The Chinese Erhu



The Chinese version of a fiddle is called the erhu, and it only consists of two strings. The instrument family it belongs to is called the "huqin" family and dates back to the Tang Dynasty. The hexagonal shape of the body is made of wood and snakeskin. The wood can be either ebony or sandalwood. The neck is also made out of wood and is 81 cm long. The tuning is to the pitches D and A. Unlike the lute, the erhu does not have frets to be played upon. Also, unlike a violin, the erhu does not have a touching board. The silk or nylon strings, however, are still played with a bow. The bow is made out of reed and horse hair. The player will hold the erhu in their left hand and bow with their right hand. (This is also common in violinists.) The erhu is positioned vertically on the performer's lap. The strings are played vertically with the left hand, and the bow plays horizontally for the sound to be made. The sound is very unique and resembles the voice of a human. It can also imitate certain animal sounds.

 

This is a video of an Erhu Concerto. It is called "Butterfly Lovers". It begins with the instruments building a triad, and then a woman plays a type of flute.

I chose this video because the woman expresses her opinions on the erhu. She also explains the instrument's purpose and the reasons it can be played. It is very interesting to watch, and you can tell she loves playing this instrument. 

This erhu piece has and plays a higher pitched sound longer than the previous videos. It is still extremely gorgeous and will relax you if you listen to it long enough. 

 

The sound of the erhu in this video is more rich than the previous. The music is very gentle and delicate. 

The man in this video explains the fingering and the erhu itself. He goes into details about the different parts of the erhu and plays a little. 

http://www.philmultic.com/home/instruments/erhu.html