The Basics of the Erhu

Introducing two articles on "How to Learn Erhu"

The erhu is a difficult instrument to learn, and even more difficult to skillfully master. Due to the structural characteristics of the erhu and the randomness of the selection and production, the sound quality and timbre of each erhu has its own individual characteristics. To skillfully master their own erhu, you must go through a process of erhu familiarization,,, adjustment, control, and through training, comprehensive mastery of the erhu's operating techniques, with the ability to play the erhu process. Below, we discuss several aspects of the adjustment, operation and performance of the erhu to improve their ability to play the erhu.

One, the erhu will be adjusted to the best condition

Whether it is a professional, or amateur erhu enthusiasts, all hope that they have a handy erhu. When faced with a newly purchased erhu, the first task is to break in. During the break-in period, the most critical is the break-in of the python skin. Because the skin of a new mongoose is generally harder and tighter, it needs to be constantly played to adapt its fiber organization to the conduction of various forces, causing the skin to vibrate. It is necessary to practice bowing and fingering techniques such as inner strings, outer strings, treble clef, bass clef, long bow, short bow, heavy bow, light bow, slow bow, fast bow, staccato bow, tremolo bow, etc. This is so that the skin can adapt to various strengths. In this way, the skin can adapt to the changes of various strengths, so that the vibration frequency of the skin can produce the best vibration effect at different pitch points and under different strengths. When the elasticity of the skin is in the best condition, the skin will be completely 'vibrated', and the sound of the instrument will be better and better. If the skin is thick and tightly masked, it will also need to be broken in with a more vigorous bowing technique. During the break-in period, be careful to take care of all pitch points. You can play more scale modal progressions to help break in the various pitch zones. Since the tone of the outer strings of the erhu is generally better than that of the inner strings, the inner strings are more difficult than the outer strings in terms of string pressing, intonation, and control of the strength of the bow, etc. in the higher positions. Therefore, more attention should be paid to the training of the inner strings. I once encountered a 30 years old erhu, the tone of the outer strings is very good, while the inner strings above the second position, a lot of noise. When I asked the owner, he said he basically hadn't played the inner strings above the second position. This means that the inner strings are not well broken in. In addition to playing practice pieces, playing Liu Tianhua's "One-String Exercise" will help a lot in breaking in the inner strings. A new instrument is a brand new combination of skin and strings, saddle, shaft, and other parts. In addition to the skin, the other parts have to be broken in to make them fit optimally. The tension of the shaft is tightened by turning it so that the strings do not run; the strings are broken in so that their expansion and contraction are stabilized; and the bottom surface of the saddle is processed so that the center is slightly higher than the surrounding curvature, so that the contact surface with the skin is tightly fitted. Regarding the break-in time, it has a lot to do with the foundation and strength of each player. In general, for erhu masters, a few months or half a year will be enough; intermediate level, it takes about a year; beginner level will take longer. This is only an estimate. In addition, the break-in period is also related to the thickness of the skin and the tightness of the mask.

How well is a new instrument broken in? This can not be compared with a new car running a fixed number of kilometers indicator, can only rely on qualitative feeling to judge. The sound of a new instrument is 'raw', hard, astringent, not soft; noisy, not mellow, not smooth. Some instruments do not have much sound volume, and the wolf sound is also more obvious. After break-in, the sound quality and timbre of the instrument will be improved, the sound will become mellow, smooth, soft, transparent, loud, the volume will be increased, the penetrating power will be enhanced, and the wolf sound will be weakened or reduced. To achieve such an effect, the break-in period is considered to be over. This is the author's personal opinion.

Two, the erhu integration to the best state

Each erhu has its own characteristics and personality, and people, only similar, not exactly the same. Therefore, it is important to fully understand and familiarize yourself with the characteristics of your erhu. On this basis, integration, adjustment, so that it reaches the best state. We can regard the component parts of the erhu as a kind of resource that can be developed and utilized. The body, barrel and skin of the erhu have already been shaped when they leave the factory, and their materials and craftsmanship determine the quality and grade of the instrument, which we can no longer change. However, we still have the opportunity and possibility to choose, adjust and improve the configuration of the jack, strings, yardstick, bow and sound filtering pads, which is called the optimization of the combination, or the integration of resources. If the method is proper, the configuration is reasonable, and the adjustment is just right, the characteristics and advantages of the instrument can be brought to the best level. Of course, this kind of integration and adjustment can only be the icing on the cake, not a transformation. As already mentioned, the quality of the instrument is finalized when it leaves the factory. It is impossible to expect that a change of a good code and good strings can adjust the sound quality and tone of a resilient instrument to the level of a high-grade instrument.

Position of the jack: The textbook says to use your elbow against the barrel of the instrument, with your arm parallel to the pole, to determine the position of the jack by the height of the root of your little finger. But everyone's fingers are different lengths, but also fine-tuning, long fingers upward, short fingers, especially the little finger is shorter than normal, the jack should be adjusted downward, until the strings sound appropriate prevail. Tie jack wire on the sound quality more or less. Cotton thread is soft, nylon thread is bright, and with metal hooks, the sound is crisp. Can be selected according to personal preference.

Selection of strings: different brands of strings, each with its own characteristics. For example, Shanghai's Dunhuang strings, the wire diameter is thicker, the feel is harder, the sound is bright; Guangzhou strings feel softer, the tone is softer; Beijing Xinghai strings soft and hard moderate; Zhongyi Technology's strings, the tone has been processed, the tone is pure, the feel is also very good, the inner strings and the outer strings are more balanced in the difference of the tone. Therefore, it also has a high price point. In my opinion, you should choose the strings according to the quality characteristics of your instrument, and match whichever strings are suitable for your instrument. If you have a loose skin, you should have a harder string, and if you have a tight skin, you should have a softer string. The choice of strings is best determined by comparison, and you can buy several different brands of strings to try them out. It is worth the investment to determine the right strings for your instrument. The strings also have a process of adapting to the skin of the instrument, so don't change them after a few songs, wait until the tension of the strings has stabilized before making a decision. Suitable strings should have little difference in tone between the outer and inner strings, a balanced volume between the high and low handles, a rounded and beautiful sound, no noise in the sound areas after adding the sound filter pads, and the feel of the strings meets your own requirements.

The tuning code: The tuning code has a great influence on the tone, which is related to its conduction of the vibration frequency of the strings. Different wood densities and frequency transfer coefficients will have a certain effect on the vibration of the skin. In addition the shape of the saddle, the size of the contact area with the skin, all have to say. The basic characteristics of the tone of the instrument, such as thick, bright, soft or hard, already depend on the quality of the instrument and cannot be changed completely. Your preference of tone should be fully considered when you buy the instrument, and the choice of instrument size can only further bring out such characteristics and make partial improvement. Mr. Peng Shuguang's yards are of the highest quality, and they can be made of different materials and shapes for different tones, depending on the condition of the instrument.

Selection of bow: The standard of a good bow is described in detail in the Erhu purchase knowledge. The weight of the bow, the thickness of the bow hair, and the adjustment of the bow's elasticity depend on each person's habits, as long as the bow is smooth. It should be noted that you should choose a bow hair with high friction, and a good horsetail can bite the strings without slipping. High quality rosin can increase the friction. Filter pad configuration: different materials have different tonal effects. Here only emphasize a principle: what you like the tone, with what material of the filter pad. Do it in line with the characteristics of other components, and harmonize with the overall combination.

The purpose of the integration and adjustment of the erhu is to give full play to the characteristics of your instrument, that is to say, to tune the instrument "through", even if it is to achieve the best state. How to be 'through'? We can observe it in a simple way. When you play the violin, ask someone to gently touch the white bone plane at the bend of the headstock, and if there is a vibration feeling, it means that the violin is tuned through. The stronger the vibration, the more transparent the sound.

Three, skillful mastery of the erhu operating technology

The above is about hardware, now talk about the role of software. Even if the instrument is adjusted to the best state, can your erhu produce the most beautiful sound? Not necessarily. It also depends on the power and skill level of each person. For example, a good horse, can run the fastest speed, depends on the driver's ability to drive. Even if you can't handle a good instrument, it's difficult to produce a beautiful sound. The quality of the erhu itself is the hardware, and the skill of the player is the software. The perfect combination of hardware and software can produce heavenly music. Under the premise that the instrument has been determined, the level of human skill is the decisive factor. The instrument's grinding depends on the profound power; the instrument's adjustment depends on the rich experience; the instrument's driving depends on the exquisite skill. This is the role of software.

How can we bring out the most beautiful sound of the erhu? We can only rely on strengthening the training of basic skills, mastering the various techniques of the erhu, and laying a solid foundation of basic skills. We can compare the erhu to a complex machine, and we must first learn to operate it. All kinds of bowing, fingering and special techniques are an independent operation technology. It is necessary to be proficient in each of these techniques in order to start the machine and use it freely.

1. Right hand technique. The right hand technique has two aspects: one is the transportation of the bow, and the other is the bow method. Practice these two, the erhu will be able to speak and sing. As for what key to sing, how high to sing. That is the left hand's business. Bow transportation is mainly to solve the problem of whether the erhu voice pronunciation is round, full, clear and bright. The bowing method mainly solves the control of the speed, strength, and string change of the bow, as well as the use of techniques such as the staccato bow, the continuous staccato bow, the jumping bow, the throwing bow, the trembling bow, the trembling bow, and the change of strings.

2. Left hand technique. The main training of the four fingers to press the strings of the flexible, fast, elastic. On this basis, but also to master the pitch, learn to vibrato, change handle, vibrato and a variety of sliding tone. Each fingering should be practiced repeatedly until skillful. The two-handed technique. Two hands with the technology is in the bowing, fingering training in combination, but also to practice some of the exercises written specifically for the two hands with the practice song. It is important to align the finger presses off the string with the two timing points of bow and string changes. This is especially important when changing handles and strings and when playing fast bows. In addition, in some special playing techniques, it is also required that the two hands work together silently.

Mastering the techniques and skills of erhu operation is an important stage in laying a good foundation of basic skills, and the process can be long. In addition to practicing hard in the right way, there are no shortcuts. What is needed is the determination and courage to master the erhu, plus patience and perseverance. The basic training of erhu is a gradual process. Even after mastering various bowing and fingering techniques, there is still the problem of improving speed and proficiency, and attacking technical difficulties. Practice pieces are like practice problems at all levels, from beginner to advanced, it is impossible to do it overnight. After mastering the beginner and intermediate erhu techniques, you can "assemble" the relevant techniques and apply them in a comprehensive way according to the requirements of the solo pieces.

Fourth, constantly improve the level of erhu performance

Mastering the erhu's operation technology, you can gradually drive the erhu to play. The ability and level of erhu playing can be reflected in several levels of erhu playing. The author roughly categorizes the levels of erhu performance into the following four:

1. The first level - the beginner

This is the primary stage of practicing erhu. Through the study of the basics of erhu and the training of basic skills, you can initially master the basic bowing, fingering, string changing, handle changing, vibrato and other skills of erhu playing, and you can initially grasp the pitch and rhythm, and can play the practice pieces and solo pieces of the fourth level of the erhu examination level fluently. It is considered to have the basic skills of erhu playing. In my opinion, among the primary repertoire, "Good Night" and "Horse Racing" are the most ideal and comprehensive solo pieces for "assembling" various techniques. These two pieces of every bar, according to the technical requirements of the perfect performance, the beginner's standard is really reached.

2, the second layer - taste

In the previous layer of the foundation, strengthen the intermediate and advanced skills training, can master the staccato bow, bow throwing, fast bow, bow jumping and other difficult bowing, as well as commonly used special bowing; can be skillfully used to roll kneading, vibrato pressure, vibrato, vibrato, vibrato and other vibrato techniques, and some of the local characteristics of the performance of the techniques used freely. The performance techniques of some local characteristics can be used freely; they can grasp the pitch and control the rhythm; they can play pure sound, full and rounded tone, which sounds very much like the flavor of the erhu. This has the expressive power of the erhu.

3, the third level - into the feelings

After a solid basic skills, but also to improve the artistic quality and cultivation, to understand the connotation of the erhu repertoire, into the level of feelings. If you have the skill, you can pull down the tune from beginning to end accurately, but you won't be able to express the emotion of the tune. It is like plain water, tasteless, and it is also suspected of showing off skills. Only further understanding of the composition of the environment, background, the intentions of the author of the song, can accurately express the author of the song wants to express the feelings, so it has an infectious force. Only when one is first moved by the emotion of the piece, can one move the audience through the emotion that comes out of the performance. This is the level of professional performance.

4, the fourth level - entry

This is the highest level of Erhu playing. Not only do you need to understand the emotion of the piece, but on this basis, you also need to analyze and study the piece at a deeper level to enter the realm of the piece. Utilizing one's own artistic cultivation, knowledge, experience, imagination, image thinking ability, and incorporating one's own feelings, one can create the music for the second time. Achieve the realm of unity, love from the heart, and forgetfulness of self, so that the performance has a shocking power to move the audience's heart, and bring the audience into the realm of the music. If there is no skillful technique, pure skill, deep artistic attainments, God-like power, is not up to this level. This is the level of mastery. To reach this level, it can be said to have the extraordinary ability to master the erhu, and its erhu skills are already out of the gods, as you wish.

"Erhu Learning Points"

1. "The distance between the pitch of the index finger and the little finger, multiplied by nine-twelfths (4.5) times, is the effective length of the strings": for children's huqin, the jack position should be adjusted according to this data.

2. "The beat is on the point": Some people start the beat as soon as they see the conductor draw a line downward, which is wrong. The beat is at the bottom of the point, not at the top of the point.

3. "Don't change the strings if you can", "Don't change the handle if you can", "Don't release the finger if you can": in short, the less movement, the smaller, the better.

4. "Position is position, handle is handle": position is "position", handle is "handle type", collectively known as "handle/position", such as the second position Re handle, it is called the second La handle/position. Therefore, "handle/position" contains two concepts: position is "position" and handle is "handle", which should not be confused.

5. "The index finger is in the 2nd position with the open string, the 3rd position with the open string, the 3rd position with the open string, the 4th position with the open string, the 8th position with the open string, and the 2nd position with the open string, and the 2nd position with the open string...

6.

6. "The four fingers of the left hand play two strings in the range of 1-1, called Do," the range of 2-2, called Re, the range of 5-5, called So, and the range of 7-7, called Si, ...

7.

7, "and empty strings for the big two degrees above the handle, called the second position," rather than the first position: the violin to C major as the basic key, the big two degrees position, called the first position, the small two degrees position is called the half position, but the second position is the big three degrees, or small three degrees position? National music both to D major as the basic key, then change to the big two degrees for the second position, the small second position called the first position, the big third for the third position, the small third for the b third position, the big nine degrees for the high second position ..... Wouldn't it be better, why bother with the East!

Progress

8, 'the year xiao, the month pin, the ten thousand strings': learning huqin is never-ending.

9, 『thousand days huqin, hundred days xiao』: learning huqin is slower than learning wind instruments.

10: "If you are not familiar with it, you won't be able to play it": "Speed is skill", it is not easy to play fast and familiar with any practice piece.

11: "Long bow with empty strings is the first thing to learn": some traditional artists do not use long and slow bows. However, as Nanhu has absorbed the teaching method of the violin, it must use the long and slow bow with empty strings as the first course of study, and there is no precedence in learning. Old masters who can't play long and slow bows should start practicing from this basic first lesson.

12. "The right hand is the key to a good or bad instrument": some people try their best to practise finger pointing and handle changing, but "expression is the life of music! "Expression is volume", "volume control is all in the right hand", so it can be said that the right hand is the key to a good or bad instrument.

13. "The competition is about volume and tone": "Without volume, there is no expression" (you can only run up and down two floors), and if you can't play a full long bow at the climax, you will lose most of the time!

14. "No matter how well you play, it's useless if you can't hear it": "If you're a beginner, you should first seek to produce a critical volume" ("press the strings into the wood, and play the strings to break"), and then later on, you can practice the control of the volume. Those who do not use the big arm, and those who only use the middle bow, are not talents to be made.

15. "First learn the same bow speed, then learn different bow speeds": when you encounter different beats, first learn to use the long bow for long beats, and the half bow for short beats. Don't use the full bow, so that you have to use the slow bow for the long beat and the fast bow for the short beat. In short, although the beats are different, the bow speed should be the same, so the bow segments should be matched accordingly, and there should be a difference between long and short bows. Instead of using a full bow regardless of the length of the beat, you can use a full bow.

16. "To change the sound of the strings, you should practice the bow change first, and then practice the continuous bow: only then can you go from the easy to the difficult, and progress step by step.

17. "Learn to change tuning first, and then learn to change the handle": only then can you progress from the easy to the difficult, step by step.

18. "Practice every position of every hand", "practice every position of every hand": utilize the ****similarity between them to increase the ability to transpose.

19. "First learn the bass in the key of 15, such as D, bE, F, G; then learn the bass in the key of 52, such as G, A, bB, C: utilize the similarity between them to increase the ability to transpose"

.

General Posture

21. "With the back of the chair against the back of the instrument, the instrument pole is perpendicular to the ground": in this way, the instrument and the person can keep an angle. If the instrument is straight, then there is no angle; if the instrument is straight, then the pole is not straight and the instrument must be held with the index finger of the left hand. Both are bound to jeopardize the change of handle and brisk string action.

22. "Those who study music should not beat the beat": "There is no beat on the feet, but there should be a beat in the heart. When there are rests in the ensemble, you should count the beats constantly. If you beat your feet to the beat, you will be a nuisance to others and will not be welcomed by the orchestra, so don't develop this bad habit.

Left Hand Posture

23. "The left hand big finger is the one holding the stick": holding the stick with the index finger or the tiger's muzzle, there are too many points of contact, which affects the friction when shifting and the flexibility of the wrist joint when brushing the strings.

24. "The less contact points between the palm and the staff, the better": too many points will affect the friction when shifting.

25. "Left arm up": not out. If the arm of the left hand is facing outward, the wrist joint will not be able to move flexibly.

26. "The right side of the index finger of the left hand is close to the strings": this is how the back of the left hand moves up.

27. "The smaller the angle between the left index finger and the string, the better": this is how the back of the left hand moves up.

28. "The string passes diagonally through the index finger of the left hand: it does not intersect the tip of the index finger. In this way the arm of the left hand goes up.

29. "The tip of the finger is at the bottom and the joint is at the top": not in the same plane, otherwise the angle between the index finger and the string will be very large and the string will be orthogonal to the tip of the index finger.

30. The first joint of the left hand should be bent: it should not be flattened. But the little finger should be straight and not bent.

31. "The point of changing the handle is on the string, not on the pole": change the handle by sliding the finger (tiger's mouth leaving the pole), not by sliding the tiger's mouth and jumping the finger. The center of gravity of the left hand should be on the finger that presses the string, not on the barrel through the tiger's mouth.

29. "Wide upper fret spacing, narrow lower fret spacing": theoretically, the upper octave's fret spacing is already one-half of the lower octave's.

30.

30. "The upper finger pressure is heavy, while the lower finger pressure is light": because the upper finger and the string are lower from the bar, while the lower finger and the string are higher from the bar. The strings have different resistance to the same pressure.

Right hand posture

31: "The bow stick should be slightly higher than the bow hair": to avoid the bow stick hitting the barrel.

32. "Hold the bow with the tip of the index finger" - the less contact between the right index finger and the shaft, the better: the left side of the right index finger should not be in too much contact with the shaft if you want to move your wrist flexibly.

33. "When pressing the bow hair inward, use the tip of the middle finger": this is the most energy-saving and sensitive way.

34: "When pushing a short bow, release all four fingers; when pulling a short bow, bring all four fingers together": In short bows, you need to use the wrist joint, and the contact surface between the index finger and the stick cannot be too much.

35. "The smaller the angle between the bow and the staff, the better": if the angle is too large, the bow will pull on both strings.

36. "Push the bow toward the nine o'clock direction and pull it toward the three o'clock direction": If the bow is pulled toward the four o'clock direction, the big arm will not be able to open. If the bow is pushed to the eight o'clock direction, the bow will touch the pole. The ideal angle is to carry the bow from nine to three o'clock, with the barrel rotating slightly in the counterclockwise direction.

37. "Palm inward when drawing the bow, palm outward when pushing the bow": When the palm of the right hand is upward, the wrist joint cannot move flexibly. Therefore, the palm of the right hand is to the left, not up. When drawing the bow, the wrist moves to the right first (palm inward), and when pushing the bow the wrist moves to the left first (palm outward).

38. "Use the arm for long bows, the elbow for medium bows, and the wrist for short bows": those who draw the bow in a circular arc are usually guilty of failing to open and close the big arm, and if they don't use the big arm, the bow will not be drawn properly. If you use your elbow or even your arm to draw a short bow, it will not be light enough.

39. "The bow is like an arrow bow, and the pressure on the string is like a recurve bow": Whether you are pulling the inner string or the outer string, the bow hairs have to exert pressure on the string, and the bow hairs will have a concave and convex point just like the arrow, or else the sound quality will not be full enough.

40. "To play the outer strings, use the right index finger to push the bow bar; to play the inner strings, use the right middle finger to press the bow hair": otherwise the contact point will be weak, and the sound quality will not be full enough.

Bow Technique

41, "The faster the bow speed, the louder the volume": the longer the bow section per unit of time, the faster the bow speed, so it can also be said that "the longer the bow section, the louder the volume".

42, "Long sound is strong sound, short sound is hard to play strongly": the sound itself is very short, but also want to be very loud, of course, it is more difficult to do. It is a natural principle that only long tones are easy to play strongly.

Thus a melody that changes from a long beat to a short one, or from a slow to a fast one, is suitable for crescendo, not for diminuendo;

|2 3 |2 1 |23 21 |2321 2321

＝＝＝＝ ＝＝＝＝

Melodies that change from a short to a long beat, or from a fast one to a slow one, are suitable for diminuendo, not for diminuendo.

43, "Long bow for long beat, short bow for short beat" means "different beat, different bow section, but the same bow speed":

The beat length is different, then the length of the bow section should be different as well, so that the bow speed can be the same. If the bow speed is the same, the volume will be the same.

So the length of the bow section should, in principle, be proportional to the length of the beat. For example, if one bow is used for two beats, half a bow should be used for one beat, and only a quarter of a bow should be used for half a beat .....

Full Half Half Full Full Half Half Full Full

｜5 - 5 5 ｜5 - 1 - ｜1 - 1 1 ｜1 - 5 - ｜1 - 5 - ｜

In principle, the bow section of a long beat can only be longer, faster, and stronger, while the bow section of a short beat can only be shorter, slower, and weaker.

Never use the same bow length for both short and long strokes, so that the long strokes use the slow bow and the short strokes use the fast bow. Otherwise, it would be a violation of the taboo of inverting strength and weakness - short beats are stronger than long beats. This is the most basic musical principle of bowed string instruments.

44, "It is a fool who does not distinguish between long and short bows": those who think that long bows should be slow and short bows should be fast are such fools!

"There are a lot of such fools in the Chinese music industry"! The reason for this has to do with the wrong requirements of the Chinese music world for Nanhu practice pieces - all Nanhu practice books are modeled after Western music, starting with the full bow playing whole notes in four beats (long and slow bowing). This is correct. ("It is a common problem for traditional artists to use only the middle bow," and the main reason for this is that traditional artists do not have the most basic

long and slow bow training).

But the next two beats, one beat, or even half a beat of practice, are also required to be practiced with the full bow (some textbooks specifically call it "practice with different bow speeds"), which is not in line with the focus of Western teaching.

Then, what is emphasized in the Western world is the practice of different "bow sections" rather than different "bow speeds". That is to say, "different tempo, different bow section, but same bow speed", not "different tempo, same bow section, but different bow speed".

The student who has not been trained correctly, and who has suffered for a long time from using a slow bow for long beats and a fast bow for short beats, will slow down his bow speed when he encounters long beats, even though he still has enough

powers to play fast.

45, "Only use the middle bow to play is a common problem of traditional artists": excellent Cantonese opera masters are by no means without a long bow, Ping Opera and mostly use the long bow and a word a bow, and only use the middle bow (or even Mimi bow) to play the common problem of traditional artists, it should be the reason why the learning of the art is not yet refined!