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| Moderated by: Tony Provencher, Richard Hefner |
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| Have you played a ZhongHu before? Let's discuss. | Rate Topic |
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| Posted: Tue Jan 13th, 2009 04:52 am |
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1st Post |
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Shanghai Angels Approved
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I like the Erhu and Violin, of course. But i also like the Viola....and the Zhonghu. It's much deeper and thicker tone than Erhu and Violin. I know there's not much love for Zhonghu amongst the Erhu community...but I think the potential of a Zhonghu is tremendous. Share with us your experience with this deep instrument.
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| Posted: Tue Jan 13th, 2009 12:23 pm |
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2nd Post |
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Theorbo Approved 
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i played in the zhonghu section for a while, gaohu section for a yr. but it seems that i prefer to be in the erhu section. zhonghu is great but i would prefer playing erquan erhu. for solos, zhonghu is not really a great instrument to use unless you want something kinda rough sounding. not that easy to find a good one also.
____________________ world peace |
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| Posted: Tue Jan 13th, 2009 01:12 pm |
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3rd Post |
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Shanghai Angels Approved
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theorbo...thanks for your input. I am totally in awe of Master Xu Ke's Zhonghu tone here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoBDhr6iPEQ&feature=rec-HM-r2
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| Posted: Tue Jan 13th, 2009 04:03 pm |
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4th Post |
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davidmdahl Approved
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That's a lovely video, and a new tune for me. It always messes with me to see videos where the audio and video are out-of-sync <g>, but the music is wonderful. I have a zhonghu which I play once-in-a-while with my teacher's group. It has a lovely sound although it can be a bit boomy. It is not quite as sensitive as an erhu, but I do all right if I do not try to push too hard. Early on I found it a lot of work to play, and it is more work than an erhu or gaohu, but it is not necessary to play loud in order to have a lot of presence. I have never played another zhonghu, so I don't know how mine stacks up with others. Last August, I installed erquan strings on a second erhu. These are thicker strings that allow me to tune to G/D, the same as a zhonghu. I really like the result. The sound is rich, while the sensitivity is much better than on the zhonghu. It is also not so boomy, so the sound blends with the ensemble easier. I am a little tempted to try erquan strings on my zhonghu. If I do, I will report on the result. Best wishes, David
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| Posted: Wed Jan 14th, 2009 02:02 am |
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5th Post |
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Shanghai Angels Approved
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David...yes..do tell us the result should you try erquan strings on your Zhonghu. Who knows...that may very well strike the best balance between sensitivity and tone.
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| Posted: Wed Jan 14th, 2009 04:50 pm |
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6th Post |
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huqiner Approved
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The zhonghu seems to be more of an ensemble instrument. I suppose the best known zhonghu solo piece is On Grassland (cǎo yuán shàng 草原上) composed by Liu Mingyuan. It's based on the playing style and music of the Mongolian horsehead fiddle. I also like this piece: http://sharebee.com/9f7202cf (4.5MB mp3) It's called "mùmín guī lái le 牧民归来了 shepherd has returned" composed and played by Liu Mingyuan. Out of all my CDs/cassettes, I think the only other zhonghu solo piece I've got is "yì qín é 憶秦娥 think of Qin-e". It's on a CD by Ma Xiaohui (马晓晖 Mǎ Xiǎohuī), it says it was composed for her by Zhou Chenglong. I've also got 2 recordings of it by 闵惠芬 Mǐn Huìfēn; one is on her Hugo CD. Last edited on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 06:15 pm by huqiner |
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| Posted: Thu Jan 15th, 2009 04:10 pm |
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7th Post |
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Shanghai Angels Approved
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huqiner...have you played a Zhonghu before?
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| Posted: Fri Jan 16th, 2009 11:22 am |
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8th Post |
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huqiner Approved
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Hi! I did play the zhonghu in a group, but that was some years ago. It was a traditional type of small ensemble where there's only one of each instrument, and everyone played a variation of the same melody. I did find it a bit awkward to get a good tone, there's a fine between bowing too light and getting a weak sound, and bowing with more pressure but getting a scratching sound, particularly at bow changes. But I think my bow arm wasn't very good back then anyway, I think I've improved my bowing since then. Also it wasn't my own zhonghu and I don't think it was a very good one, but of course when the teacher played it, it sounded good! I've been ripping some of my CDs to flac and I've just found two more pieces for the zhonghu! Sài wài qíng sī 塞外情思 Thoughts Beyond the Frontiers Zhonghu Concerto: Sū wǔ (苏武) both composed and played by Liu Changfu (刘长福 Liú Chángfú) Last edited on Fri Jan 16th, 2009 11:24 am by huqiner |
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| Posted: Thu Jan 7th, 2010 05:44 am |
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9th Post |
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pondmud Approved
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I purchased a zhonghu from Eason as a self-Christmas/ birthday present, after tuning my erhu down to G/D for "Erquan Yingue". I loved the deeper tone, and the larger vibrations under my fingers. You could say that it's harder to play because you need a little more of everything for the zhonghu - a little more force, a little more stretch in your hand. OTOH, you can say that you can play it broader than the erhu. The one thing I didn't count on was my left hand fingers occasionally slipping between the strings when I'm playing in the higher octaves! Still, I love it very much, and would say that I prefer it to my erhu. That said, I feel that practicing on the zhonghu has improved my erhu playing, making it more powerful than before. So, it works out very well!
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| Posted: Thu Jan 7th, 2010 06:47 am |
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10th Post |
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davidmdahl Approved
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Congratulations, and welcome to the low-huqin club, Pondmud. Which one did you get? Best wishes, David
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| Posted: Thu Jan 7th, 2010 03:22 pm |
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11th Post |
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Shanghai Angels Approved
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I too prefer the deeper tone of the Zhonghu.
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| Posted: Sat Jan 9th, 2010 03:11 am |
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12th Post |
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pondmud Approved
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David - I got the "popular grade" from Eason: http://www.eason.com.sg/products/zhonghu/hzh7.jsp I satin finish makes sliding up and down very easy, aside from being very pretty.  Shanghai Angel - Out of curiosity (and concern for my neighbors LOL), do you know if the zhonghu is much louder than the erhu? My impression is that it isn't, by virtue of being lower and less piercing.
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| Posted: Sat Jan 9th, 2010 03:54 am |
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13th Post |
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davidmdahl Approved
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pondmud wrote: do you know if the zhonghu is much louder than the erhu? My impression is that it isn't, by virtue of being lower and less piercing. It probably depends on which zhonghu and which erhu. My zhonghu has a rather strong voice, so I have to hold myself back. When playing music with other Chinese instruments, you may find that the zhonghu carries quite well without trying very hard, particularly since there is often nothing else in the voice range of the zhonghu to provide competition. When you are playing zhonghu by yourself, you can play easily and bask in the rich sound. I enjoy playing Liang Xiao on zhonghu. Maybe I will do that now. Best wishes, David
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| Posted: Sat Jan 9th, 2010 03:57 pm |
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14th Post |
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Shanghai Angels Approved
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to me, Zhonghu is very much more mellow than erhu...so it sounds slightly softer. It takes more effort to play due to the bigger body, longer stiffer strings and bigger bow. It does help improve your Erhu playing too!
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| Posted: Tue Jan 12th, 2010 04:02 am |
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15th Post |
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pondmud Approved
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David - that makes sense. I was somewhat wondering about this because I live in a small house where I share a wall with my neighbor. It's fairly well-insulated for sound, but I would rather not disturb him while I'm breaking in the zhonghu LOL. Shanghai Angel - Hehe cool, I'm glad to hear that confirmation from you! Oh, you mentioned tying the qianjin high up for a better tone - how high? My erhu teacher had me measure up to my thumb knuckle to tie the qianjin for the erhu. So, higher than that? Last edited on Tue Jan 12th, 2010 04:06 am by pondmud |
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| Posted: Tue Jan 12th, 2010 03:55 pm |
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16th Post |
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Shanghai Angels Approved
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ponmud...as high as your fingers so desire.
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| Posted: Tue Jan 12th, 2010 04:53 pm |
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17th Post |
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davidmdahl Approved
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Hello Pondmud, How high the qianjin should be is a matter of preference. The rule of thumb is as your teacher told you, but that is subject to adjustment based on the length of your fingers and comfort. For a beginner, the qianjin should not be so high as to make you stretch your fingers uncomfortably. As you gain experience playing the erhu or zhonghu, your fingers will get used to the activity and tolerate more of a stretch. To begin with though, anything that leads to tension in the hands and the rest of the body is best avoided. Best wishes, David
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| Posted: Tue Jan 12th, 2010 10:34 pm |
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18th Post |
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Den Approved 
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now I am confused. always before when you guys were talking about tying high up, I had thought you were referring to moving the qianjin closer to the tuning pegs , in that direction. pondmuds comment lead me to believe he was talking about the height of the gap between the strings and the neck. knuckle width . surely you dont mean to have the qianjin a half inch from the tuning pegs? Den
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| Posted: Wed Jan 13th, 2010 12:18 am |
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19th Post |
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davidmdahl Approved
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Den wrote: now I am confused. always before when you guys were talking about tying high up, I had thought you were referring to moving the qianjin closer to the tuning pegs , in that direction. pondmuds comment lead me to believe he was talking about the height of the gap between the strings and the neck. knuckle width . surely you dont mean to have the qianjin a half inch from the tuning pegs? I at least have been referring to the position of the qianjin along the neck. Some erhu players, such as Xu Ke, appear in some videos with the qianjin up as high as it will go, next to the pegs. My fingers are not happy with this setting, so my qianjin is set more conventionally. Some people use the measurement from the elbow to one or another of the knuckles as a starting point. Best wishes, David
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| Posted: Wed Jan 13th, 2010 01:28 am |
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20th Post |
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Shanghai Angels Approved
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It's all a matter of preference. Your setting may not be ideal for me..and vice versa.
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| ezFolk Forums > Other Instruments > Erhu > Have you played a ZhongHu before? Let's discuss. | Top |
