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| Moderated by: Tony Provencher, Richard Hefner |
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| A couple of question | Rate Topic |
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| Posted: Wed Dec 31st, 2008 05:07 pm |
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1st Post |
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PaulM Approved 
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I have a couple of questions: 1. As a viola player I'm used to high tension on the bow hair but I've noticed in many of the videos of experienced/professional erhu players that they use a very loose bow hair. I've tried this myself but find it hard to control and get a consistently good sound. Is it acceptable to use a tighter bow or do I need to get used to playing with the loose bow? 2. I want to learn some traditional Chinese tunes but all I've found are notated in the numerical system. I understand how it works but I would be able to sight read much more quickly if I could find the tunes in western notation (preferably, treble or alto clef). Are they available anywhere on the web? Thanks, --paul
____________________ Music = Life |
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| Posted: Wed Dec 31st, 2008 06:06 pm |
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2nd Post |
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Theorbo Approved 
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hi PaulM erhu bows are meant to be loose when playing. tightening the bow too much, you will loose control of the inner string. if you realized, the way of holding the bow is slightly different when playing the inner and outer string. Chinese tunes on five lines are rare. i personally havent seen any on the web. well, there are advantages and disadvantages of using either way of writing music. to play the erhu, the number notations are important. 90 percent of pieces are in that form and there aren't any signs they will transpose and revert to five lines. haha nevermind, you will find it fun with numbers
____________________ world peace |
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| Posted: Wed Dec 31st, 2008 10:06 pm |
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3rd Post |
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davidmdahl Approved
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As Theorbo wrote, the bow hair on the erhu should be much looser than you would use on a violin or viola. This should not be a problem if you are holding the bow correctly. To describe the tightness objectively is a challenge, but I will look for a reference. It is looser than you might think. I also agree that it is a good idea to learn to read the jianpu (numeric) notation if you plan on playing Chinese music on the erhu. I have run across some tunes in staff notation, but that is rare. Fortunately, learning jianpu is pretty easy. I have been using staff notation for over 40 years, so I read that the quickest, but for Chinese music and the erhu, jianpu fits like a glove. It also makes transposition a lot easier. The jianpu article on wikipedia.org is a great place to start. Then you just have to work with it. I found that it did not take long to get the hang of jianpu. Feel free to ask questions regarding anything that is not clear. Best wishes, David
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| Posted: Wed Dec 31st, 2008 10:12 pm |
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4th Post |
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davidmdahl Approved
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Be sure to get enough rosin on both sides of the bow. If you are having trouble getting an even sound, it could be a rosin problem. I also have had problems that were fixed by a tighter qianjin (cord wrapping around the strings). The strings should be as close to the end of the pegs as is practical. Often times my teacher has adjusted this after I changed strings. If the erhu is not set up optimally, it will be a lot harder to play. Sometimes it is hard to tell just what is out-of-adjustment unless you have some experience with the erhu. Best wishes, David
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| Posted: Thu Jan 1st, 2009 03:19 am |
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5th Post |
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Shanghai Angels Approved
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Paul...dont make the same mistake I did. I overtightened the bow til it broke!! I was so used to playing violin...so the looser Erhu bow tension was alien to me. Had I known it was supposed to be loose...I would've save moeny on buying a new bow then. LOL!
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| Posted: Fri Jan 2nd, 2009 07:22 pm |
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6th Post |
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PaulM Approved
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Thanks to everyone... Actually, since we've been off for xmas/newyears, I been playing a lot the last few days and am getting a better sound with the bowhair loosened now. It's just going to take practice (no surprise there!). I'm starting to get better at reading jianpu also. Although it's still slow going. My wife suggested transcribing it into staff notation but I'm not sure it would be worth the trouble. I can see how jianpu does seem to be suited to the erhu. So, again, I think, I'll just press on. Just like every other instrument I've learned to play, it's going to take practice, practice, practice. Which is okay 'cause I love playing the erhu! Thanks, --paul
____________________ Music = Life |
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| Posted: Fri Jan 2nd, 2009 07:48 pm |
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7th Post |
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PaulM Approved
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David, The wikipedia article helped clarify some things for me... thanks. --paul
____________________ Music = Life |
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| Posted: Sat Jan 3rd, 2009 02:40 am |
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8th Post |
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Shanghai Angels Approved
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Paul...the erhu is one of the most amazing instruments ever invented. There's really no instrument like it.Once you get the hang of playing it,it'll give you hours and hours of pleasure. Since you play the Viola, you should try the Zhonghu too. It gives a very rich VIola round tone.
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