Hello world of erhu, and also...

[kylenumann]

Hello players and crafters and experimenters & others, I am new to this great hidden place on the web.
I've just recently purchased an erhu and I am working on learning to play it. I play guitar so the finger movements are somewhat similar, and the bowing is coming along pretty good so far, but after spending quite a while looking through posts here I've come to the conclusion that the bow I have (dark hair or synthetic hair) is not the greatest bow to use for an erhu. My rosin looks pretty cheap too so I've been thinking about buying a good bow and some nice rosin, maybe some strings too since they seem fairly inexpensive (actually all erhu equipment seems that way.. quite convenient)

I was wondering if anyone knows a quality store online that I can buy a god bow. If anyone has rosin suggestions that would be nice too, though I can probably handle that.

I'm sure I'll be spending a good deal of time on this forum, since it is my only available instruction for this instrument (aside from the all-chinese instruction booklet I've got, for the music.)


In closing, I'll leave you with a nice erhu video that I found online, which I havn't seen posted on here so far in my wanderings.

video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3875038914279072592&q=erhu&pl=true

enjoy.


-Kyle

[maaltan]

hello. Welcome. i am also isolated from any physical teachers (as you probably have noticed from my meandering posts above .

I am currently working from the book "Zhongguo Erhu kao Ji qu Ji" or roughly translated "chinese erhu exam manual"
ISBN:7-80553-506-X

I am learning chinese in parallel with the erhu, so take my tranlations with a grain of salt. Most of them come from google translations which i then interpolate into better english sentances.

i like the video. most Erquan yingyue performances are are perfect quality. She made mistakes(no offense to the lady) Thats a perfomance i can aspire to. Everything else i've heard has been perfect. Perfect is intimidating

Unfortunately, you cannot perform erquan on an erhu as such. you have to tune to g3-d4 instead of d4-a4. There are workarounds (move qianjin higher to tighten the strings) but it doesnt sound right to me.

A collegue of mine, who is an accomplished wood carver, decided to make an erhu. Using pine, a broom handle, and a plastic drumhead for the skin. he accedently made a zhonghu instead. the g3-d4 sounds GREAT on that. standard erhu tuning... not so great. but playing that g3 on there will loosen your joints. Very clear and smooth.

Erquan is typically played on a slightly larger erhu . But i think everyone on here has thier own opinions on how it "should" be played. But i think it would sound great on a zhonghu. there is at least one thread about this.

well I have to go. i probably did nothing but ramble but, welcome again. i wish you the best in your erhu endevors

[calden]

Kyle:

Welcome. You'll definitely find a lot of resources on this forum about erhu and the broader topic of Chinese traditional music. You'll receive many suggestions to find a teacher, even if you have to drive half a day, or arrange a one-time visit with someone while you're in another city for business or vacation. I'm a semi-pro musician, playing all kinds of stringed instruments, and the erhu has a distinct set of unique playing techniques that are very difficult to describe on paper or show with pics or with video. It's not that they're hard to do, but that they are much more easily and quickly taught by someone sitting next to you. There are a lot of "oh, I see how that's done" concepts. As a beginner you can accelerate your learning curve and really, really reduce the level of beginner frustration by seeking out a teacher, even if only for a single lesson.

The video you posted is of a very famous song that has been recently discussed in this forum, Er Quan Ying Yue. It is one of the great erhu classics. You have good taste in Chinese traditional music already, so you're off on a good start!

Please do ask lots of questions - there are a few really good players here but most of us are relative newbies hacking away at it, trying to eventually sound like the artist in the google video.

Carlos

[paulv]

Hi Kyle, and welcome to the forum.

Suggest you get a bow from Cadenza. You can send him a PM on this forum. His user name is: YouLanFengChune

I suggest you get a premium rosin, one that is hard and dry, and is light in color. Violin rosins fit in this category. As far as a recommendation, everyone has their favorite. Maybe we should start a rosin thread to find out what everyone is using.

Regards,
Paul...

[YouLanFengChune]

Hi PaulV:

Believe me, I have never sold a MADE IN CHINA rosin EVER BEFORE!! They are so impure, I tried to melt them, but they caught fire!!

Maaltan:
A making accident made wonders. My company received a batch of Erhu materials which were not up to standard. The exterior dimensions were Ok, but internal dimensions were too large. Hence, the material was ighter than usual. Plus, we soaked the skin slightly too long. After it was made, the skin sagged 3 mm inwards. We decided to hang up these erhu and sell them cheaply.

Guess what, one of the Principals of Taiwan Municipal Orchestra visted me, and saw these erhu, and he tuned them to G-D, and played Erquan,and we realiased that these are very suitable for playing such mellow pieces, having the softer skin, and larger internal dimensions. The Erquan Erhu sounds very, muffled as the dimensions are usually imperfect. This sound sad and clear, and all harmonics were clear and sweet, but more mellow. Then we used Erquan strings, and by golly, these were Great for Erquan.

Then Singapore National Chinese Music Competition requires an Erquan Erhu for the piece Han Gong Qiu Yue (Autumn Night in the Palace). Quite a few were sold to the competitors. They are sold cheap ($320 SGD for aged rosewood, or 200 USD) since we admited it was the by-product of a fault. Nevertheless, they are good instruments. hehehe, just in case anyone asks.

I recommend Pirastro Oliv for Erhu, and a Quality Erhu Bow from here costs $18. I recommend buying more to reduce shipping price. David can sooner or later be my erhu accesories distributor. He bought Lots.

[paulv]

youlanfengchune said:

Hi PaulV:

Believe me, I have never sold a MADE IN CHINA rosin EVER BEFORE!! They are so impure, I tried to melt them, but they caught fire!!

When my wife picked up my erhu in Beijing a while back, she also got me 2 rosin cakes. When I started taking lessons a month later, my teacher told me to throw away those "made in China" rosins.

Regards,
paul....