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Post by jetz320 on Feb 8, 2007 23:31:11 GMT
My ears are so sensitive now after years of music and I can't seem to see how the erhu needs to be tuned every single time just like the guzheng. The tunings are practically locked inside the hole so why do they still tend to drop half a note? The violin is the same but they don't need tuning much?! I have that same question with the guzheng. Each time I play, I have to carry that thing avoiding to hit the walls downstairs to tune with my piano. IT'S SO DIFFICULT!!!! It takes about 15 minutes to finish tuning and then I have to carry it back up. I thing there isn't a way to solve this but can someone explain why this happens?!  |
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Post by maaltan on Feb 9, 2007 2:59:58 GMT
off the top of my head in order of severity of variation from most severe to less: 1. loose and slipping pegs (you said they are tight, but you never know. It takes such a small amount on a traditional tuning pegs to go an entire note. 2. Temperature. warmer will flatten (loosen) your strings and colder will sharpen. 3. humidity. probably more a concern for the guzheng than the erhu. the erhu wood is typically rock hard but the skin changes tension. 4. moon phase. different gravity alters the way the strings vibrate in some cases. again its a pretty canned response off the top of my head. I hope I helped some. oh i forgot string quality. cheap strings probably stretch. with erhu cheap strings would have to be really cheap. I can get pretty good strings from singapore to eastern united states for about $1-$2 a pair including shipping. In asia area you almost get payed to take the strings  j/k guzheng on the other hand the cheapest ive seen is about $80 and read they were pretty horrible. PS. im kidding about 4 |
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Post by calden on Feb 9, 2007 3:14:01 GMT
Yesterday I did a lecture-demo for a school about erhu instruments. I took my diyi erhu, erhu, and got out my jinghu but didn't take it. I haven't played my diyin erhu and jinghu since last autumn, and saw that the pegs had slipped out entirely - due to the dry winter weather, they simply shrank. I put some of that peg compound on them (buy at any violin store, looks like lipstick tube) and rubbed it around a bit, and they work fine now.
Carlos
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Post by song on Feb 9, 2007 3:38:02 GMT
Get a chromatic tuner from any music store. So you just need to carry the tuner around instead of the instrument. You can get one as low as US$25.
Happy Chinese New Year to all by the way!
Sung Wah
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Post by maaltan on Feb 9, 2007 3:43:09 GMT
I knew i forgot something.
if you have access to a laptop and a microphone if its not built in try ap tuner. its free-ish* and should run resonably even on an older laptop.
The slower the computer the slower it will respond but on my older 1.8gz its still about instantaenous. the older versions of the program seem to respond faster.. but lose some features of course
* free-ish: it reallly wants you to give them money but you don't have to.
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j/k guzheng on the other hand the cheapest ive seen is about $80 and read they were pretty horrible. 
