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Post by virsago on Feb 27, 2007 22:39:30 GMT
I've been shown how to do this properly but it's still really hard. Any tips? Thanks in advance.
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Post by calden on Feb 28, 2007 0:45:56 GMT
virsago:
Make sure your left hand and arm is in proper position. If your left elbow is way too low your hand will be too upright, and doing a vibrato will be difficult. Also, you want the vibrato to come from your hand and not your finger. This is difficult to describe but try and conceptualize your hand being a weight that moves the vibrato, and your finger's motion on the string is sort of an after-effect. Also make sure your fingertip stays right on the correct fingering position on the string.
Carlos
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Post by song on Feb 28, 2007 11:10:46 GMT
Be firm yet relaxed. But no shortcuts to it. You need to practise......practise......practise. An hour a day for a month should yield some results. And constantly check back with the one who showed you how to do it.
Sung Wah
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Post by calden on Feb 28, 2007 15:32:40 GMT
Song said it right: Firm yet relaxed. All your joints in your left arm should be relaxed and loose.
Try this exercise: while sitting at a desk, raise your left forearm and touch the desktop with your fingertips and thumbtip. Your left hand should be relaxed and cupped, as though you are holding a tennis ball, and your left elbow forming an approximate right angle. Kind of like you are absent-mindedly drumming your fingers on the table.
Keeping your fingertips "glued" to their spot on the table surface, push your elbow back and forth in about an inch or so of travel. All your joints should be loose and move easily - elbow, wrist, knuckles, fingerjoints, and the momentum and weight of this small back-and-forth movement should be coming from your forearm and wrist. Your hand and fingers will be gently moving above your fingertips which are stationary. It's a very relaxed, simple, free-feeling movement.
This sort-of approximates what it feels like to create a vibrato on the erhu.
Carlos
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Post by virsago on Mar 1, 2007 21:33:24 GMT
So it's called a vibrato. Thanks very much everyone, I'll let you know how I get on.
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Post by jetz320 on Mar 2, 2007 0:10:59 GMT
Find the point you want and then just begin. First, have a proper position. Then, you move your hand a little since you have to anyways. The hand is moving up and down like 3 mm or so. Then, your fingers should be shaking. But, try to add pressure to all of your fingersm don't just concentrate on that one finger. You should have some finger strength while doing it.
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Post by YouLanFengChune on Mar 31, 2007 15:22:59 GMT
I don't really agree so much with the finger strength thing. That sentence could be potentially misleading.
We have to make the distinction between "gun3 rou2" ('rolling' vibrato) and "ya4 rou2" (pressure vibrato). I'd personally say that the gun rou technique should be the default vibrato, and any variations should be done on this basis, according to the artistic needs of the piece. (Any additional pressure should be added at your own discretion, but only after mastering the pure gun rou technique.)
For gun3 rou2, it helps to have the wrist up a little, but don't hang it up too much - just enough such that the fleshy part of the palm isn't in contact with the wood. Keeping the flesh contact would, more often then not, result in too much ya4 rou2 combined with , which can sound sickening when done too much. The left hand has to be relaxed, especially the thumb joint. This is crucial, as the vibrating motion should come from the hand. The thumb cannot possibly move up and down with the hand; it sort of has to act as a pivot.
Do also remember that the correct way of holding the erhu with the left hand is to support it, such that it doesn't fall forward, and not to grip it. If you find that the entire erhu shakes with your vibrato, chances are that your left hand is tense, and that you're gripping the erhu. Another symptom that might arise out of this might also be that you find your wrist bobbing up and down, while the vibrato motion from the hand isn't transmitted effectively to the finger.
The finger contact with the string should be alternating from the tip to the fleshy part. It's important to note that, the highest pitch point of the vibrato should be at the correct pitch of the note. That means, the whole range of vibrato motion should be at the correct pitch and below, NOT above.
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Post by YouLanFengChune on Mar 31, 2007 15:34:40 GMT
Steps for practising gun3 rou2:
1) Relax the hand and fingers. Do the left hand-waving motion on an imaginary air erhu. Only the hand should be moving up & down, with the wrist as the pivot. (Alternatively, you could imagine yourself slapping someone with only the hand movement, without the forearm. haha.)
2) After getting accustomed to that motion, repeat the same motion, this time by holding the left thumb with your right hand.
3) Pick up the erhu. Repeat the motion without pressing on the strings.
4) Press the string, and move your hand. The finger motion should be a resultant one. Practise in order of the middle finger first, followed by the ring finger, then the index finger, and lastly, the little finger. You should start off practising the vibrato motion slowly and evenly (no jerks up and down, but done in a sort of gentle circular manner). It will sound something like a crying baby. Increase the speed in stages only after you're confident of doing the slow-motion vibrato with good coordination. Make sure the string doesn't move too much in and out when you do the vibrato (moderate your pressure applied on the string).
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Post by witeruna on Aug 18, 2007 19:30:43 GMT
Hi all..
I am new here.
I am learning erhu right now..
but still confused about the vibrato?
please explain it in more detail and thx so much..
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Post by davidmdahl on Aug 19, 2007 4:12:31 GMT
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Post by song on Aug 19, 2007 12:27:44 GMT
I'm working on it.  The preview of George Gao's video shows him demonstrating rather than teaching how to vibrato. Anyone seen the rest of the video? Sung Wah |
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Post by song on Aug 20, 2007 13:48:49 GMT
Alright, I've came up with a three step approach to learn how to do rolling vibrato.
I'm going to get the video up by this week. Stay tuned.
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