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The Erhu, also called nanhu (southern fiddle), and sometimes known in the West as the “Chinese violin” or “Chinese two-string fiddle,” is a two-stringed bowed musical instrument, used as a solo instrument as well as in small ensembles and large orchestras. It is the most popular instrument in the huqin family of Chinese bowed string instruments, together with the zhonghu, gaohu, banhu, jinghu, sihu, and numerous others.

 

History

The erhu can be traced back to instruments introduced into China more than a thousand years ago. It is believed to have evolved from the xiqin, which was described as a foreign, two-stringed lute in Yue Shu （book of music), an encyclopedic work on music written by music theorist Chen Yang in the Northern Song Dynasty. The xiqin is believed to have originated from the Xi people of Central Asia, and have come to China in the 10th century.

 

The first Chinese character of the name of the instrument (er, two) is believed to come from the fact that it has two strings. An alternate explanation states that it comes from the fact that it is the second highest huqin in pitch to the gaohu in the modern Chinese orchestra. The second character (hu) indicates that it is a member of the huqin family. The name “huqin” literally means “barbarian instrument,” showing that the instrument likely originated from regions to the north or west of China inhabited by non-Han peoples.

The jing hu  is a variety of erhu that is used in Beijing opera, known in Chinese as Jing Ju .

 

Historical erhu and bowed string bows

Historic bowed zithers of China, including the xiqin, yazheng, and yaqin, and also the Korean ajaeng, were originally played by bowing with a rosined stick, which created friction against the strings. As soon as the horsehair bow was invented, it spread very widely. This is a high pitched instrument. The Central Asian horse peoples occupied a territory that included the Silk Road, along which goods and innovations were transported rapidly for thousands of miles across Eurasia.

 

Construction

The erhu consists of a long vertical stick-like neck, at the top of which are two large tuning pegs, and at the bottom is a small resonator body (sound box) which is covered with python skin on the front (playing) end. Two strings are attached from the pegs to the base, and a small loop of string (qian jin) placed around the neck and strings acting as a nut pulls the strings towards the skin, holding a small wooden bridge in place.

Various dense and heavy hardwoods are used in making the erhu. According to Chinese references the woods include zi tan ( red sandalwood and other woods of the genus Pterocarpus such as padauk), lao hong mu (aged red wood), wu mu ( black wood), and hong mu ( red wood). Particularly fine erhus are often made from pieces of old furniture. A typical erhu measures 81cm from top to bottom, the length of the bow also being 81cm.

 

Erhu with ba jiao qin tong (8 sided body)

The parts of the erhu:

•        Qín tong  - sound box or resonator body; it is hexagonal (liu jiao, southern), octagonal (ba jiao, northern), or, less commonly, round.

•        Qín pí/She pí - skin, made from python. The python skin gives the erhu its characteristic sound.

•        Qín gan - neck.

•        Qín tou  - 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 - tuning pegs, traditional wooden, or metal machine gear pegs.

•        Qiān jin  - nut, made from string, or, less commonly, a metal hook.

•        Nèi xián - inside or inner string, usually tuned to D4, nearest to player.

•        Wai xián  - outside or outer string, usually tuned to A4.

•        Qín ma  - bridge, made from wood.

•        Gong - bow, has screw device to vary bow hair tension.

•        Gong gan - bow stick, made from bamboo.

•        Gong máo - bow hair, usually white horsehair.

•        Qín diàn - pad, a piece of sponge, felt, or cloth placed between the strings and skin below the bridge to improve its sound.

•        Qín tuō- 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.

 

Playing technique

•        Tuning

The erhu is almost always tuned to the interval of a fifth. The inside string (nearest to player) is generally tuned to D4 and the outside string to A4. This is the same as the two middle strings of the violin.

•        Position

The erhu is played sitting down placed on the top of the left thigh.

•        Right hand

The bow is held with an underhand grip. The bow hair is adjusted so it is slightly loose, tension is provided by the fingers of the right hand. Bowing techniques include la gong (pull bow, equivalent to the “down bow” technique used on western bowed string instruments), tui gong (push bow, equivalent to the “up bow” technique). The bow hair is placed in between the two strings and both sides of the bow hair are used to produce sound, the player pushes the bow away from the body when bowing the A string (the outside string), and pulls it inwards when bowing the “inside” D string.

Aside from the usual bowing technique used for most pieces, the erhu can also be plucked, usually using the second finger of the right hand. This produces a dry, muted tone (if either of the open strings are plucked, the sound is somewhat more resonant) which is sometimes desired in contemporary pieces.

•        Left hand

Techniques include hua yin (slides), rou xian (vibrato), huan ba (changing positions), etc.

 

To purchase Erhu string products, please visit:

http://www.sogoeo.com/folk-musical-strings-erhu-c-221_363.html

 

Audio sample:

Please click the below button to play:

The Moon Reflected In Er-quan (二泉映月)