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| Moderated by: Tony Provencher, Richard Hefner | Page: 1 2 3   |
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| Why no love for Zhonghu here? | Rate Topic |
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| Posted: Mon May 18th, 2009 01:16 pm |
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1st Post |
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Shanghai Angels Approved
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I enjoy playing my Zhonghu daily. It has a very round, deep and surprisingly sweet tone. In fact I played it way more than my Erhu now. Yes, Erhu produces sweet nasally tone and is easier to play...but I definitely am in love with Zhonghu now  Who else plays Zhonghu here?
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| Posted: Mon May 18th, 2009 03:41 pm |
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2nd Post |
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huqiner Approved
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delete mistake Last edited on Mon May 18th, 2009 03:46 pm by huqiner |
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| Posted: Mon May 18th, 2009 03:45 pm |
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3rd Post |
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huqiner Approved
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Well basically, the zhonghu is just a slightly lower pitched erhu! There aren't many solo pieces for the zhonghu, and in a traditional style ensemble, the zhonghu just plays a variation of the basic melody, same as any other traditional instrument. I'm sure we would all love to hear a sound clip of you playing your zhonghu! I'm requesting "On Grassland" 草原上(cǎo yuán shàng) Last edited on Mon May 18th, 2009 03:46 pm by huqiner |
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| Posted: Mon May 18th, 2009 05:06 pm |
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4th Post |
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Den Approved 
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huqiner, would you by chance have a www. link to that one? I tried youtube and came up empty. Den
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| Posted: Mon May 18th, 2009 05:38 pm |
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5th Post |
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huqiner Approved
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Played by Tian Zaili: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdCTxI4j3-8 Played by Liu Mingyuan (arranger/composer)excerpt only http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxrMgpSSJfw another one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rjb8jCI3YRI I haven't seen these videos yet. It helps to try a search using characters as well, 草原上, as there are variations in the English titles, eg On Grassland, On the Prairie etc, and some videos only have characters.
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| Posted: Mon May 18th, 2009 05:40 pm |
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6th Post |
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huqiner Approved
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Sheet music: http://blog.zjol.com.cn/uploadfile/2007-1/110692709.gif
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| Posted: Mon May 18th, 2009 06:09 pm |
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7th Post |
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Den Approved
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huqiner, thanks for the links ! Den
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| Posted: Tue May 19th, 2009 02:35 am |
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8th Post |
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davidmdahl Approved
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I tend to prefer low instruments, so I expected to really enjoy playing zhonghu. As it turned out, I found my zhonghu to be a lot more work than was pleasant. It is okay to play a few tunes, but an afternoon on the zhonghu really wears me out. In my teacher's ensemble, the zhonghu was a bit over-bearing and boomy. The erquan erhu has worked out a lot better musically and is more agile. Maybe if we had the time and energy to make arrangements that suit the zhonghu, it would work out. So far though, the erquan erhu is working out beautifully. Best wishes, David
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| Posted: Tue May 19th, 2009 03:27 am |
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9th Post |
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ychent Approved 
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Can erquan erhu essentially be used interchangeably with zhonghu? Or does zhonghu has its own distinct musicality that cannot be replicated? Meaning, can we ever expect the zhonghu section to be infiltrated by erquan erhu some day?
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| Posted: Tue May 19th, 2009 03:43 am |
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10th Post |
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Shanghai Angels Approved
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Zhonghu has bigger body, longer neck, bigger bridge, thicker bow, more snake skin surface. Everything is bigger than Erquan erhu...so logically Zhonghu's tone will be much deeper, bigger and rounder. Erquan erhu is akin to putting viola strings on a violin and trying to make the violin sound like a viola....which will get you 'somewhere'...but due to the smaller violin body...it will never sound as deep as a bigger bodied viola.
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| Posted: Tue May 19th, 2009 03:53 am |
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11th Post |
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ychent Approved
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Has anyone tried using erquan strings on zhonghu? Maybe that could improve the sensitivity of the instrument?
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| Posted: Tue May 19th, 2009 04:46 am |
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12th Post |
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davidmdahl Approved
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Shanghai Angels wrote: Erquan erhu is akin to putting viola strings on a violin and trying to make the violin sound like a viola....which will get you 'somewhere'...but due to the smaller violin body...it will never sound as deep as a bigger bodied viola. I don't agree with this analogy. A true erquan erhu is actually a little larger than a "typical" erhu. No, the erquan strings do not turn an erhu or an erquan erhu into a zhonghu, but the result is pretty successful. Don't knock it until you have tried it. I suspect that the zhonghu is best used in a larger ensemble or orchestra. I don't like it as a solo instrument, and it is over-powering in a small ensemble. That is my opinion born of my own experience with the zhonghu. How many recordings can you find of the zhonghu outside of an orchestra, compared with erhu? It is a nitch instrument. Best wishes, David
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| Posted: Tue May 19th, 2009 04:51 am |
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13th Post |
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Shanghai Angels Approved
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David...I really wish to hear more Zhonghu recordings. It really is a lovely instrument especially if you tie the Qianjin high up...which will make the Zhonghu less bassy but you get more brilliance and sweeter tone.
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| Posted: Tue May 19th, 2009 05:25 am |
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14th Post |
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davidmdahl Approved
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ychent wrote: Can erquan erhu essentially be used interchangeably with zhonghu? Or does zhonghu has its own distinct musicality that cannot be replicated? Meaning, can we ever expect the zhonghu section to be infiltrated by erquan erhu some day? I think that the zhonghu has an important role in the orchestra that cannot be replaced by an erquan erhu. The latter is a more agile solo instrument, but the zhonghu has more power and is better at filling in the bottom end. In a smaller ensemble, the erquan erhu is lovely, and has just the right sort of voice. I can double the gaohu or erhu part, other than the twiddley bits, and it doesn't sound so much like a dancing hippo. Use the right tool for the job. If it sounds good, it is good. Best wishes, David Last edited on Tue May 19th, 2009 03:38 pm by davidmdahl |
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| Posted: Tue May 19th, 2009 06:42 am |
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15th Post |
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Shanghai Angels Approved
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David...well said! Zhonghu and Erquan both has its place. It really depends on the application.
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| Posted: Tue May 19th, 2009 07:31 am |
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16th Post |
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may Approved 
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Hello David! My teacher told me the same thing that you said. That the true erquan erhu body is slightly bigger than the regular erhu. He showed me his new erquan erhu and it was exquisite! Very large and even scales on the snake skin, and vintage rose wood. When I was done drooling over it, I noticed it had a wider body than the regular erhu. He said a real erquan erhu has a wider body and thicker snake skin. And when he played it, the sound was rich and kind of soulful, great volume. I love it! Anyway, I've never heard anyone else mention that the erquan body is larger than regular erhu, except for teacher, well, until I read your post. That's good confirmation. Recently, my teacher has been urging me to buy an erquan erhu. He said it's better if I had that when playing certain songs. He told me to custom order one like he did, but I can't afford that. I asked him about erquan erhus that look basically like the regular erhus, but he insisted that those wouldn't be a "real" erquan erhus then. Well, I'll just have to use whatever I can find. : ) May davidmdahl wrote: Shanghai Angels wrote:Erquan erhu is akin to putting viola strings on a violin and trying to make the violin sound like a viola....which will get you 'somewhere'...but due to the smaller violin body...it will never sound as deep as a bigger bodied viola.
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| Posted: Tue May 19th, 2009 04:31 pm |
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17th Post |
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Shanghai Angels Approved
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whether it is zhonghu, erquan or regular erhu...the all important factor is that you must enjoy playing it. Playing these instruments do not tire you easily...unlike a violin or viola. i can play Erhu and Zhonghu for 2 hours straight! :-)That's cos I enjoy playing it...and time does not exist anymore.
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| Posted: Tue May 19th, 2009 05:36 pm |
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18th Post |
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davidmdahl Approved
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may wrote:
I would expect a true erquan erhu to have more of the right stuff for playing at low pitch than an erhu with erquan strings, but as you mention, not everyone can afford that. According to my teacher, it is common and acceptible to use a standard erhu with the erquan strings. I happened to luck into an excellent combination of the 'right' erquan strings that really suit a fine erhu I have. It would be a very expensive and rare erquan erhu that would be better. I think that it might be a good tactic to use an erquan string equipped erhu to start with, and and maybe later acquire a true erquan erhu if a good one became available. It would be a drag to spend a lot of money on a erquan erhu if you don't play it much. Best wishes, David
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| Posted: Tue May 19th, 2009 06:21 pm |
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19th Post |
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ychent Approved
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I am still curious if anyone has ever tried pairing erquan strings on zhonghu and see if it improves the responsiveness. If I roused anyone's curiosity, please let us know the result of your experiment!
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| Posted: Tue May 19th, 2009 10:48 pm |
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20th Post |
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davidmdahl Approved
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ychent wrote: I am still curious if anyone has ever tried pairing erquan strings on zhonghu and see if it improves the responsiveness. If I roused anyone's curiosity, please let us know the result of your experiment! I am not quite curious enough myself to try this. I might if I was going to change strings on the zhonghu anyway, but I don't want to risk messing them up. Once strings have been removed, they are a lot harder to get back on without a kink. Why don't you try it? <g> Best wishes, David
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