Talk:Erhu

User templates for erhu players

I've created user templates for erhu players to use on their userpages here: Category:Wikipedian erhu players. --Charlie Huang 【正矗昊】 12:22, 12 March 2006 (UTC)

"Second fiddle"

I think the interpretation that the erhu takes its name not from its number of strings but from the fact that it plays "second fiddle" in Cantonese music is a mistaken notion. This explanation should be mentioned in the article as many people believe it, but I don't think it's accurate. Badagnani 08:30, 21 March 2006 (UTC)

I’m not sure about this explanation, in a previous version of the article this was mentioned. I think the idea is that the erhu is the second section of the bowed strings (between gaohu and zhonghu) in the modern large Chinese orchestra (not traditional) . But as the modern large Chinese orchestra is a recent development (1940s-1950s?), and the gaohu dates from the 1920s (not sure about the name "gaohu" though, it was not originally called "gaohu") so it is a possible explanation. Jonathan Stock in Musical Creativity in Twentieth-Century China: Abing, His Music, and Its Changing Meanings states that the erhu was previously just called "huqin", and is a standardised version of a huqin from the Jiangnan region. So the question is when and how did the various huqin get their standard specific names? LDHan 16:11, 21 March 2006 (UTC)

This article might help with this question: A Historical Account of the Chinese Two-Stringed Fiddle Erhu, Jonathan Stock, Galpin Society Journal, Vol. 46, Mar., 1993 (Mar., 1993) , pp. 83-113. Although I haven't read it. LDHan 14:14, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

I am an Erhu player myself and have never heard of that the name is related to its position in a modern Chinese orchestra. This might come about when people wonder why this particular Hu Qin is call Erhu but not any others although they all have two strings. Gaohu is a rather recent invention, in QuanDong (Cantonese). The name Gao means "high" which as it implies, is tuned higher than Erhu. It is based on Erhu (yes, they call it Erhu back then) and tune it GD instead of DA of the Erhu. The strings are changed from silk to steel at the same time. I think later development have the Gaohu tuned to AE. In fact, Gaohu, Erhu and Zhonghu cover the whole range of the Violin from high to low. Zhonghu is also a later development to give the Chinese Orchestra more low range coverage. My opinion is that Erhu is the original name given to the instrument and all others come later. Hence Er probably refers to the two strings.

Xiao Baiyong

If Xiao Baiyong is from Shanghai, then why does he apparently also use a Cantonese spelling of his name (Siu Pak Yong?), and why do websites appear under this romanization in nearly equal proportion to the pinyin romanization? If we are to serve our users properly, we really should give both romanizations. Badagnani 21:53, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for your comment. I suppose "Siu Pak Yung" originates from the period when he lived in HK; maybe he picked up enough Cantonese and felt he could use the local romanization, or maybe he used it because HK people generally don't speak putonghua, or maybe he himself didn't actually use any romanization at all but left it to others, I don't know. But oddly, a Google search of "Siu Pak Yung" erhu turns up websites that are nearly all are from Singapore, mostly related to the Singapore Chinese Orchestra. LDHan 22:57, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Interesting. It's my understanding that Shanghai and Cantonese music have had a long interrelationship, and that in the early 20th century Cantonese music and the development of the gaohu flourished in Shanghai even more than in Guangdong/Hong Kong. Badagnani 03:01, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Clef?

Wouldn't it be important to include which clef the Erhu plays in? Considering that it's the 'Chinese Violin' one can infer that it plays in Treble/G clef, however that could be incorrect. [[Kidalana 02:00, 30 September 2007 (UTC)]]

Erhu music is usually written in jianpu (Chinese numeral notation), which doesn't require a clef since it's a variety of "movable do" notation. If written for in Western scores, treble clef would be used, as its lowest note is typically D above middle C (the erhu's strings are most often tuned to D and A, like the middle strings of a violin). Badagnani 04:32, 30 September 2007 (UTC)

Yes, since erhu has around the same pitch as violin, it will be tremble clef, which i prefer as an erhu player as opposed to the chinese number system, where the number for each pitch changes for different keys. To play the erhu at an advanced level, you need to learn both equally well —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.92.34.92 (talk) 04:37, 10 December 2007 (UTC)

I think it's "notable" that you have to learn Western musical notation to play a traditional Chinese instrument "at an advanced level". However did those Asian chaps get along? Perhaps this should be included in the article. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.163.65.9 (talk) 06:12, 8 August 2008 (UTC)

Does the erhu also use the same staff as ours? In the YouTube Symphony masterclass (here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJ6uktGrOSE&feature=channel_page) she used the term "three F's" (Fortississimo). Do they use the same staff as ours?

By the Way, I did see Badagnani's Post. 97.117.238.69 (talk) 03:54, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

Deletion discussion

See Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Abing. Badagnani (talk) 03:52, 15 April 2008 (UTC)

Head construction?

There isn't currently a section on how, precisely, the snake-skin head is attached to the rest of the erhu. Is there a mechanism for adjusting the tension as there is eg. on a banjo? 71.57.172.38 (talk) 08:28, 3 January 2009 (UTC)

Strings

Is it possible to use violin strings on an ehru? -- m:drini 21:05, 15 January 2010 (UTC)

Typo or intentional?

Currently the Play section ends with the sentence "As the instrument has no frets, the tone is slightly muddled, but resonant." [My italics]. Is this a mistake for muddied? 87.81.230.195 (talk) 20:09, 12 November 2010 (UTC)

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