Erhu

A two strings Chinese instrument. Its origin would be dated up to the Tang dynasty (618-907. During the Dynasties of Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911), the Erhu underwent a great development at the time of the golden age of the local operas. Two famous artists Hua Yanjun (1893-1950) and Liu Tianhua (1895-1932) made an exceptional contribution to the improvement of the Erhu, and it was indeed due to the latter that the Erhu, an instrument mainly for accompaniment in an opera, becomes a solo instrument. After the foundation of People's Republic of China (1949), the manufacture of the Erhu, the playing techniques, the repertoire as well as the musical education of this instrument have undergone a rapid development.

The sound body of the Erhu is a drum-like little case usually made of ebony or sandalwood and snakeskin. It usually has a hexagonal shape with the length of approximately 13 cm. The front opening is covered with skin of python (snake) and that of the back is left open. The functions of this case of resonance are to amplify the vibrations of the strings. The neck of the Erhu is about 81 cm long and is manufactured with the same materials as the drum. The top of the stem is bent for decoration. The two tuning handles (pegs) are found close to the end of the stem. There is no frets (as contrast to the lute) or touching board (as contrast to violin). The player creates different pitches by touching the strings at various positions along the neck of the instrument. The strings are usually made of silk or nylon. Nowadays, metal strings are commonly used.

The Erhu is put on the lap vertically; the left hand moves vertically to touch the strings for the right pitch while the left hand (with the bow) move horizontally to make the sound. The musicians normally play with sitting position.

The Erhu sounds similar to human voice, and can imitate many natural sounds such as birds and horse. It is a very expressive instrument, most well known for playing melancholic tune, but also capable of play merry melody. The Erhu often plays an important role in the national orchestras. In the smaller orchestras, there are usually 2 to 6 Erhu, in largest, l0 with 12. In fact, the Erhu plays the same role as the violin in the Western orchestras.