  I ordered an erhu instrument to try to teach myself how to play and when the instrument came it wasn't put together at all. first of all how do i attach the bridge to the snake skin? Either w/ glue or a certain type of glue? And how do I tie the quingin and like w/ what type of knot around the strings? also when I put the strings on the erhu which string do I put through the bow? Sorry if i have a lot of question but i'm kinda desperate lol  Please feel free to answer! |
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Post by davidmdahl on Jun 22, 2005 22:54:07 GMT
Welcome to our forum, jeongmee! I hope that you stick around and participate with your questions and comments. There are a few websites I have run across that address your questions, but I will need to dig them up and post them later. You do not need any glue at all for the bridge! The pressure of the strings keep the bridge in place. I have seen some rather complicated instructions for tying the knot, but in a pinch it really does not have to be difficult. I have even used waxed dental floss, wrapped it around a few times and tied it. The right way is illustrated quite well by the following URL: www.senmaike.net/erhu/20040704/pic20040704_e.htmlThe bow hair goes between the strings such that the higher pitched (outside) string is between the hair and stick. I highly recommend that you find someone to help you get going on the erhu. I know that this can be a challenge depending on where you live, but even one lesson could save you a lot of trouble. If that is not possible, stick around and ask questions. Best wishes, David |
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Post by davidmdahl on Jun 23, 2005 0:11:27 GMT
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Post by jeongmee on Jun 23, 2005 0:30:21 GMT
Thank you so much for your help! I will definitly be asking more questions as I go along here. As for finding someone to help me play and learn I highly doubt that there is anyone where I live. Thank you for help again and please feel free to give me what ever advice you have! |
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Post by paulv on Jun 24, 2005 12:39:29 GMT
Hi David,
Great advice to jeongmee. Charlie made a good choice when he put you in the co-pilot seat!!
Regards,
Paul Valente
PS: Good luck with the zhonghu!
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Post by davidmdahl on Jun 24, 2005 16:21:54 GMT
Thanks, Paul. <g> Do you have any suggestions to add to what I came up with?
The zhonghu is a lot of fun. It is a little startling to have such a deep and rich voice coming from a relatively small instrument. Even though it is larger than an erhu, it is still pretty managable. I left it with my teacher last night until my next lesson so he can play around with it. Instruments I lend him are usually much better adjusted when they come back. <g>
Best wishes,
David
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Post by paulv on Jun 27, 2005 12:38:52 GMT
Hi David,
The only other thing jongmee needs is the folded-up piece of felt material placed below the bridge to dampen the sound. When replacing the qianjin, it should be tied so a person's index finger's large knuckle (the flat side) can pass between the stick and strings. Also, for an initial adjustment, the location of the qianjin should be at the first joint of the little finger (where it joins the hand) while resting the elbow on the top of the resonator box.
I had my teacher adjust my erhu once a long time ago -- it sounded really good after that. He also taught me how to do it so I don't have to bother him anymore. Your zhonghu should come back sounding great!
Regards,
Paul Valente
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Post by davidmdahl on Jun 27, 2005 16:12:33 GMT
Good points, Paul! It is amazing how important a little bit of felt can be. When I first tried to play my new zhonghu, my heart sank at the really cranky sound. Then I noticed that the felt was not in place below the bridge. I found the felt in the case and installed it. What a difference!
The qianjin is another simple but important thing to get right. It was not quite tight enough on my zhonghu at first. Besides a bit of crankiness on open strings, there was a slightly different pitch depending on the bow direction. I was able to make it better, but in the end pulled a Tom Sawyer move and lent the zhonghu to my teacher for the week. I am pretty sure it will be perfectly adjusted at my next lesson. <g>
Best wishes,
David
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Post by jeongmee on Jul 11, 2005 1:42:25 GMT
Hey I've been reading some things and my question is, are there different types of erhus or just other instruments that are kind of the same cuz I keep on hearing like zhonghus and gonghus or something like and if there are different types of erhus, then what kind of erhu do I have? Also thanks a lot for the help you guys!
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Post by Dick on Jul 11, 2005 3:55:01 GMT
Jeongmee, is there any way you can post a picture of your instrument?
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Post by davidmdahl on Jul 11, 2005 6:13:51 GMT
Hey I've been reading some things and my question is, are there different types of erhus or just other instruments that are kind of the same cuz I keep on hearing like zhonghus and gonghus or something like and if there are different types of erhus, then what kind of erhu do I have? Also thanks a lot for the help you guys! There are a variety of huqins (the generic name for the Chinese two-string violin) that are of various sizes and purposes. Over the past century, there has been quite a bit of development of the huqin family, at least partly due to influence of Western music and the desire to design a Chinese orchestra on the scale of that of the West. Some of the smaller huqins, such as the gaohu, have a role in particular forms of music, such as traditional opera. Others like the zhonghu were developed relatively recently. The zhonghu is larger than the erhu as the viola is to the violin and helps to add body to the string sound in the Chinese orchestra. I don't know what a gonghu is. I suggest Googling on "erhu" and "zhonghu". There are a number of websites that describe these and other huqins. Best wishes, David |
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Post by paulv on Jul 11, 2005 12:11:54 GMT
Hi Jeongmee, Check out this website -- there are pictures with descriptions and some sound clips. www.paulnoll.comRegards, Paul Valente |
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Post by jeongmee on Jul 14, 2005 5:55:21 GMT
First of all, I don't think i can post a pic of the erhu on since i'm not that smart w/ computers lol, but my erhu is pretty small and it has a bow that has black horse hair if that helps... the sound was really nice after i put felt underneath the bridge to dampen the sound a little (thanx) and it took me quite a while to rosin the bow since i think the rosin had some sort of film over it. So it took me longer than i hoped it would, but i'm satisfied w/ the sound and now i just need to practice. Bowing wasn't as hard as i thought it would be its kinda natural if you hold it right.
Since there isn't a teacher that I know of right now, does anyone know how to do any interesting techniques i could teach myself that arent very hard?
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Post by davidmdahl on Jul 14, 2005 6:31:57 GMT
If you post some measurements, such as the length of the shaft, and length and diameter of the body (resonator), we might be able to tell for sure what huqin you have. The erhu is usually tuned to D (long string closest to you) and A above (short string on outside). Tunes in D are easiest, followed by tunes in G.
What sort of goals do you have? The erhu is a challenging yet rewarding instrument. I don't know of anything on the erhu that is particularly easy, but it does help if you have a good ear and a musical background. Do you read staff notation or Chinese numeric notation (jianpu)?
I listed several websites with videos of erhu players. I would examine those very closely, with particular emphasis on hand positions and bowing techniques. There are VCDs available from a variety of sources, but their usefulness will be best if you understand Chinese. I am not familiar with many since I have a teacher. Most of the method books use jianpu, which is not particularly hard, but is something more to learn if you don't already know it.
Another approach is to just play a lot of scales and tunes you already know, and not necessarily Chinese tunes. Even Twinkle Twinkle Little Star is pretty easy to play by ear, and will get you started. If you can find a CD to play along with, it will really help you to learn to play in tune.
Best wishes,
David
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Post by paulv on Jul 14, 2005 12:55:22 GMT
Hmm... a very small erhu with a black horsehair bow -- sounds like a jinghu. Black horsehair is much coarser than white and is OK for jinghu but really not well suited for erhu.
I'll wait until you identify which huqin it is so I don't give you any bad advice.
Regards
Paul Valente
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Post by calden on Jul 14, 2005 14:17:56 GMT
Jeongmee:
Hi there. I'm yet another erhu guy here. I've been keeping up with this thread and your questions. I know you said you don't yet know how to post a picture for us to see. Where did you get your erhu? If it was on the internet, then you could give us the site URL and say "THAT one."
I also had a thought about the rosin. When I initially use rosin, it is always very hard on the surface of the block. I gently score it and scratch it with the tip of a knife. I've also found that new bows tend to need lots of rosin at first.
Good luck. Have fun with it. Play lots. I know you said that you can't possibly find a teacher where you live, but you never know. Even in the US in small towns there are folks who have this thing sitting in the closet who haven't played for centuries. Ask around.
Carlos
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Post by YouLanFengChune on Jul 14, 2005 15:18:35 GMT
i'm having a bad feeling abt her erhu dmnsions. Sounds like a Jin Erhu, (larger than jinhu, six sided but its smaller than erhu.)
Erhu should measur approxmately 85 cm high, the diameter of the resonator should be about 9.1 mm. David, your erhu has a slightly differentmeasurement, though you may not be able to see it.
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Post by davidmdahl on Jul 14, 2005 16:08:26 GMT
i'm having a bad feeling abt her erhu dmnsions. Sounds like a Jin Erhu, (larger than jinhu, six sided but its smaller than erhu.) Erhu should measur approxmately 85 cm high, the diameter of the resonator should be about 9.1 mm. David, your erhu has a slightly differentmeasurement, though you may not be able to see it. I was going to say gaohu might be a possibility, but we don't have much to go on yet. Do you mean the resonator should be 9.1 cm? I was using this term to describe the box that the snake skin is stretched over. Otherwise, I don't know what is 9.1 mm. Jeongmee, as Carlos suggested, a URL for a instrument like yours will help us to identify it properly and give you better advice. You might take a look at the huqin section of the cadenzamusic.biz site, for one example. Another one is at baymusic.net, where you can get a look at a jinghu, among others. Otherwise, measurements and a more specific description will help. By the way, I found another erhu video on the web at: learningobjects.wesleyan.edu/vim/cgi-bin/instrument.cgi?id=19 . I like the Jiebing Chen and musicfromchina.org videos better, but the price is right. <g> Best wishes, David |
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Post by davidmdahl on Jul 14, 2005 16:15:52 GMT
Good luck. Have fun with it. Play lots. I know you said that you can't possibly find a teacher where you live, but you never know. Even in the US in small towns there are folks who have this thing sitting in the closet who haven't played for centuries. Ask around. No kidding! You would think Spokane, WA a long shot to find an erhu player. <g> It took me over a year to find a teacher in my neck of the woods for the dan bau (Vietnamese monochord), and the one I eventually found was just just a few blocks from my home. You just have to ask the right people. Best wishes, David |
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Post by calden on Jul 14, 2005 19:59:50 GMT
Good luck. Have fun with it. Play lots. I know you said that you can't possibly find a teacher where you live, but you never know. Even in the US in small towns there are folks who have this thing sitting in the closet who haven't played for centuries. Ask around. No kidding! You would think Spokane, WA a long shot to find an erhu player. <g> It took me over a year to find a teacher in my neck of the woods for the dan bau (Vietnamese monochord), and the one I eventually found was just just a few blocks from my home. You just have to ask the right people. Best wishes, David Long shot, indeed. There are less than a thousand Zhongguo Ren in our city of 300,000 (metro area) and at least one who plays decent erhu. There are also a bunch who play a little bit, and are happy to grab mine and hack away at "Sai Ma" and incorrectly tell me what I'm doing wrong. And Spokane is something like 95% Caucasian. Carlos |
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Post by davidmdahl on Jul 14, 2005 23:28:04 GMT
Long shot, indeed. There are less than a thousand Zhongguo Ren in our city of 300,000 (metro area) and at least one who plays decent erhu. There are also a bunch who play a little bit, and are happy to grab mine and hack away at "Sai Ma" and incorrectly tell me what I'm doing wrong. And Spokane is something like 95% Caucasian. Chances that the waiter in your local Chinese restaurant knows anything about erhu are not much better than with Jessica Simpson. It takes some persistence to find the small community of Chinese who keep such traditions alive. In my case, I found a Chinese cultural organization that provided the referral. Best wishes, David |
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Post by Charlie Huang on Jul 15, 2005 10:07:12 GMT
There isn't much musicians in my neck of the woods. In London, there's plenty with the UK Chinese Ensemble, outside there's not really any (or any that is active and public). I also find that the Chinese community are less interested in preserving arts and music, lack enthusiasm towards music, unless it turns out to be Canto-pop...  It has made me feel the need to educate them in the proper appreciations of traditional cultured music. I'm trying to find some sort of music ensemble for me to go and have a general dialogue with, but so far no luck. Rather frustrating. I only know of one qin player (who is a beginner below me) who lives near me, but that's all. |
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Post by jeongmee on Jul 18, 2005 4:25:34 GMT
Hey David, The diameter of the resonator box is about 3 1/2 in. and its also in a hexagonal shape (incase that helps) and the length of the shaft is about 24 inches. I've already tuned the strings to D and A. Yes I do have a musical background. I've played piano for most of my life and I started taking guitar lessons about 2 years ago. So I know how to read staff notation but I'm still not into jianpu. I guess my goals w/ the erhu is just to learn some asian culture even if I'm not exactly chinese but asian I'm just very interested Also I have seen a video by Jiebing Chen and have a vcd by someone else. I've already played twinkle twinkly little star and trying out some other songs, but thats basically where I'm at right now. thanx for the help! |
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Post by jeongmee on Jul 18, 2005 4:32:32 GMT
To reply to Calden:
I bought the erhu online from ebay actually and I did a search for erhus and somebody was selling about three of the same kind of erhus. I don't exactly know where it was on ebay just that I did a search and it was one of the selections. maybe if you just browsed around the website you might find it.
Also its funny that you mention the rosin cause it took me forever to rosin my bow and I didn't know you had to score it or anything I just kept thinking keep going, but it took me longer than I expected. Too bad I didn't know that before but thanx!
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Post by davidmdahl on Jul 18, 2005 8:29:14 GMT
Well, Jeongmee, it appears to me that you have an erhu. The hexagonal shape of the resonator, and the dimensions add up to an erhu. The color of black for the bow hair threw us off the scent, since that type of bow is not normally considered suitable for an erhu. The best sort of bow to get has white/cream horsehair. My first erhus (actually the Vietnamese versions) came with bow hair of nylon, and these were terrible to use. The erhu is much easier to play with a good bow. Fortunately a good bow for an erhu is not expensive.
Well, I suppose that I should not give advice that is not asked for. <g> How can we help?
Best wishes,
David
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Please feel free to answer! 
It has made me feel the need to educate them in the proper appreciations of traditional cultured music. I'm trying to find some sort of music ensemble for me to go and have a general dialogue with, but so far no luck. Rather frustrating. I only know of one qin player (who is a beginner below me) who lives near me, but that's all.