Erhu tunes

[aaron]

I am attracted to this book because it has an accompanying CD.  www.musicofmay.com/collections/huqin-book-cd-dvd/products/copy-of-chinese-erhu-repertoires-collection-for-grade-test-first-half  

My Chinese is almost non-existent.  Can somebody tell me what sort of music is in this book (what is meant by 'classic' in the title) and what difficulty these pieces might be?

Alternatively, does anybody else have any recommendations for similar material with audio?  I am much more of an ear learner than a notation-reader.  I also prefer more folk/traditional/older type stuff to the more classical-type(Western-influenced?) music.

Thanks!

-A

edit:  I assume that since most of the pieces appear to be 3+ pages long that they are fairly advanced. I'm not at such a level, but asking doesn't hurt.

[d̗̰̗͆͘ǎ͔̱͈̰̬̫ͨ̌ͮͥ͗ͭ̕vid]

Almost all of the songs of the pieces in the book are traditional. By "classic," it is referring to well known songs in the category of Chinese traditional. (Like: 良宵、二泉映月、江河水，赛马、河南小曲、月夜，etc) So yes, all traditional, no pop music and other stuff...

The book is of intermediate to advanced level. For example, 良宵 is level 3 in the CCOM standards, while 二泉映月 is of level 8.

Just to clarify, the erhu is not entirely Chinese itself. In fact, most of the techniques and styles come from western influences. During the early 1900s, 刘天华, the guy who popularized the erhu, learned trumpet and violin, studied western music, and transferred a few western themes into erhu.

Most compositions are composed during the 1900-1990s. Older pieces are usually in plucked or wind instruments, like dizi or guqin...

Okay... sorry... back to the book. The CD is composed of only audio of the following pieces. I recommend learning jianpu(简谱)-numberical notation, as it is easier to read than staff notation. (Everything in the book is jianpu) Learning music by ear is difficult. Really if you're cheap(like moi), I would download free music on YouTube and sheet music off somewhere and print it out. But do consider a book and CD because it saves time, allows for convenience, and saves organization and space, you know da drill...

I would get the CCOM (Beijing conversatory of music grades 1-6 grading book) as a starter, since it includes etudes(practice tunes), and songs pieces, in varying levels. You would expect to play level 3 songs by the first year, level 5 songs by the second, and almost level 7 by the third... in my experience. Keep in mind that you should not rush and start playing some tunes that you enjoy that are too hard for your level...

Find a teacher if you can in a nearby Chinese community center somewhere, if you haven't already. Erhu is difficult to start with...

Goodnight it's 12:56am

Edit: i guessed the product by the broken link... I think there might've been a mixup

It's
"CHINESE ERHU CLASSIC MUSIC COMPOSITION COLLECTION (CD INCLUDED)-- 中國二胡經典名曲（附CD)"
... right?

[aaron]

Hi, david.

Yes, you guessed the book correctly. I'm not sure what happened to the link.

Thank you for all the info. I'll respond more when I can - I'm terribly busy with moving to a new house right now.

Cheers!

[aaron]

Ok, here's more in-depth response.

I am not a total beginner. I have had lessons in the past, and am currently taking lessons. I am also trying to get together with other local players (yanqin and guzheng) so I can have a direction. I have other musical experience, and totally agree with finding local players. I read jianpu as well. I agree with not tackling pieces that are too difficult.

I feel like one of my biggest problems is a lack of repertoire. Not growing up around the music or having learned it while young, I have a lot of catch-up to do. Not only the melodies, but also the way in which it is played - its unique flavors, ornaments/decorations, inflections, etc. It's like learning a language, really. I know some of the "words" and a few "sentences", but I need to learn more "vocabulary" and minimize my Western "accent". I don't want to sound like an American playing Chinese music any more than I have to. I want to do it justice.

A CD would be akin to hearing a native speaker. Just playing from the paper doesn't give you the proper accent. I'm trying to do as much listening and learning as I can to get my brain programmed properly.

Thanks again for all the advice!

-A

[d̗̰̗͆͘ǎ͔̱͈̰̬̫ͨ̌ͮͥ͗ͭ̕vid]

Having yangqin and guzheng players come in handy, if you're in the need for an accompanist.

Like many other genres of music, the basic style of modern Chinese music is simple because most of the pieces sound similar. Regional folk tunes share the same note combinations and rhythm. It's easy to find patterns in Chinese music that easily characterize it to sound that way. Again, most techniques and styles are based mainly off the functionally of the instrument. For example, because shifting is somewhat difficult on the erhu, portamento has become more common.

Take a look at 朱昌耀 Zhu Changyao's style of music, for example. It reflects a lot of the music from Jiangnan, Suzhou, Nanjing, etc, as he lived almost all his life in that particular region.

A common technique that he uses is 滑音(portamento)-more uniquely, 垫指滑音(3-finger portamento),
which originates from 江南音乐(Jiangnan Music), especially in the piece, 江南春色. 打音(trills/mordents) are also commonly added in improvising. Sometimes this technique is used pretty often, so it becomes an involuntary action. As most already know, the score is just a piece of paper, it's the performer that develops the feeling and sound of the music, through preferred technique and style.

Other styles are based off the key of the piece. Like pieces in the key of F are usually played in a fast manner, associated with Mongolian folk tunes(ex. 赛马). You will also find that Chinese music hates the "4th" note.

The melodies of the music come from the local operas and lyrical folk songs throughout China. A well-known piece that adapts basic Chinese music concepts, as well as some Western styles is 梁祝(Butterfly Lovers).

If you listen to a particular genre of music long enough, you will adapt to its style and feeling. When I transitioned into playing oboe for my school band years ago, my teachers mentioned how my playing "sounded Chinese," although the piece was western.

I completely agree with your reasoning into listening to Chinese performers... For example, I've seen subtle differences in how Japanese erhu players perform traditional pieces, and how Chinese players perform them. The Chinese one just sounds "Chinese." I tested this theory with a friend like 1-2 months ago (performers unlabeled) to eliminate biases. Again, like you said, musicians develop accents into their music too...

Hope this helps... Good luck