Anyone who has played the erhu for a few years or is engaged in playing the erhu hopes that they can have a good qin or even a few handy qin, because the sound of a good qin is more beautiful and beautiful than the ordinary qin. A good violin will make people addicted, it can not only make the performance icing on the cake, but also can be appreciated and collected as a handicraft on behalf of people.

So what are the criteria for a good piano? As far as erhu is concerned, I think nothing more than the following aspects:

1. Beautiful tone (bright but not noisy, soft but not empty).

2, a larger volume (loud but not empty).

3. Good wood and workmanship (regardless of red sandalwood, ebony or mahogany, the wood is uniform and fine grain is smooth, the parts are tightly stitched, and the craftsmanship is more delicate).

4. The overall shape is beautiful and generous (the proportion of each part of the musical instrument is coordinated).

5. Feels good (pronunciation is sharp and easy to control), etc.

In short, good sound, good materials, fine workmanship, good-looking appearance, sharp pronunciation and easy control are the standards that everyone generally pursues for a good piano. In fact, a good piano has more than these aspects, and the knowledge inside is also great when you pay attention to it! For example, the skin of a piano: it is not good if it is thin, it is not good if it is thick, it is not good if it is too loose or the tension is uneven, the scale pattern (the small square outside the leather) is not good, it is not good if it is too small, it is not good if it is uneven; For example, the piano shaft: the mechanical shaft (copper shaft) should be loose and slippery without running the strings, and the wooden shaft should be suitable inside and outside (size) and not twisted. More importantly, no matter how good the material (wood and skin, etc.) of a new piano, and how delicate the workmanship is, it is only the basic condition of the piano. What's more important is how to tune it to sound beautiful, articulate sharp and easy to control, and its timbre meets the specific needs of the player and so on. The key to this lies in the selection and debugging of components such as bridges, damping pads and jacks.

Many famous erhu performers sometimes use instruments made by the same master or manufacturer, or in the same shape (hexagonal or octagonal in the front and round in the back), but they can produce unique sounds. In addition to the general factors (different wood and its texture, different piano skin and its texture, etc.), the difference in personal timbre taste (unique preference for timbre) is a decisive factor. Why do we sometimes recognize who is playing the erhu as soon as we hear the sound of the erhu? This is because once a player has formed or established his own timbre taste, no matter how many pianos he or she has changed in his or her playing career, he or she will carefully debug the timbres he or she likes and pursues. We sometimes wonder who is playing the violin when we hear it. Of course, the establishment of a player's voice personality depends on many factors such as his (her) playing method, technical means, cultural foundation, artistic accomplishment and artistic taste in addition to the factors of the musical instrument. .

The spread of erhu in our country has been traced back to more than a thousand years ago, but there are very few materials on qin making that are actually recorded in the literature. Nonetheless, my country's violin-making technology has been inherited and developed through the passing of folk violin-making workshops and violin-making artists from generation to generation. In my impression, the erhu made in Shanghai and Beijing was more popular when the liberation was first. Later, the erhu production technology in Fan Suzhou and other places caught up, and later Tianjin, Wuhan, Yangzhou, Shenyang and many other musical instrument factories also started the erhu production business. For this reason, many famous erhu makers have emerged everywhere. Nowadays, there are not only more and more erhu manufacturers, but also more sophisticated technology and better quality. Various forms of erhu production scale with different systems (state-run, collective and individual) have been initially formed. The technicians learn from each other, learn from each other's strengths and complement each other's weaknesses, and jointly contribute their own strength to the erhu manufacturing industry in my country. I have been playing and teaching erhu for more than 40 years. As an erhu user, I would like to thank the violin masters for their contributions to the production, reform and development of our country’s national instrumental music, as well as to the erhu cause. Hope to join hands with them to work hard for the cause of erhu. I have used many erhus made by different luthiers in Beijing. Among these masters, there are both experienced and well-known seniors, as well as a group of young and middle-aged rising stars. The pianos they make are generally of high quality, and they can be used as high-quality erhu players for the society and for the majority of professional erhu players. Of course, I have already said that a piano that has not been carefully adjusted can only be exhibited there as a craft, but it cannot be regarded as a real one that emits beautiful sound on the stage and makes the audience (listening) intoxicated. piano. The relationship between man and the piano is just like the relationship between man and nature. The more you cherish it and love it, the more you can get good returns and dedication. If you just use it blindly without maintenance and careful tuning, then at any time and where you will be met with severe revenge and even ruin your entire performance. A good qin is like a well-trained warhorse and a good gun, it is a handy weapon and partner for every erhu player. With it, our performance will be more charming and moving, but we must love it. , treat it well.

Most of the children who are learning erhu these days can only play the violin (some even have been playing for several years and still can't tune), and few make minor repairs or adjustments to the bow or instrument. Unlike when we were young, the bow hair was dirty and had to be cleaned and combed by ourselves (under the guidance of the teacher, of course), and sometimes even the curvature of the bow shaft was adjusted by ourselves for better control when playing the piano; in addition, we made and repaired it ourselves. Bridges and selection of damping pads are all basic skills we must master. Only when we learn to debug, adjust and maintain the instrument, will the erhu in our hands emit a more beautiful sound that meets our needs.