Today I will be talking about a specific section in a modern Chinese Orchestra setup: the strings section. The strings section includes 二胡(Erhu)，高胡(GaoHu)，中胡(ZhongHu)，Cello (革胡) and the Double Bass(低音革胡). Let's start with the Erhu. An Erhu is a Chinese fiddle originated from the Hu Tribe (胡族) and therefore the Erhu is sometimes called Hu Qin (胡琴). It is said to be evolved from the 奚琴(XiQin) which originated from the Xi people of Central Asia. Thus debunking the myth of the Erhu originated from China.
The Erhu
The Erhu has several parts, mainly:
琴桶; Sound box or resonator
蛇皮; Skin, made from python, Gives the Erhu its characteristic sound
琴杆; Neck
琴头; Top of the neck. Usually attached with a curved bone
琴轴; Tuning pegs
千斤; Nut; usually made from strings
内线; Inner string. Usually tuned to D4
外线; Outer string. Usually tuned to A4
琴码; Bridge
弓; The bow
弓杆; Bow stick. Made from bamboo
弓毛; Bow hair. Made from horse hair
琴垫; Pad. Usually a small piece of cloth tucked at the bottom to further refine the sound
琴托; The base. A smooth bottom surface to rest on the lap
The Erhu works by the vibration of the string generated from the friction between the strings and the bow hair, which is transferred to the skin for its vibration to produce its characteristic sound. The optimal range of an Erhu is normally D4-A5. Yes, it is a very small range. While it is still possible to play beyond A5, the sound produced will not be as bright and as clean. Frequent practices are needed to control the pressure on the higher notes to produce a more decent sound. Compared to the Violin, the intonation on the Erhu is harder to catch. Unlike violin which has a backboard to stop the strings, the Erhu needs strength control to make sure the note is correct. Too hard, notes will be sharp. Too light, notes will be flat or sometimes worse, unnecessary harmonic note.
Some notable Erhu pieces or concertos are 二泉映月，江河水，长城随想曲. Over the years, many prominent Erhu players appeared which I will talk about it in the later post.
Next up, 高胡(GaoHu) and 中胡(ZhongHu). They are usually referred as reformed instruments as their existence didn't come about until the last century to accommodate the modern orchestra setting. The parts of the GaoHu and ZhongHu are the same as the Erhu with the exception of the size. ZhongHu has a bigger resonator, usually in octagon shape and Gaohu has a smaller resonator, usually in perfect circle shape. They are usually tuned to G D, with ZhongHu in G3-D5 range and Gaohu in G4-D6 range. If I were to compare Erhu, Gaohu and ZhongHu to western symphonic orchestra strings section, it will be Gaohu=Violin I, Erhu=Violin II and ZhongHu=Viola.
Lastly, the 革胡 and 低音革胡. In the previous post. I have stated that the very first modern orchestra setting consisted of mainly high pitched instruments. Pieces do not sound very balanced as the orchestra was missing the lows. To counter this issue, the Cello and Double bass was added and is used in modern orchestra setting till today. However, some argued that the Cello and Double Bass cannot be considered as CO instruments as they are originated from the west. A guy name 杨雨森 decide to remake the Cello into more “Chinese" and thus the 革胡 was born. The playing techniques and open strings tuning are the same as cello bit sound produced mimics from the Erhu.
The 革胡
This ends my presentation to the Strings Section. Find it interesting? Please do comment below if you have any questions, I will be glad to answer those for you :)
Cheers!
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