Cleaning Erhu Strings

[ares22]

Hey guys,

I was just wondering if anybody has any tips on how to clean erhu strings without damaging the erhu itself. thanks

[jetz320]

I just take a peice of cloth and make it a little wet. Not completely wet though. I clean the wood and the strings but avoid the skin. I hate the high notes and when there's rosin, it's all sticky.

[davidmdahl]

I dampen a rag with a little acetone and use that to clean the erhu strings. Be very careful not to get any acetone on the skin or wood. It is probably a good idea to take the bow off before doing this.

Best wishes,

David

[wanggx]

I actually have the habit of using my facial oil to clean the strings. It works and also ensures smooth shifting ;D

[davidmdahl]

What sort of care and feeding is appropriate for erhu? All I really do with mine is keep it clean with a dry cloth and use a shortened pencil under the strings to keep the pressure off the skin when not in use. I am hesitant to use any oil or wax on the wood in case it fouls the skin, bow, or strings. Is there any sort of treatment to shrink the skin tight again?

Thanks.

Best wishes,

David

[dsouthwood]

I had noticed rosin building up on the strings and making it hard to slide my fingers from one note to another. What I tried was a piece of a dish-washing sponge that has a plastic scouring material on one side. Not netting, but a kind of rough fiber. I cut a small piece of the sponge and sliced it so that I could fold the piece in half with the scouring fiber inside. I pinch the strings with it (dry), run it up and down, and the strings are rosin free and easy to slide on. The plastic scouring fibers won't do any harm to the metal strings, but they do a great job of cleaning them. Neither of my stings is wound with anything, though. I don't know how well this would work on wound strings.

[jtangsw]

I am using a guitar string conditioner (Brand: Jim Dunlop), which I've been using for all my guitars (electric, acoustic, classical etc...). Just make sure you don't use it on the area (near the bow guard) where the bow needs to make contact with the erhu strings.

I play my erhu 4-5 times a week and I normally apply the string conditioner 2 weeks once for smoother play. I use a dry cloth to wipe my erhu strings everytime after play.

[maaltan]

dsouthwood said:

I had noticed rosin building up on the strings and making it hard to slide my fingers from one note to another. What I tried was a piece of a dish-washing sponge that has a plastic scouring material on one side. Not netting, but a kind of rough fiber. I cut a small piece of the sponge and sliced it so that I could fold the piece in half with the scouring fiber inside. I pinch the strings with it (dry), run it up and down, and the strings are rosin free and easy to slide on. The plastic scouring fibers won't do any harm to the metal strings, but they do a great job of cleaning them. Neither of my stings is wound with anything, though. I don't know how well this would work on wound strings.

Look REALLY close at the d string. I thought mine wasn't wound but it was. Even on the really cheap crappy strings that came with my original erhu. Run a fingernail down the string and you should feel it even if you dont see it.

It appears to be a flattened winding as opposed to the round wire winding on guitars. I assume this is so the bow strings don't get caught in it. I noticed that violin strings are the same way.

Not that it matters any to the discussion at hand...

Still the plastic scouring thing sounds like a good idea. I usually just grab the end of my shirt and wipe the instrument down, but it tends to be a worn out t-shirt anyway.