Erhu's playing skills are relatively rich, mainly divided into two categories: fingering and bowing. Among them, glissando and vibrato are the most distinctive among bowed string instruments.

Portamento is the sound produced by consciously sliding your finger on a string. The sliding method is different, the resulting portamento effect is also different. In terms of the range of sliding, there are the portamento for changing and the portamento for the original position. In terms of the sliding amplitude, there are big portamento (above major third) and small portamento (minor third); in terms of sliding direction, there are up portamento (slide from bass to treble) and glide (slide from treble to bass) ); in terms of the sliding time, there are first portamento (the portamento appears before the original note) and post portamento (the portamento appears after the original note); in terms of the sliding strength, there are appoggiance portamento and link portamento. From the general nature of portamento, it can be divided into two categories: decorative portamento and connected portamento.

① Glide first

First portamento is a portamento that first glides from the appoggiator to the natural note, which emphasizes the natural note. There are two kinds of first glide and up and down glide.

② back portamento

The portamento that appears after the main note is called back portamento. The back portamento slides from the natural note to the appoggiance, and the whole sliding process is exactly the opposite of the first portamento. Post Glide also has up and down Glide points. Usually represented by arrow symbols.

③ Link portamento

Connected portamento, also known as connected portamento, is a common portamento whose symbol is to add an arrow to the right end of the concatenated bow symbol. In terms of playing method, a certain finger is used to connect the sounds in the connection with a balanced strength, which sounds compact and makes the music have a strong appeal. In fact, the "slip finger change bar" that is often used in the bar change is also similar to the connection portamento, but the characteristics are not as strong as the connection portamento.

④ turn portamento

Portamento is a decorative portamento with a prominent effect. Its symbol is "w", which is generally recorded above the note.

The transition portamento is a second step below the original note, so some people specifically call this portamento "down-turn portamento". In addition, there is a kind of "upturn glissando", which is more common in Mongolian folk songs. Its symbol is "￣", and its intensity, range and time are exactly the same except that the direction of "revolution" is opposite to that of downward spiral portamento. What needs to be pointed out here is that no matter whether it is "up-turn portamento" or "down-turn portamento", the pitch interval of their "turn" is relatively regular. Generally speaking, the range of motion of turn portamento is two degrees above and below the original note, and rarely more than a minor third. of.