ErHu 二胡

The ERHU is a two-stringed fiddle that evolved from the xiqin 奚琴 (first played by the Xi, a nomadic people said to be the ancestors of the Mongols). It has two steel strings (originally silk, and generally tuned a fifth apart) between which a bow of bamboo and horsehair is permanently fixed, a hexagonal wooden sound box covered in front with python skin, and a long thin neck with two tuning pegs. The sound box rests upon the player' s lap, with the neck pointing upwards. Because of its mellow but plaintive tone, well matching the traditional singing style of the Chinese, the ERHU was once used mostly by street buskers and in traditional operas. However in the 1920s, through the efforts of the classically-trained musician Liu Tianhua 刘天华(1895 - 1932) and the blind busker Hua Yanjun 华彦钧 ("Ah Bing" 阿炳, 1895 - 1950), the ERHU was modified and developed into a versatile and impressive solo instrument with a wide range of playing techniques. Their compositions for the ERHU include some of the classics of Chinese music, and the ERHU soon became arguably the most popular and representative of Chinese instruments. Besides being ideal for tragic or poignant melodies, the ERHU's emotional depth now also extends to lively and playful pieces, and it can even be used to imitate the neighing of a horse. Talented ERHU soloists abound, and the ERHU players make up the core of a Chinese orchestra just as the violinists do in the symphony orchestra. The ERHU also has relatives in Korea (the haegum, which still uses silk strings) and Japan (the kokyu). Some of the most classic and well liked ERHU repertoires are, 《赛马》、《良宵》、《二泉映月》、《江河水》and many more.