Trying out 3 different bridges.

[patrickc]

Just having a bit of fun trying out the 3 different erhu bridges I have. Please excuse me for my poor playing skill...still need a lot of work on that.

Fried wooden black bridge. 油煎木码

Rosewood bridge

4300 years old wood bridge

[juliek]

I tried bridge B on mine, although I liked the sound I found it was easy to get scratchy notes and for some reason my inner and outer string wouldn't be a fifth apart on a fingered note. I swapped it to a different one in the end which was easier to play with

[patrickc]

Nov 23, 2018 20:29:20 GMT juliek said:

I tried bridge B on mine, although I liked the sound I found it was easy to get scratchy notes and for some reason my inner and outer string wouldn't be a fifth apart on a fingered note. I swapped it to a different one in the end which was easier to play with

I am actually still quite torn between B and C. To me, both of them produce cleaner sounds compared to A. B seems to give a sweeter tone while C gives a bolder and more powerful tone.

[krzysztof]

Bridge 3 sounds more balanced B a little nasal and A too flat.

Where did you get them? I buy from ebay and they are just average

[d̗̰̗͆͘ǎ͔̱͈̰̬̫ͨ̌ͮͥ͗ͭ̕vid]

Nov 24, 2018 3:19:06 GMT krzysztof said:

Bridge 3 sounds more balanced B a little nasal and A too flat.

Where did you get them? I buy from ebay and they are just average

eBay is never the best choice for buying instruments.

[patrickc]

Nov 24, 2018 3:19:06 GMT krzysztof said:

Bridge 3 sounds more balanced B a little nasal and A too flat.

Where did you get them? I buy from ebay and they are just average

A comes with my instrument, B is from Lazada and C is from Eason. The recording was done using my mobile which I feel it is unable to fully capture the sound produced. When I hear the sounds produced in person...the differences seems pretty obvious but when listening to the recording..the differences are much more subtle.

[krzysztof]

"C is from Eason"


Just found it: www.easonmusicstore.com/webshaper/store/viewProd.asp?pkProductItem=54


That's twice the price of my secondhand erhu for just the bridge!

[davidmdahl]

I have one of those "4300 year-old" bridges from Eason that came with an erhu (by WNZ) I ordered. I have tried a variety of bridges on the WNZ erhu, but the expensive one does sound the best. I have tried the bridge on other erhus. It sounds pretty good on everything, but best of all on the WNZ. I have found that a bridge needs to match the erhu, so just because a bridge sounds great on one erhu does not mean it will sound great on another.

Everything on an erhu needs to be well-chosen and be in good adjustment for the erhu to be at its best. The bridge is certainly a crucial part of that, including the mass and height. The right bridge for a saggy skin is likely to be different than a good bridge for a tight skin.

Best wishes,

David

[patrickc]

Nov 25, 2018 7:16:19 GMT davidmdahl said:

I have one of those "4300 year-old" bridges from Eason that came with an erhu (by WNZ) I ordered. I have tried a variety of bridges on the WNZ erhu, but the expensive one does sound the best. I have tried the bridge on other erhus. It sounds pretty good on everything, but best of all on the WNZ. I have found that a bridge needs to match the erhu, so just because a bridge sounds great on one erhu does not mean it will sound great on another.

Everything on an erhu needs to be well-chosen and be in good adjustment for the erhu to be at its best. The bridge is certainly a crucial part of that, including the mass and height. The right bridge for a saggy skin is likely to be different than a good bridge for a tight skin.

Best wishes,

David

Tempted to get more bridges to try.

[juliek]

Nov 24, 2018 0:44:59 GMT patrickc said:

Nov 23, 2018 20:29:20 GMT juliek said:

I tried bridge B on mine, although I liked the sound I found it was easy to get scratchy notes and for some reason my inner and outer string wouldn't be a fifth apart on a fingered note. I swapped it to a different one in the end which was easier to play with

I am actually still quite torn between B and C. To me, both of them produce cleaner sounds compared to A. B seems to give a sweeter tone while C gives a bolder and more powerful tone.

I went for one similar to C in the end. I liked the sound of both, but being a novice one like C was easier to play. Maybe I had a slightly naff version of B that wasn't behaving itself.

J

[patrickc]

After trying out the bridges for the last couple of days...I feel I am gravitating towards C too. It somewhat let my erhu produce a somewhat brighter tone which seems to resemble a little like a very much more expensive erhu (snakewood or something) I had the chance to try before. Kind of like it is more ready to 'sing'.

Btw, I had B for about a month before getting C and I immediately felt that the erhu is much more smoother and easier to play the moment I installed it than when the erhu was with A. A feels kind of harsh when compared to the other two. Oh no...I am still undecided...maybe I need a second erhu to have B installed instead of putting it aside.  

[edcat7]

David and I have used the same type of bridge, a pine knot (if I remember correctly). I bought one for my teacher who after a while reverted back to his cheapo white wood bridge.

Thanks to Patrick for uploading the videos, I didn't hear much of a difference between the three bridges. Patrick, if I may make a suggestion: When you bow ,use as much of the bow as possible, remember long strokes.

Ed

[patrickc]

Nov 28, 2018 22:50:01 GMT edcat7 said:

 Patrick, if I may make a suggestion: When you bow ,use as much of the bow as possible, remember long strokes.

Ed

Wah!!!That sounds very familiar...that's what my teacher often says to me...He says " Use more of the bow...else why they bother to make the bow that long?"

[edcat7]

I'm itching to buy the 4300 yr old bridge but alas Eason is out of stock.

[edcat7]

By accident I tried a (violet) sandalwood A shaped bridge and love it. I've been using a pine knot bridge for ages but now prefer the sandalwood for it's cleaner sound.

My theory is the warm tone of the pine knot bridge suited me when my playing was still scratchy but now my bowing has improved I want something clearer with more projection.

That 4300 yr old bridge plus postage is just too expensive for me at the moment.

[edcat7]

The 4300 yr old bridge arrived in the post day and I've only been playing it for five minutes. I've been using a violet sandalwood A bridge for all my erhus and I like the cleaner sound.

With the 4300 yr old bridge it does sound smoother but isn't that another way of saying the high frequencies are muted. The space between the strings are more narrow and I have to be very careful to not play both strings.

I should play it more then make a decision but this bridge really doesn't work for me.