Why is erhu good?
The erhu is one of the most common traditional Chinese musical instruments. Most times it is overlooked. When it is played well, it produces some beautiful melancholy strains, which are unforgettable. The design of the erhu is elegant and simple.
How does an erhu work?
It has no fingerboard, so the player’s fingers must hold and vibrate the strings by pressing only against the strings themselves. The erhu bow is already fixed between the two strings, and the bow hair is either pushed forward or backward to catch a string.
Is erhu hard to learn?
To get a sense of erhu’s difficulty, it is harder than many plucking instruments like guzheng and percussion, but is easier than its cousin the banhu.
Who plays erhu?
Erhu is a traditional Chinese two-stringed bowed musical instrument. It is the most popular of the huqin family of traditional bowed string instruments played in China.
Is the erhu a Chinese instrument?
erhu, Wade-Giles romanization erh-hu, bowed, two-stringed Chinese vertical fiddle, the most popular of this class of instruments. The strings of the erhu, commonly tuned a fifth apart, are stretched over a wooden drumlike resonator covered by a snakeskin membrane.
Why is erhu called erhu?
The Erhu can be traced back to proto-Mongolic instruments which first appeared in China during the Tang Dynasty. The first Chinese character of the name of the instrument (二, èr, two) is believed to come from the fact that it has two strings.
What type of music does the erhu play?
It is the most popular of the huqin family of traditional bowed string instruments used by various ethnic groups of China. As a very versatile instrument, the erhu is used in both traditional and contemporary music arrangements, such as in pop, rock and jazz.
Is erhu similar to violin?
Violin. The erhu is often described as a Chinese fiddle, in which when compared to a fiddle, it has a relatively different style. While most of the instrument is built from wood, like the violin, the wood is not where the ‘bridge’ is put on.