Erhu

The erhu, known in the West as the “Chinese Violin,” is a two-stringed bowed instrument that dates back to as early as the Tang dynasty (618-907). It is believed to have been adapted from an instrument called the xiqin, which originated from a Mongolian tribe. The erhu is a member of the huqin (“barbarian string instrument”) family of instruments, which specifies certain types of Chinese fiddles that originated from the Hu peoples of Northwest China and is considered a chordophone (Chinese Traditional Musical Instruments: The Erhu, 2007). According to Bogen (2019), music in China has historically been considered a source of pleasure and an important aspect to all kinds of religious activities. In addition, playing used to be seen as a way to balance the empire and the universe, and honored heaven when combined with dance in ceremonies.

The erhu first became popular for accompanying Chinese operas during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. The erhu only started being used as a solo instrument in the early 1900s (Bogen, 2019). According to An Introduction to the Erhu (2015), interest in the instrument picked up a lot in the 1950s when radio stations started broadcasting performances. It led to the development of cultural groups and people from all walks of life learning, playing, and teaching the instrument. It is now a versatile instrument, used in both contemporary and traditional musical arrangements, and performed as a solo instrument as well as with large and small ensembles.

The erhu is made up of a wooden soundbox, a long wooden neck, and two strings. The strings are stretched over a small bamboo bridge, pass over the snakeskin of the hexagonal soundbox, and are wrapped around the tuning pegs located on the upper part of the neck. The strings are usually pitched a Perfect fifth apart at D4 and A4, and the range is from D4 to A7. The modern erhu is made from a single piece of red sandalwood, and the tuning pegs, strings, and screws attached to the strings are made of metal. The bow hair, which is made from horse tail, is lodged in between the strings, and the bow is made from bamboo. A typical erhu is 79 cm tall, and the face of the soundbox is 10 cm in diameter and stretches 13 cm from face to rear (Bogen, 2019).

According to An Introduction to the Erhu (2015), the erhu is placed on your left leg and played with both hands. The right-hand’s focus is on the bowing, while the left-hand controls pitch and certain techniques such as slides and vibrato. As explained by Bogen (2019), the bow should be gripped with a Renaissance viol grip, meaning the right fingers touch the bow hair and direct the hair onto the appropriate string. The bowing is similar to the techniques used on the Western violin, but they are considered ‘push’ and ‘pulling’ bows rather than ‘up’ and ‘down’ bows. It is believed that the erhu not only influenced modern day violin techniques, but that certain violin techniques developed in the West also influenced how the modern erhu is played.

Modern practitioners include Ms. Qi Xiaochun and George Gao, who both studied under Wang Yongde. Their works have popularized the erhu at the international level (Chinese Traditional Musical Instruments: The Erhu, 2007). Yet, the erhu is not just an instrument used by famous musicians playing solo pieces or in orchestras. “As stated by Peter Cooke in his, The Violin- instrument of four continents, ‘No other musical instrument has until recent years been so widely used among all classes throughout the world as the violin.’ (Bogen, 2019).

Works Cited

Chinese Traditional Musical Instruments: The Erhu. (2007). Retrieved October 06, 2020, from http://chinascope.org/archives/6613

An Introduction to the Erhu [Video file]. (2015). Retrieved October 5, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJ2O7vQfeiE

Written by Allie Aguiar