The erhu (Chinese: ¶þºú; Pinyin: ¨¨rh¨²), sometimes known in the
West as the 'Chinese violin' or Chinese two string fiddle, is a
two-stringed bowed musical instrument, used as a solo instrument as
well as in small ensembles and large orchestras. It belongs to the
huqin family of bowed string Chinese instruments, together with the
zhonghu (Öкú), gaohu (¸ßºú), banhu (°åºú), jinghu (¾©ºú), sihu
(Ëĺú), and numerous others. It is said that there are over 40
different variations of the generic huqin instrument.
Contents [hide]
1 History
2 Construction
2.1 Use of python skin
3 Erhu music
4 Playing technique
5 Notable performers
6 References
7 Audio Sample
8 External links
8.1 Video
9 See also
[edit]
History
The erhu can be traced back to instruments introduced into China
more than a thousand years ago. It is believed to have evolved from
the xiqin (ÞÉÇÙ), which was described as a foreign, two-stringed
lute in an encyclopedic work on music by music theorist Chen Yang
called Yue Shu (book of music), written during the Northern Song
Dynasty. The xiqin is believed to have originated from the Xi
people of Central Asia, and have come to China in the 10th
century.
Erhu with liu jiao qin tong (6 sided body)The first character of
the name of the instrument, "¶þ" (¨¨r, meaning "two"), is said to
come from the fact that it has two strings; however, it is also
said to have come from the fact that it is the second highest
"huqin" in pitch to the gaohu "¸ßºú" in a traditional chinese
orchestra. The second character, "ºú" (h¨²), indicates that it is
part of the huqin family. The name huqin literally means "barbarian
instrument," showing that the instrument may have originated from
regions to the north or west of China.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erhu
