The essence of erhu technical training is the training of hands on the control of musical instruments. This control ability alone actually refers to the control ability of the brain opponent. Therefore, technical training is not only training the hands, but also training the brain.

This article attempts to explain how to master skills scientifically from the main technical issues of left and right hands, and to understand skills from the perspective of music, so that they can ultimately serve music better.

intonation

The problem of intonation is a common problem encountered by players of stringed instruments, and the biggest negative phase of the players often comes from this. Pitch as a technical difficulty. When solving this problem, we should first realize that it needs to rely on a scientific method, coupled with persistent practice, can be solved, not just through desperate practice, that is, the problem can be solved.

We often encounter such situations: through a morning practice, it seems that we have a certain degree of pitch, but in the afternoon or the next day, when we pick up the piano, we find that the pitch is not accurate again; or sometimes it is accurate, But sometimes I don't know why it's not allowed. Or, the song is accurate through practice. However, even though it's the same type of song, it's still not accurate. Or I always feel unsure. I think these problems are caused by not finding the right way.

Any technical training is not just the training of finger function. Although the training of finger function is also very important, just like athletes need physical training, the key to mastering a skill lies in whether we are good at controlling our body and controlling our hand. This is the ultimate goal of technical training.

So, how to obtain this ability? How to achieve this goal? First of all, it depends on the relaxation of the body and fingers. Because stiff muscles are impossible to be "obedient". Therefore, correct posture and reasonable hand shape are very necessary.

In order to facilitate the mastery of intonation, we divide the playing range into many positions, and the control of the distance of these different positions is the first thing to pay attention to. Usually we talk about intonation. We always think that it belongs to the problem of fingers. And the accuracy of the handle of the tiger's mouth is the necessary premise to ensure that the fingers are relaxed and accurate, because a reasonable position of the tiger's mouth can greatly help the fingers to find The feeling of relaxation, and only in a relaxed state can the fingers feel more sensitive and accurate to the distance of the sound. In addition, the adjustment of the finger distance that the fingers can make is limited. It must be in the premise of accurate positioning in order to play a more effective role. At the same time, paying attention to the accurate position of the tiger's mouth will also make the hand shape more stable. Therefore, the training of the sense of distance is very important.

In addition to the accuracy of the position, the distance between the outermost two fingers of the four fingers we use to press the strings, that is, the frame of one finger and four fingers is also very important. This four-degree frame has very different distances in different positions, so obtaining an accurate sense of distance for this frame with very different finger distances in different positions is also a very important part of the practice. Then, with this accurate frame, our second and third fingers can be based on and rely on, so that the finger distance is more accurate.

Hearing has always occupied a most important position in solving the problem of intonation, because in order to obtain intonation, you must first be able to hear whether the pitch is accurate, and then it is possible to adjust, if the ear cannot accurately hear whether the pitch is accurate or not. , the intonation is impossible to wither.

Hearing can be divided into subjective and objective. Subjective hearing refers to inner hearing. A player needs to have very good inner hearing, because our hands are only the practice of inner hearing, without the guidance of good inner hearing, we cannot have good practice. And the richer the inner hearing, the richer our practice. In addition, the more sensitive and careful the inner hearing is to distinguish various rhythms, the more meticulous the fingers may master different rhythms.

Objective intonation hearing refers to the judgment of the accuracy of each tone in the actual performance. The cultivation of this objective hearing is equally important as the cultivation of subjective hearing, because even practice guided by inner hearing often has small deviations, and such deviations need to rely on keen objective hearing as a bridge This information is transmitted to the brain, so that the brain can quickly make judgments based on this information, so as to give feedback to the fingers, so that the fingers can be adjusted quickly and accurately.

Therefore, I believe that the high degree of cooperation and automation between the various links formed on the basis of the relaxation of the body and fingers, the sensitivity of hearing, the sensitive "information processing" of the brain, and the feedback ability of the fingers is the only way to obtain intonation. important method of accuracy and certainty. Then, the practice under this premise will enable the player to acquire the ability to control intonation, and this ability has a wide range of continuity, reliability and stability. The acquisition of this ability will make us no longer because of changing After a piece of music, or after a day, everything has to start all over again. In this way, it will also provide a strong guarantee for the player to obtain a good psychological state of playing.

vibrato

Vibrato enhances the sound. The change of vibrato makes the process of music development more vibrant, and it makes music full of life.

Then, first move away from the change of the vibrato. From the perspective of beautifying the sound, a beautiful vibrato needs to have the following characteristics: 1. Relaxation, 2. Uniform, 3. Round.

The relaxation of the sound first comes from the relaxed pressing. On the back of the hand, the fingers must be relaxed, and the fingers must be flexible, so that the weight of the entire hand can be transferred to the fingers without obstacles, and finally fall naturally on the strings. Although a change in finger pressure is often required in changing the vibrato, first learn to remove the excess force from the hand, so as not to disrupt the regular vibration of the strings. On this basis, the change of finger pressure can make the smallest force obtain the greatest effect, otherwise it can only be the death of the sound, the stiffness of the movement and the mutual cancellation of the force.

The uniformity of the vibrato mainly refers to the uniformity of the up and down amplitude of the vibrato and the uniformity of the speed of the vibrato from low to high or from high to low. This needs to learn the ear to distinguish carefully while learning the vibrato action, and then guide the hand to adjust whether it is even or not. Rounding refers to reducing the angularity of the movement of the vibrato from low to high or from high to low.

The erhu instrument does not have a fingerboard, so the difference in the strength of the fingers on the strings can not only change the pitch, but also change the color of the sound, plus the change of the width of the vibrato, the change of the frequency, the change of the finger pressure and The angle of the contact between the fingers and the string changes, etc., the sound can become rich and colorful, with flesh and blood. Therefore, there is a greater possibility for the variety of vibrato (the changes caused by the coordination of the left and right hands are not described here)

The type of vibrato and the sense of proportion are determined by the content and emotion expressed by the music, so we must first start from understanding the music. The variation of music is endless, but the use of vibrato to obtain infinite variation of sound is not without rules.

Music is the art of time, and the expression of thoughts and feelings requires a process, so in this time process, whether it is the ups and downs of the sound, the speed of the speed (the rhythm of the rhythm), the harmony and dissonance of the harmony, the thickness of the texture. And so on, from a local point of view, it is the process of strengthening and weakening tension, and it is these movements that constitute the flow of music, thereby expressing our thoughts and feelings. Then the use of vibrato is usually closely related to the tension of the music. Generally, where the tension is stronger, the vibrato will be faster and stronger, and where the tension is weak, it will be relatively slow (excluding some special artistic manipulations of course). Therefore, if you want to know how to vibrate a certain note, you should first understand the style of music, the status of this note in the development of music, and various factors related to it.

From the perspective of pitch: although the fluctuation of the melody line is caused by many factors, the change of pitch is one of the important means to cause the fluctuation of the melody money. The rise of the tone is often accompanied by the strengthening of the tension. The fall of the sound area is the opposite. When we hear a bass, we usually directly feel its deepness and breadth. At this time, the use of a slower frequency vibrato makes this sound beautify. It seems to make us feel the movement of a thick, deep voice with breath and move people's hearts. When we hear a high pitch, the first thing we feel is the strengthening of the tightness. It seems that there is a kind of tightness generated when the air consumption is greatly increased. At this time, the use of a higher frequency vibrating string can make this high pitch get enough. tension.

From the perspective of structure: when a certain note is moving to the high point of the melody line, the frequency of the vibrato is usually faster and faster, and the color becomes thicker and thicker, while the falling sound at the end of the sentence is generally the frequency of vibrato is higher. A slow, relaxed tone. So, how to recognize the lines of these melodies? Each piece is composed of a different number of phrases. The phrases are long and short, and a large phrase is often composed of several small phrases, that is to say, a There are often many ups and downs in the melody line. Therefore, in order to correctly grasp a sound, it is necessary to first grasp the structure of the whole music and the relationship between the various fluctuations in the melody line. Only from the perspective of the whole can we correctly understand the parts.

From the point of view of the mode: the more stable pitch in the mode has weaker tension, so the vibrato is slower, while the unstable pitch with a strong tendency has a stronger tension, so the vibrating frequency tends to be faster. Of course, it is the same unstable sound level, but due to the degree of instability, the vibrato will also be different.

The above is to find the regularity of using vibrato from several different angles, but it should also be recognized that the nature of a sound is often determined by a variety of factors, so we need to fully grasp it.

Timbre is one of the most important means of musical performance. Different timbres make us feel different, so the use of timbre contrast changes in musical performance will be more conducive to the expression of music. When a person speaks, due to different events, different emotions, or different processes in the same expression content, there are often many subtle changes in timbre, so grasping these subtle timbre changes in the process of music will become our focus. The basis for how to use the method of vibrato more precisely. It can be seen that the technical means of vibrato serves the ultimate purpose of music.

China is a multi-ethnic country. Different geographical environments and living customs constitute different cultures, which also make Chinese music rich in regional and style. As one of the important means of musical expression, vibrato has gained more possibilities, and the fact that erhu does not have a fingerboard makes it more possible to obtain this diversity. Erhu's vibrato techniques include tumbling, pressing, pressing, pulling, keying, sliding, etc. Different types of vibrato have very different timbres, and these different methods and different combinations of these methods make Erhu has the possibility to express various emotions more abundantly.

It can be seen that the mastery of the technique of vibrato, in addition to the basic methods, ultimately depends on the understanding of music. Only the use of vibrato on this basis can make the music more vivid and the expression more perfect.

portamento

Music comes from life, and pitch and language are closely related. Mandarin Chinese in China is divided into four tones, and there are more tones in various dialects, so it is reflected in the tones, and the charm is particularly rich. This charm is reflected in the left hand, and one of the main aspects is the grasp of the style of the portamento.

From the point of view of technique, the portamento includes upward slide, slide down, back slide, tail slide, pad finger slide, etc. From the application point of view, there are the same finger slide, different finger slide, the portamento that moves the position and the finger up and down on the same position Stretched in-place portamento, various portamentos with various interval distances, etc. They all have strong links with local dialects.

The most important thing to play portamento well is to accurately grasp the style of music. On this basis, we can easily grasp the proportion of portamento. The same is a sound slide to another, but the portamento scale (mainly reflected in the amplitude of the portamento and the speed of the process) is different, but it will make the music taste very different.

What is recorded on the score is the height, length, intensity, etc. of each note, but it is often impossible to accurately mark how one note moves to another (except for the velocity mark), and it is impossible to record in this movement. What kind of tone, style, flavor and emotion is reflected (except for a few hints of musical terms). Then, this requires us not only to go deep into the local, but also to analyze each detail from a global perspective. Through the surface of the notes, Understand the musical language behind the notes. Understand the connotation of the movement between the sounds, so that it is possible to grasp the proportions.

The language of Jiangnan sounds soft and less angular, and the music in the Jiangnan region (folk songs, Jiangnan silk and bamboo, etc.) is also similar to its language, softer, the glissando is mostly second or small second, more even and less angular. The very characteristic portamento, such as the pad finger portamento of the minor third, if played too fast and too stiff, it will definitely appear "insufficient in flavor". Of course, it should also be seen that in addition to the regional characteristics, the style of music also includes the personality characteristics of the composer. For example, A Bing, who also grew up in the south of the Yangtze River, has an upright and determined personality. Therefore, this temperament is always revealed in his works. Judging from the portamento, the slides in his works are all fast and angular, which fully reflects the upright side of his personality.

The softness of Jiangnan music is also reflected in the fact that the portamento is mostly performed between smaller intervals, even the portamento of a large distance interval is slower and more uniform; while the coarse expansion of northwest music is reflected in the more larger distance intervals. The jumping in and the use of portamento, and the portamento with a large distance interval usually starts very quickly, and the later it gets slower, it sounds very angular, which is very different from the charm of the Jiangnan region.

The world of music is rich and changeable, just like language, the same sentence is spoken in different tones and intonations, and we will get completely different feelings, and it is precisely because of the diversity of feelings that the way we express will be infinite. rich.

bow

Musical instruments are like our voices, but the difference is that the quality of our voices is innate, while our musical instruments are made of different materials by different people. But even with the same good voice, in order to obtain a good timbre, there is a problem of whether to use the voice or not. From a physics standpoint, the better the resonance, the more pleasing it sounds. From the point of view of music performance, the sound that is most conducive to expressing the thoughts and feelings of music can move people more. And music is constantly changing, so the timbre should also change with the changes of the music.

Having good pronunciation is the ideal of every string player, and of course, everyone has different aesthetic preferences for timbre. Usually, the player hears the sound he wants in his mind before playing it. This kind of very personal sound due to differences in aesthetic habits will not be discussed here. What I want to discuss is what technical rules can be followed in order to have a sound that resonates well.

The relaxation and coordination of the joints of the right hand is very important to achieve a relaxed, powerful articulation and the fluency of the bow. Stiffness in any one link will cause incoordination and prevent the natural transmission of weight from the arms to the bow. . Of course, the stability of the arm is also the key to the bow, just like the stability of the center of gravity is the key to the stability of the road.

The sound quality depends on having good pronunciation. Mastering the angle of friction between the bow and the strings is a key to getting good pronunciation. Only a good angle can make the strings vibrate regularly to the greatest extent, so that the pronunciation has a good resonance. This good angle is that the bow should be flat and straight. So, is there a good angle, there must be a sound of sufficient vibration? It also depends on whether the bow hair and the strings are "affixed" well, that is to say, there is enough friction The force will have sufficient vibration sound. So. How can we ensure that the bow is attached to the string? It is very important to pay attention to the position of the center of gravity of the bow. When pulling the outer string, it should be outward, and the inner string is the opposite. When changing strings, the center of gravity of the bow should be shifted in time. In my opinion, to get good articulation, the exact center of gravity of the bow is as important as the angle of friction between the bow and the string and the proper friction. The same friction angle will be very different depending on the position of the center of gravity of the bow. friction and ultimately affect pronunciation.

Another key to pronunciation is the correct relationship between bow speed and pressure. When the pressure is greater than the bow speed, the sound is often dead and too rough; when the pressure is less than the bow speed, the sound is weak and weak. So, what is the relationship between bow speed and pressure so that the strings can fully vibrate? The general rule is that the faster the bowing speed, the greater the bowing pressure, and vice versa, the lower the pressure. So how big and how small this pressure is, is completely guided by the player's ears. Moreover, since the bow speed is constantly changing during the performance, the pressure is required to change continuously with the change of the bow speed. We need to constantly make adjustments to this relationship, guided by our ears, to get better resonance. And eventually through practice, rise from conscious control to subconscious revealing. That is: when we hear this sound in our hearts, our hands can automatically play this sound with the best relationship between bow speed and bow pressure.

Music art expresses people's thoughts and feelings, and the changes of people's thoughts and feelings are prominently reflected in the changes of people's breath. Therefore, the movement of grasping this breath is the key to musical expression. So what are the factors related to this natural movement of breath in the process of music? I think it is the change of timbre and the different movement modes of tone, melody, harmony, polyphony, orchestration, musical form , dynamics, timbre, rhythm, etc. In fact, all factors embody a movement of breath. So, when playing stringed instruments, what is the main factor that makes the music more breathable? I think it is through the changes in the timbre and dynamics in the melody movement to reveal the different movements between the tones and the different breaths. sports. It is the key to making music vivid, they are the soul of music, and the change of this breath is largely reflected by the change of bowing and vibrato for stringed instruments. Behind the sound, you can feel the presence of a breath. Therefore, in addition to having a good pronunciation, only after finding the correct breath feeling of this sound in the music can we decide what timbre to use, what kind of bow segment, what kind of bow speed, what kind of pressure, and then have a basis. Only by making this sound truly become an integral part of the so-called "living" music can this sound be brought to life.

Regardless of the mood, there will be very different breaths. It may be very deep, shallow or fast or slow, and depending on the content of the music, the breath of the music is bound to be very different. In addition, it should also be seen that the content of music needs to be expressed in a certain form, that is, the musical structure. Because each sound has a different position in the structure, it has a different meaning and thus a different sense of breath. Then, whether it is from the form or the content, because each sound has a different sense of breath, the requirements of timbre will also be subject to the requirements of changes in the movement of breath in musical performance in addition to "pure beauty". Reflected in the bow, we need to realize the change of the virtual and the real of the bow, the change of the length of the bow, the difference of the bow segment, and the colorful movement of the breath caused by the difference of the bow method. Only in this way can technology truly serve music and allow us to better express our intentions.

In short, the breath movement is harmful and rich, so the expressive power of the bow should be rich. Bowing is like singing, and good control of the breath should be the goal of the performer in his life. And the unique charm of the expressive force of the bow in the music performance is also here.

left and right hand coordination

The technology of left and right hand coordination occupies a very important position in the art of erhu performance. The correct coordination of the left and right hands can obtain good pronunciation, which can make the expression of music richer, more accurate and more vivid. The quality of a sound is judged according to whether it has a good resonance. Then, in addition to the sound of the open strings, whether the resonance is sufficient, the problem is not only the right hand or the left hand, but the result of the cooperation of the left and right hands. That is, bowing with the right hand requires the correct pressure, that is, the correct proportional relationship between the bow speed and the pressure; and the left hand also requires the correct pressure for pressing the string. The problem that usually occurs is that the pressure of pressing the strings is too high, and the force is too high, which destroys the good vibration of the strings. It can be seen from the above discussion that good pronunciation comes from the correct use of pressure on both hands, and the purpose of training is to remove the excess strength of both hands. In addition, clear fast bow pronunciation also depends on good coordination of both hands. That is, the accuracy of the coordination of the "dot" pronounced with the right hand and the "dot" of the left hand.

In a word, any means of expression is inseparable from the good cooperation of the left and right hands, and the importance of the cooperation of the left and the right hands when expressing different musical works is reflected in the different changes of the left and right hands to make the music expression more appropriate and vivid.

Like language expression, music has different connotations due to changes in tone. In addition to changes in strength, I think the change in tone is more important in musical expression. It is the change in tone. It also depends on the cooperation of the left and right hands. As an element of music, timbre has the same importance as rhythm, strength, pitch, etc. It is one of the important means of musical performance.

The usual fluctuations we always understand from the perspective of strength. In fact, the range of dynamics that an instrument can do is limited relative to the range of timbre changes, while the changes in music are infinite, which requires us to expand the possibilities in timbre changes as much as possible. This possibility is difficult to achieve by any left-handed means or right-handed means alone, which requires the cooperation of the left and right hands. And it is precisely because of this ever-changing combination that there is a great possibility to change the timbre.

Vibrato is a very important means of musical performance. Through vibrato, the timbre of a note can be changed, and a note can have different tension. However, if these changes do not have the coordination of the right-hand bow, the performance of the music will not be perfect. It is even more inseparable from the cooperation of the left and right hands when expressing the different breath changes in the musical works. When playing the melody of "Sound and Breath", if the bow stops and the left hand does not change, it will only have the effect of breaking the sound and the breath, and if the bow of the right hand stops at the same time, the left hand is still there. If you continue to vibrate the strings, you can get the effect of disconnecting the strings very well.

We should see that a sound itself has a movement process. There is also a movement process from one sound to another, and this process is alive. In this process, it reflects the movement of breath and the flow of charm. The perfect expression of this process is always inseparable from the cooperation of the left and right hands.

Mastering playing skills is the first step in learning a musical instrument, but technology is only the foundation. While mastering skills, you should learn to correctly understand the relationship between skills and music. Rich skills come from rich music content, and the means of skills are ultimately to serve music. Understanding how to master skills more scientifically from a purely technical point of view is just the first step, understanding how skills come from and serve music. And how the richness of music determines the endless skill requirements is the ultimate goal of skill training.