How does a Qian jin stay in place?

[kaffein]

Hi there,

I'm quite interested in learning how to the play the erhu and I have a quick question.

How does the Qian jin of the erhu stay in place? Looking at photos it looks to be some string tied tightly around the neck; Is there a notch on the neck to mark where this string is to be placed, if it is to be replaced?

Also is the Qian jin a part that lasts for quite some time or is it a regular replaced item such as the strings?

Any information would be greatly appreciated, thanks for your time!
/Kaffein

[maaltan]

Its simply friction. its tied pretty tight.

As for replacement. It must be tight and each loop exerting about equal pressure on the string. retying it is really not a big deal. a link to a movie tutorial is somewhere in this sub-forum. Im still new at the erhu also, so im not exactly sure when you are supposed to replace it. I assume when one or more loops start getting loose or string gets frayed/damaged

Although its probably not the recomended way, i find i can slide it to make adjustments. Adjusting its position is not a common occurance though.

[paulv]

I've only changed mine twice -- when I start hearing buzzing noises from the "A" string. I use cotton string (not too thick) as I like the sound it gives compared to synthetic fibers, but it doesn't have the wear life that the synthetics offer. I originally set the qianjin's position on the neck for my finger/hand size and never moved it from that spot.

Just my $0.02 worth.

Regards,
Paul...

[maaltan]

ooh. Question. Not quite on topic but close enough. When replacing your strings, do you replace one and then the other so that the qianjin stays under tension or retie the qianjin?

[davidmdahl]

maaltan said:

oWhen replacing your strings, do you replace one and then the other so that the qianjin stays under tension or retie the qianjin?

I replace the strings one at a time without rewrapping the qianjin. So far the wrappings have not come undone enough that I have had to redo the qianjin.

Best wishes,

David

[song]

Hello everyone.

Yes I re-string the erhu one string at a time too to prevent the qianjin from messing.

The position of the qianjin depends on each individual. The higher the qianjin, the better the sound quality actually (brighter, more resonance), but your left hand fingers will have to stretch more at the first position. So its best to position it according to the size of your left hand.

One way of marking the location of the qianjin is to put your left elbow on the sound resonater and place your arm along the neck. The location of the qianjin should be where the base of your pinky is. (the joint joining your pinky with your palm).

Regards,
Sung Wah

[kaffein]

Thanks for the replies guys and/or gals!

I'm am slightly confused as to the importance of its placement as I hear a few of you giving details as to an "approximate" location for the qianjin. Is the EXACT location of the "nut" on fretless instruments not a concern? I would think that a non precise placement would cause the scale length of the instrument to change.

/Kaffein

[maaltan]

kaffein said:

I would think that a non precise placement would cause the scale length of the instrument to change.

/Kaffein

exactly you got it. The erhu can be (almost) perfectly be adjusted to anyone's hand/arm size.

There are some formulas (7x distance between bow and bridge i think), but i find them to be mostly BS. I had to move it around extensively to chase away wolf tones and keep the fingering comfortable. Of course my current one is a crappy ebay Erhu(new one in the mail...i hope), and I don't have a teacher other than the nice people in this forum.

Basically, you end up placing it where you can reach the first 3 notes in the first hand position without moving the hand or wrist and you are able to reach the 4th with a moderate stretch (rotation of the wrist without much arm movement). Too high and the strings are "harder" too low and when you graduate to the 3-5th hand positions the notes are too close together.

In the end, you place it where it is comfortable for you.

[kaffein]

maaltan said:

kaffein said:

I would think that a non precise placement would cause the scale length of the instrument to change.

/Kaffein

exactly you got it. The erhu can be (almost) perfectly be adjusted to anyone's hand/arm size.

There are some formulas (7x distance between bow and bridge i think), but i find them to be mostly BS. I had to move it around extensively to chase away wolf tones and keep the fingering comfortable. Of course my current one is a crappy ebay Erhu(new one in the mail...i hope), and I don't have a teacher other than the nice people in this forum.

Basically, you end up placing it where you can reach the first 3 notes in the first hand position without moving the hand or wrist and you are able to reach the 4th with a moderate stretch (rotation of the wrist without much arm movement). Too high and the strings are "harder" too low and when you graduate to the 3-5th hand positions the notes are too close together.

In the end, you place it where it is comfortable for you.

Very interesting, thanks for the reply!