Erhu What is even more exciting, we can combine measurements of the string deflection of one instrument with the response of the other instrument’s body. Notable among the variants are the erhu, the small jinghu, and the four-stringed sihu. Differences and Similarities between the Violin and Erhu By Andrea (37), Jaime (21), Adeline (20) and Hazel (17). Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox.

History at your fingertips The name huqin appears in China during the Song dynasty (960–1279); however, bowed instruments apparently entered China from Mongolia centuries earlier. In this way we can approximate the amount of influence the body has on the sound colour of the instrument and if it is possible to make an erhu performance sound like a violin performance, or vice versa. Classification: Study how and why. As I play the violin, the erhu was quite intuitive for me. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

Sound-example 1 is a microphone recording of the erhu piece and sound-example 2 is the same recording using only the string measurement combined with an European violin body. The alto erhu (中胡, pinyin: zhōnghú) is a low-pitched Chinese bowed string instrument.Together with the erhu and gaohu, it is a member of the huqin family.

Since the time when it was first played, the huqin has developed and expanded into other variations such as the synthetic skin erhu, jing erhu… The erhu was originally an ensemble instrument, but has since developed advanced playing techniques and gained an extensive repertoire. Get kids back-to-school ready with Expedition: Learn!

Measuring and comparing acoustical features of instruments can be used to objectify this endeavour, at least to a certain degree. The erhu, also called "huqin", written in Chinese "二胡" (èrhú), is a Chinese string instrument, classifiable as viella, having 2 strings. Video Time! Compared to the Erhu, the violin has more strings to it It plays a central role in various kinds of classical music as well as in regional folk music styles.

This means that stylistic and expressive idiosyncrasies are easily recognizable and influence the perceived aesthetic of an instrument. This erhu is a combination of audible and visible beauty attributed to the traditional Chinese erhu. A section of an erhusolo piece recorded with a microphone.Audio File 2.

Chinese Erhu is the most popular of the huqin family of traditional bowed string instruments used by various ethnic groups of China. This instrument is used in all of our measurements.Comparing instruments from different cultural spheres and having different backgrounds is a many-faceted problem as there are historical, cultural, structural and musical factors playing an important role in the aesthetic perception of an instrument. In this video, Liu Hong (刘虹) introduces the erhu and plays the classic folk tune "Running River" (江河水).

A section of the same erhupiece combining the erhu string measurementThe results clearly show that the violin body has a noticeable influence on the timbre, or quality, of the piece when compared to the microphone recording of the erhu. The Chinese erhu is the most popular instrument in the bowed string instrument group known as huqin in China. The motion of the bridge is measured by applying a miniature piezoelectric transducer, which converts microscopic motions into measurable electronic signals, to the bridge. It was developed in the 1940s as the alto member of the huqin family (similar in range to the European viola) to increase the pitch range of the instruments used in a Chinese orchestra..

This measurement setup results in three different types of data: first only the bowed string without the influence of the body of the instrument; the motion of the bridge and the string; and a recording of the radiated instrument sound under normal playing conditions.Returning to the initial question, we can now analyze and compare each measurement individually. Others might find intonation difficult at first. Figure 1 shows a handcrafted master luthier erhu. Also consider that to play zheng, you have to wear plectra.

A high-speed recording of a bowed violin string.The recorded motion of a string can now be tracked with sub-pixel accuracy using a tracking software that traces the trajectory of a defined point on the string. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Perhaps no musical instrument is more evocative of China than the erhu (二胡), but its origins are in central Asia: The erhu is one of several instruments historically known as "huqin" (barbarian's fiddle).

Therefore, the method applied in this paper aims at finding and comparing differences and similarities on an acoustical level, using different data acquisition methods. The huqin family Erhu ( ) - or Er-Hu, a two-stringed fiddle, is one of the most popular Chinese instruments in the Hu-qin ( ) family, where Hu stands for "foreign" or "the northern folk" in Chinese, and "qin" is a general name for all kinds of string instruments.