page_title: Erhu
section_title: Construction
hierarchical_section_title: Erhu / Construction
caption_attribution_description: English: Picture showing bow hair in between the two strings.
context_page_description: The erhu, is a two-stringed bowed musical instrument, more specifically a spike fiddle, which may also be called a Southern Fiddle, and sometimes known in the Western world as the Chinese violin or a Chinese two-stringed fiddle.
  It is used as a solo instrument as well as in small ensembles and large orchestras. It is the most popular of the huqin family of traditional bowed string instruments used by various ethnic groups of China. As a very versatile instrument, the erhu is used in both traditional and contemporary music arrangements, such as in pop, rock and jazz.
context_section_description: The Erhu consists of a long vertical stick-like neck, at the top of which are two big tuning pegs, and at the bottom is a small resonator body (sound box) which is covered with python skin on the front (playing) end. Two strings are attached from the pegs to the base, and a small loop of string (Qian Jin) placed around the neck and strings acting as a nut pulls the strings towards the skin, holding a minute wooden bridge in place.
  The Erhu has some unusual features: 
  1. Its characteristic sound is produced through the vibration of the python skin by bowing. 
  2. There is no fingerboard; the player stops the strings by pressing their fingertips onto the strings without the strings touching the neck. 
  3. The horse hair bow is never separated from the strings (which were formerly of twisted silk but which today are usually made of metal); it passes between them as opposed to over them (the latter being the case with western bowed stringed instruments). 
  4. Although there are two strings, they are very close to each other and the player's left hand in effect plays as if on one string. The inside string (nearest to player) is generally tuned to D4 and the outside string to A4, a fifth higher. The maximum range of the instrument is three and a half octaves, from D4 up to A7, before a stopping finger reaches the part of the string in contact with the bow hair. The usual playing range is about two and a half octaves.
  Various dense and heavy hardwoods are used in making the Erhu. According to Chinese references the woods include zi tan (紫檀 red sandalwood and other woods of the genus Pterocarpus such as padauk), Lao hong mu (老红木 aged red wood), wu mu (乌木 black wood), and hong mu (红木 red wood). Particularly fine Erhus are often made from pieces of old furniture. A typical erhu measures 81 cm from top to bottom, the length of the bow also being 81 cm.
  The parts of the Erhu:
  Qín tong (琴筒), sound box or resonator body; it is hexagonal (liu jiao, southern), octagonal (ba jiao, northern), or, less commonly, round.
  Qín pí/She pí (琴皮/蛇皮), skin, made from python. The python skin gives the erhu its characteristic sound.
  Qín gan (琴杆), neck.
  Qín tou (琴頭), top or tip of neck, usually a simple curve with a piece of bone or plastic on top, but is sometimes elaborately carved with a dragon's head.
  Qín zhou (琴軸). tuning pegs, traditional wooden, or metal machine gear pegs
  Qiān jin (千斤), nut, made from string, or, less commonly, a metal hook
  Nèi xián (内弦), inside or inner string, usually tuned to D4, nearest to player
  Wai xián (外弦), outside or outer string, usually tuned to A4
  Qín ma (琴碼), bridge, made from wood
  Gong (弓), bow, has screw device to vary bow hair tension
  Gong gan (弓杆), bow stick, made from bamboo
  Gong máo (弓毛), bow hair, usually white horsehair
  Qín diàn (琴墊), pad, a piece of sponge, felt, or cloth placed between the strings and skin below the bridge to improve its sound
  Qín tuō (琴托) – base, a piece of wood attached to the bottom of the qín tong to provide a smooth surface on which to rest on the leg
  Most Erhu are mass-produced in factories. The three most esteemed centres of Erhu making are Beijing, Shanghai, and Suzhou. In the collectivist period after the establishment of the People's Republic of China, these factories were formed by merging what had been previously private workshops. Although most Erhu were machine-made in production lines, the highest quality instruments were handmade by specialist craftsmen.
  In the 20th century, there have been attempts to standardize and improve the Erhu, with the aim of producing a louder and better sounding instrument. One major change was the use of steel strings instead of silk. The move to steel strings was made gradually. By 1950 the thinner A-string had been replaced by a violin E-string with the thicker D-string remaining silk. By 1958 professional players were using purpose made D and A steel Erhu strings as standard.
caption: Picture showing bow hair in between the two strings.
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