The famous erhu performer and educator Xu Jiade wrote in the "Song of Difficulty in Learning the Piano" written in his years of teaching and practice: "It is easy for the left hand to be difficult for the right hand, and it is easy to draw the bow and difficult to push the bow. Zhao Hanyang, a world-class erhu master, also attaches great importance to the training of his right hand when he instructs his students.

It seems that the important influence of the right hand on the performance of the erhu is recognized by experts. From the experience of ordinary people, we can also know that even when only pulling open strings or not adding vibrato, the essential difference between the wonderful sounds produced by performers and ordinary amateurs lies in the skill of the right hand. On the other hand, even the average amateur, if he works hard on his right hand, can maximize the potential of the instrument itself.

The ancients said, "If a worker wants to do a good job, he must first sharpen his tools". In addition to correct methods and strict training, the improvement of right-hand skills is also an essential condition for choosing a handy bow.

So, how to choose the right bow for you? What kind of bow can be used with ease? As a professional bow maker, I have summed up my years of experience here, and I invite all performers and enthusiasts as a reference when choosing a bow.

First, the bow of folk music is made of natural bamboo, so the quality of bamboo is very important. High-quality bamboo, when you gently pick it up, you can immediately feel its elasticity, toughness, and a "heavy" feel. Generally speaking, the pros and cons of the bow stem depends on whether the thickness of the bamboo is uniform and whether the bamboo joints are round. Bamboos with the same diameter and length should be heavier.

A standard erhu bow, 83 cm in length, with stem diameters ranging from 0.65 to 0.70, 0.75, 0.80 cm. If you are a beginner, or mainly play traditional repertoire, you should choose a bow with a slightly larger diameter, so that it will be more stable when the bow is held. If you mainly perform transplanted repertoires and concertos, and often use techniques such as throwing and jumping, you can choose a slightly lighter bow, which is more flexible and light to use.

Second, choose the right size of the bow at the bow. The bow at the bow is properly cambered, which can make the player's wrist more comfortable and natural, and can achieve agile, dexterous and labor-saving string changing, and can obtain the maximum volume and good sound quality with the smallest range of motion. Generally speaking, the camber of the bow at the bow should not be too large.

Third, the quality of the ponytail is better. We all know that the pronunciation of national stringed instruments relies on the friction between the rosin-coated bow hair and the strings to generate vibrations, which are transmitted to the membrane/panel through the bridge, and resonate through the membrane/panel and the piano barrel to produce a wonderful sound. Although nylon silk, inferior ponytails and high-quality black and white ponytails can be rubbed with rosin to make sounds, but the sound of nylon silk and inferior ponytails is noisy, while the sound of high-quality white ponytails is sweet and smooth. This is because the hair scales on the surface of the high-quality white horsetail are uniform and have sharp edges, which is conducive to the friction of the strings. However, there are no scales on the surface of nylon silk, and the scales of inferior horsetails have been corroded by unscrupulous merchants with chemical solution during the cleaning process (inferior white horsetails are bleached and dyed with black horsetails and flower horsetails), so their pronunciation cannot be compared with high-quality white horsetails. Compared with the horsetail, it is impossible to make the wonderful sound of the national stringed music.

So, how to identify the fineness of the ponytail? We know that the color of each natural white ponytail is not exactly the same, but generally it is white at the root and gradually turns yellow at the tail. If the color of the ponytail is basically the same from the beginning to the end, and it looks white and bright, it is probably an inferior ponytail that has been bleached and dyed with chemicals. This is the key to distinguishing true and false white ponytails. We must observe carefully when choosing a bow.

Finally, let's talk about rosin. Although rosin is only an auxiliary object, its quality has a considerable impact on the pronunciation of the bow, so try to avoid using low-quality rosin. To choose no impurities, strong adhesion, less dust, moderate hardness. Not only can this

Playing beautiful music can also help prolong the life of the bow hair.