二胡二胡二胡二胡 By Yu Mien Erhu

Erhu, the chinese fiddle  Part of the Huqing 胡琴 family of instruments  Also known as Nanhu 南胡 or Southern Fiddle  Other instruments in the huqin family(though not limited to): zhonghu ( 中 胡 ), gaohu ( 高胡 ), banhu ( 板胡 ), jinghu ( 京胡 ), sihu ( 四胡 )  There are over 30 types of Huqin documented

Zhonghu 中胡 Gaohu 高胡 Banhu 板胡 Jinghu 京胡 Sihu 四胡 Huqin 胡琴

More pictures of cool Huqin  ongxian2).htm  ongxian1).htm

Parts of the Erhu  Qín tong ( 琴筒 ) - sound box or resonator body; it is hexagonal (liu jiao, southern), octagonal (ba jiao, northern), or, less commonly, round.  Qín pí/She pí ( 琴皮 / 蛇皮 ) - skin, made from python. The python skin gives the erhu its characteristic sound.  Qín gan ( 琴杆 ) - neck.  Qín tou ( 琴头 ) - top or tip of neck, usually a simple curve with a piece of bone or plastic on top, but is sometimes elaborately carved with a dragon's head.  Qín zhou ( 琴轴 ) - tuning pegs, traditional wooden, or metal machine gear pegs.  Qiān jin ( 千斤 ) - nut, made from string, or, less commonly, a metal hook.  Nèi xián ( 内弦 ) - inside or inner string, usually tuned to D4, nearest to player.  Wai xián ( 外弦 ) - outside or outer string, usually tuned to A4.  Qín ma ( 琴码 ) - bridge, made from wood.  Gong ( 弓 ) - bow, has screw device to vary bow hair tension.  Gong gan ( 弓杆 ) - bow stick, made from bamboo.  Gong máo ( 弓毛 ) - bow hair, usually white horsehair.  Qín diàn ( 琴垫 ) - pad, a piece of sponge, felt, or cloth placed between the strings and skin below the bridge to improve its sound.  Qín tuō ( 琴托 ) - base, a piece of wood attached to the bottom of the qín tong to provide a smooth surface on which to rest on the leg.

How to make an Erhu  Typically made with heavy hardwood  Woods include red sandlewood, aged red wood, blackwood, and regular redwood  The sound box produces sound using python skin  Some particularly fine erhus are made from old pieces of furniture  The strings were originally made with silk, but are now made with steel to improve sound and volume  Erhu is 81cm tall  The bow is also 81cm long  Most erhu are massed produced in factories  High quality ones, of course, are made by craftsmen  A just for fun fact: erhu can be made using a Styrofoam or paper cup, string, a stick and a bow.(or something to that effect)  Here’s a link to how to make one with a cookie tin(although harder than the Styrofoam cup version):

Unique features of the Erhu  Erhu produces it’s unique sound by vibrating the python skin  Unlike most stringed instruments, there is no fingerboard  The bow never leaves the string(it’s between them!)  The left hand plays both strings as if it were one string  Erhu sound is similar to a human voice, and can imitate many different types of noises such as a horse or a bird  Very meloncholy, but is also able to produce merry songs  A person may only leave China with two erhu’s at a time, because of restrictions placed on the python skin. Pythons are bred to make erhus, because it became illegal to capture and use pythons for their skin

History of the Erhu  Erhu’s origins date back to the Tang Dynasty ( ), more than a thousand years ago  Its origins stem from the xiqin 奚琴, which originated from the Mongolian tribe Xi  During the Qing and Ming dynasties, erhu became extremely popular in operas  Thanks to Hua Yanjun and Liu Tianhua, the erhu underwent significant improvent  Liu Tianhua is responsible for the erhu becoming a solo instrument  The name Erhu is split into two words, Er 二 and hu 胡  Er means two, and possibly refers to the fact that it has two strings, or is the second highest huqin in the family(until new instruments like the dahu was introduced)  Hu indicates that it is a member of the Huqin family

Additional Material  Running River song by Song Fei, master erhu player(uses erhu to imitate and play a piece for wind instruments):  The Last Emperor, composed Sakamoto Ryuchi. An ensemble of eastern instruments+piano, with erhu as soloist(watch it! It’s pretty):  Young girl performs a song by Taiwanese Pop Star Jay Chou with an erhu: e=related  And as a bonus, the same song performed on a Guzheng(because I like it, and guys who play guzheng look super classy): =related