Erhu began in the Tang Dynasty and has a history of more than a thousand years. It originated from an ethnic minority in the northern part of ancient my country, and was originally called "Jiqin" and "Xiqin". It is mainly composed of piano tube, piano skin, piano rod, piano shaft, string, bow, jin, piano code, piano support, and damping pad.

violin

The qin barrel is an important part of the erhu and the resonance body of the erhu. Through the push-pull movement of the bow, the vibration of the piano skin is produced after wiping the strings. The texture and shape of the barrel has a direct impact on volume and sound quality. Usually made of rosewood or mahogany. The shapes include hexagon, octagon, circle, front octagon and rear circle, etc. The most commonly used one is hexagon. A sound window (usually carved wood window) is inlaid behind the qin barrel, which not only plays a decorative role on the qin barrel, but also has certain benefits for pronunciation, sound transmission and sound filtering. The piano tube is the resonance tube of the erhu. It is generally made of ebony and mahogany (rarely rosewood), but also made of rosewood or bamboo. In the 1970s, it began to be molded using low-foaming (ABS) materials. Its shape is mainly hexagonal, with a length of 13 cm and a diameter of the front opening (opposite side) of 8.8 cm. In some areas, it is made into a circle or an octagon. The waist of the barrel is slightly thin, and the back of the barrel is open or installed with sound windows of various patterns. The barrel acts to amplify and render the vibrations of the strings.

piano skin

The skin in front of the barrel is an important sounding device for the erhu. Generally python skin, snake skin is the lowest erhu skin. Snake skin has fine scales, regular lines and toughness, but thin texture. The sound quality is easily affected by factors such as climate and room temperature. The scale pattern of python skin is thick and flat, the color contrast is harmonious, the thickness is suitable and elastic, it is not easy to be eaten by insects, and the pronunciation resonates well. The most ideal place for python skin is the anus. The python skin in this place has wide adaptability, thick and round pronunciation, and stable performance. The newly bought erhu, whether it is snake skin or python skin, is often empty and sandy in pronunciation, and the volume of the upper and lower ends is very different. This is because the vibration of the piano skin is not coordinated enough. After a period of playing, the vibration of the piano skin may gradually become normal. It is an important sounding body of the erhu and the key to the vibration source, and has a direct impact on the sound quality and volume. The larger the scales of the python skin, the better the sound.

piano bar

The stem is the backbone of the erhu and also the torso. It not only plays the role of supporting the upper and lower connections, but also has a certain influence on the overall vibration pronunciation. The materials used to make the bars are sandalwood (in smaller quantities), ebony, or mahogany. Generally, more ebony is used. Ebony is cheap and good quality, and has a certain tensile strength. It is an important pillar for supporting the strings and for pressing the strings. The total length is 81 cm and the diameter is about 0.55 inches (1.83 cm). The top is the headstock, the upper part is equipped with two pegs, and the lower end is inserted into the piano barrel. The headstock is in the shape of a curved neck, and it is also carved into a faucet or other shapes. Measuring the purity of an erhu has a lot to do with the choice of the material of the piano rod. Usually, mahogany is regarded as the top grade, and ebony is also good, and other woods are inferior. When choosing, in addition to carefully identifying the material of the piano rod, it is also necessary to take into account the tight texture, fine and uniform wood rays, no knots, no scars, no obvious cracks, and a certain brightness.

piano shaft

There are two upper and lower shafts (also known as Qin Zhen), which play the role of adjusting the pitch. The upper shaft is tied to the inner string, and the lower shaft is tied to the outer string. There are two types of piano shafts: wooden shafts and mechanical shafts, both of which have their own advantages and disadvantages. The wooden shaft is stable after tuning, and it is not easy to run the strings and go out of tune, but it is difficult to adjust the strings due to the tightness and looseness. Mechanical shaft tuning is fast and easy, and the intonation is good. If the production quality is not completely passed, sometimes there will be looseness, sliding and other phenomena, which will easily lead to the strings running out of tone.

strings

The strings are one of the sound bodies of the qin and one of the sound sources of the erhu. The quality of it directly affects the pronunciation. There are two kinds of strings: one is metal string, which has the characteristics of good tension, good sound quality, good intonation and high sensitivity. It is divided into aluminum strings and silver strings, and silver strings are the best; the other is silk strings. It emits a softer and more delicate sound than metal strings, but it has poor virulence, poor intonation, and is easy to break and change the sound. Most use metal strings.

bow

The bow (commonly known as the bow) is composed of a bow shaft and bow hair. A good bow should first be long and straight; secondly, the bow hair should be top-grade with white horsetail hair, and the bow hair should be numerous and even, and should be bundled at the connection with the fish tail. Firm; finally, it should be noted that the sections of the bow should be small and small, and the thickness should be moderate. The total length is 76~85 cm. The bow rod is the bracket that supports the bow hair. The length is 2.4 feet (80 cm). One end of the bow is at the end of the bow, and the ponytail is placed between the two strings to rub the strings for pronunciation. Most of the bow hair is a ponytail, and it is also imitated with nylon silk. Some simple erhus use nylon threads instead of bow hairs, which have poor sound effects. To measure whether the bow hair is durable and wear-resistant, it mainly depends on whether the bow hair is arranged neatly and flatly, with the same length and uniform thickness. Good bow hair requires no broken ends, no slenderness, no messy twists, etc.

Thousands of pounds

Qianjin, also known as Qianjin, plays a role in fixing and cutting the erhu strings. It also has a certain effect on pitch. It is made of cotton thread, silk thread, plexiglass, plastic and other materials. There are various forms, such as fixed jins, wire wound jins, metal jins, etc. The most commonly used is the wire wound.

piano code

The bridge is the medium of vibration between the strings and the piano skin, which plays an important role in pronunciation. It uses materials such as wood, bamboo, metal and paper, etc., commonly used wood pine yards, maple yards. The wood pine is soft, the pronunciation is round and honest, the maple is moderately soft and hard, the pronunciation is soft, and the noise is less. Although the bridge is small, it is the hinge that connects the strings of the piano. Its function is to transmit the vibration of the string to the python skin. Therefore, the material, shape and placement of the piano saddle greatly affect the sound quality of the erhu. In order to improve the sound of the erhu, the erhu with hoarse pronunciation should use paper code (that is, use kraft paper or other hard paper to roll it into a tight and simple shape), and the sound should be softer: the erhu with dull pronunciation should be changed to bamboo code, which can make the erhu sound softer. The sound becomes louder, which is suitable for playing lively and brisk tunes. The monotonous erhu uses a metal spring code to make the pronunciation more resonant.

Cento

The piano is the bottom support of the piano body, which plays the role of decorating and stabilizing the piano body. Some erhus are also equipped with adjustable bottom brackets, which can be adjusted with nylon buckles, which is more convenient when playing.

damper pad

Below the piano code, a small piece of damping pad made of flannel or felt must be inserted between the strings and the membrane. The thickness and size of the sound damping pad should be moderate. If it is too thick, it will affect the volume. If it is too thin, it will not work. It is made of sponge and woolen. The best effect is natural suede, which should not be underestimated. It also has the ability to quickly change the tone: it is close to the bridge, the tone is very smooth, and at the same time it will lose some volume; The piano code will become brighter and brighter, and it should be adjusted according to the needs of the song.