Tone quality is the quality of the sound produced by an instrument. Good sound quality can be described by words such as round, sweet, relaxed, and moderate brightness; bad sound quality can be described by words such as noisy, harsh, tight, too dark, and too bright.

The good sound quality of the bowed stringed instrument is what the actor pursues in his life, and it is the life of the performance effect. The factors that affect the sound quality of erhu include many aspects, such as material selection, production technology, performance technology, and non-technical factors. This article discusses the non-technical factors that affect the sound quality of Erhu with seniors and colleagues.

1. The influence of weather and climate

Changes in weather and climate have a direct impact on the timbre of the erhu. Changes in weather mainly refer to changes in meteorological elements such as overcast, sunny, wind, rain, temperature, and humidity. These changes will affect the timbre of the erhu. For example, on sunny days, high temperature and dryness, the sound of the erhu will be brittle and dry; on rainy days, when the humidity is high, the sound of the erhu will be dull and muffled. Climate change refers to seasonal and regional changes. For example, spring and autumn are dry, and summer is rainy and humid. The north is dry, the south is wet, and so on. Bamboo flutes and flutes produced in the south will crack when they reach the north. The same is true for the erhu. Seasonal and regional climatic conditions will also affect the timbre of the erhu. This is due to two reasons. First, the python skin is the main factor for the formation of the sound of the erhu. The fibrous tissue of the python skin has toughness and elasticity. Under the hot and cold, dry and wet environment, the phenomenon of thermal expansion and contraction will occur, which will change the tightness of the python skin; its Second, although the wood of the piano barrel has been dried, if the moisture in the wood is not completely dried out, when the weather changes, there will be a slight expansion and contraction phenomenon, which will affect the elasticity of the piano skin and the resonance of the piano barrel. Therefore, the erhu should be put into the box when not in use. In the humid season, an appropriate amount of desiccant can be placed in the box and replaced every two weeks. In the dry season, the damp sponge (be careful not to drip) can be placed in a suitable small container and placed in an erhu box to prevent drying.

2. The level and tightness of a thousand jins

The height of a thousand pounds should be determined according to the age of the player and the length of the arms and fingers. Generally, the height of the qin player's left elbow on the tiger's mouth on the qin barrel is used as the approximate height of the jin. After tying the jin, and then repeating the test, finally determine the jin's position on the back of the hand and when the fingers touch the strings in a relaxed and natural state. .

Under the condition that the outer strings are always in the standard tone, the lower the string, the smaller the string tension, the softer the strings, the darker the sound quality, and the lower the volume; the higher the string, the greater the string tension, the harder the strings, and the brighter the sound quality. The volume is louder. When determining the high and low position of Qianjin, it must be based on the relaxed state of the user's hand, and not to raise the Qianjin prematurely in pursuit of a loud sound quality, which will cause tension in the left hand and affect the speed and pitch of the left hand.

Once the position of the jinjin is determined, it should be relatively fixed within a certain period of time (usually about a year). As the person who uses the piano grows, it is gradually raised, and the sound quality will naturally get better and better.

The tightness of Qianjin should be formed by a certain folded line at the three points of the piano shaft, Qianjin, and piano code. If it is too loose, there will be almost no broken lines. If the distance between the strings and the stem is too large, it is easy to make noise when playing hollow strings. If it is too tight, the left hand will be too tight, which will affect the flexibility of the fingers and the learning of vibrato techniques to a certain extent. A moderately tight jin can not only ensure the flexibility of finger movement, but also obtain good sound quality.

3. The influence of the resonance of the piano

The piano skin is vibrated and sounded, but the volume is very small, and it must pass through the resonance of the piano barrel to make a loud sound. The qin barrel plays the role of a resonance chamber, and the process of its resonance is also the process of forming the sound of the erhu. In addition to the material of the piano skin, the wood of the barrel also has a great influence on the sound of the erhu. Factors such as the density, dryness, response frequency, and resonance frequency of the wood, as well as differences in the structure and shape of the violin barrel, will affect the timbre of the erhu. For example, mahogany has a round and delicate sound; red sandalwood is hard and bright; ebony is strong and tough.

The author compares the two erhus in hand. One is a mahogany concertina, with thin snake skin, slender and bright sound, and poor penetrating power; Strong penetration. Looking at the waveform with an oscilloscope, at the same pitch point, the former has more and dense harmonics; the latter has relatively few harmonics, and the edges of the waveform are smooth and clear. It can be seen that the difference between the piano barrel and the piano skin has a great influence on the timbre.

In addition, filling a layer of foam in the resonant cavity changes the response frequency of the piano barrel and makes the sound thicker. At the rear sounding port of the piano, covering different areas will make the sound dull.

4.  The influence of piano code material

A small piano code will also have a great impact on the sound of the erhu. The piano code is the medium through which the vibration waves of the strings are transmitted to the piano skin. The density and resonance frequency of different woods have a great relationship with the formation of the erhu tone. A bridge with soft wood and low density has a soft and low sound; a bridge with hard wood and high density has a high-pitched and bright sound. For example, the bamboo code is crisp, the pine knot is soft, and the ebony code has a strong and tough sound. The bridge made of hard plastic has a dull sound.

In addition, the size of the bottom area of the bridge is related to the size of the contact area with the piano skin, and also has a certain influence on the sound, which may be related to the vibration frequency of the piano skin and the synthesis of harmonics. Experiments have shown that the sound of the big piano is thick, and the sound of the small piano is sharper. The material and size of the piano code should be tested repeatedly. After selection, the position of the piano code should be placed at the center of the piano skin, so that the piano skin can obtain good vibration, full sound quality and resonance. The position is higher or lower, the volume becomes smaller, the sound quality is astringent, and it is not round.

If you want to get the tone you like, you should prepare more piano bridges of different materials according to the characteristics of your erhu, and choose a satisfactory piano bridge through comparative experiments to make the sound of your erhu more pleasing to the ear.

5. Influence of sound filter gasket

In order to eliminate the wolf sound noise, almost all erhus are equipped with sound filter pads at the bottom of the piano code. Some people use sponge, foam, and some people use woolen cloth (the erhu sound pads sold by Yuanzhen Musical Instruments are more material: also There are wool, cashmere, suede, etc.). The material, thickness, size, and installation position of the filter pad will affect the sound of the erhu. Sponge foam will make the sound of erhu low, thick and stuffy; soft cloth will make the sound soft and delicate; woolen material will make the sound bright and high-pitched. You can choose according to your preference. If the filter pad is installed near the bridge, the tone will become thicker; if it is installed at the lower part of the piano, the tone will be brighter; if it is installed in the middle of the bridge and the piano, the tone will be between the first two. people's needs to adjust.

Through the comparison and trial of a large number of materials, I believe that pure wool is the best material, and thicker fabrics are better, such as felt, wool, wool, etc. ). Wool belongs to the protein fiber scale-like structure, and its noise reduction effect is very good. The pure cashmere called "fiber gold" is the best sound pad material among wool materials.

Usually sound pads should be made according to the characteristics of the erhu and the requirements of the player. Its specifications are 2.5-4 cm * 2.5-4 cm, and it is made into a wedge shape (thick by the piano yard and thin below), and the height is suitable to be placed under the piano yard, according to the characteristics of the piano and the player's requirements. It is best to sew with thread all around. As for the thickness and size of the sound filter pad, how many layers are appropriate depends on the experiment.

6. The influence of the strings

With old strings, use your thumb and forefinger to check the friction points between the bow and the strings, you will find that the round strings are flattened, and sometimes even the outer winding of the core is worn out, such strings Not only the sound quality is poor, but also the aging of the bow is accelerated. Therefore, in order to protect the bow and obtain good sound quality, always check and replace the aging strings.

7.  The influence of the bow

The longer the bow is used, the more serious the aging, the shallower or even no groove, the less the rosin hangs, the slippery when pulled, and the poor sound quality. Some people mistakenly think that the bow has been used for several years and there is still a lot of bow hair, so there is no need to replace it with a new bow. This is extremely wrong. When to replace the bow, check the aging degree of the bow, not the amount of bow hair. If a bow is practiced for two hours a day, it should be replaced in about a year to obtain better sound quality.

8. The influence of playing technique

Bow movement is the basic skill of erhu playing, and it is a very important basic skill. The quality of the bowing technique has a great influence on the timbre. The key to why some people's voices are blunt, musty, and unpleasant, while the music played by masters is round, full, smooth, and beautiful, lies in bowing. Correct bowing requires the right hand to be fully relaxed, to keep the bow flat, straight and steady, and to pay attention to the degree of stringing, so that the timbre of the bow can be beautiful and pleasant. If the bow is handled incorrectly, the bow is unstable, the force of the bow is tense, and the string cannot be attached, the sound is not good.

In addition to bowing, pressing the strings with the left hand also affects the timbre. Factors such as the position of the finger, the strength, the virtual and the real, etc., will cause the timbre to change. For example, pressing lightly with your fingertips and pressing hard with your fingertips will produce different timbres; pressing the strings lightly and pressing the strings will have different effects; pressing the overtone points will produce clear and bright overtones.

In addition, the same tone, the timbre on the outer string and the inner string are different. In some pieces, such as "Good Night", there are many "5" sounds using the contrasting changes of the inner and outer strings to express a cheerful and lively atmosphere.