Merry Christmas to everyone!
May 2009 be a better year for all of us!
Here's a video of a recent Christmas performance by the electric erhu and a guitar.
Songs include: 'Let's eat snow, let's eat snow', 'gazing at spring wind', rude oaf the red nose rain dear' and 'My whey'.
Enjoy!
National Music Competition 2008 / WNZ Sandalwood Erhus
The National Music Competition 2008 organised by the National Arts Council just concluded.
Congratulations to all the winners!
Special congratulations to Joyce Poh for getting first in the Dizi open category. She happens to be the lead cast in our youtube video: Basic introduction of the Dizi.
And special congratulations to the members Symphonic Percussion for getting first in the Percussion ensemble category. We hoped our gongs, cymbals, drums and mallets have helped you in one way or another.
Congratulations to the members of Toa Payoh West Community Club Chinese Orchestra for bagging the most number of prizes.
You can download the full list of winners here.
Lastly, congratulations to Artssphere Chamber Ensemble for getting first in the instrumental ensemble category. Each one of them are excellent musicians who came together to give a good performance, and scared the hell out of some kid apparently.
Which brings me to the second part of this email - the erhus that they used are supplied by us. Noticed how clean and uniformed the erhus sounded during the performance.
The axe that they use is this baby below:
This erhu is a maker in Tianjin by the initials of WNZ.
If you remember my first blog post I talked about one of the best erhus that I have come across. Well, I met him recently and brought in some of his erhus. His erhus especially the sandalwood erhus are excellent sounding.
If you are thinking of buying a good erhu, this is one instrument you can seriously consider:
http://www.eason.com.sg/products/erhu/heh41.jsp
Congratulations to all the winners!
Special congratulations to Joyce Poh for getting first in the Dizi open category. She happens to be the lead cast in our youtube video: Basic introduction of the Dizi.
And special congratulations to the members Symphonic Percussion for getting first in the Percussion ensemble category. We hoped our gongs, cymbals, drums and mallets have helped you in one way or another.
Congratulations to the members of Toa Payoh West Community Club Chinese Orchestra for bagging the most number of prizes.
You can download the full list of winners here.
Lastly, congratulations to Artssphere Chamber Ensemble for getting first in the instrumental ensemble category. Each one of them are excellent musicians who came together to give a good performance, and scared the hell out of some kid apparently.
Which brings me to the second part of this email - the erhus that they used are supplied by us. Noticed how clean and uniformed the erhus sounded during the performance.
The axe that they use is this baby below:
This erhu is a maker in Tianjin by the initials of WNZ.
If you remember my first blog post I talked about one of the best erhus that I have come across. Well, I met him recently and brought in some of his erhus. His erhus especially the sandalwood erhus are excellent sounding.
If you are thinking of buying a good erhu, this is one instrument you can seriously consider:
http://www.eason.com.sg/products/erhu/heh41.jsp
Harmonica Music in Cadillac Records Movie Creates Interest in Original Blues Artists
If you've seen the movie Cadillac Records, featuring classic blues music of Muddy Waters on guitar and Little Walter on harmonica, most people agree on one thing: the movie creates a desire to listen to the original musical artists perform their original renditions of the classic blues music featured in the movie. Hearing the harmonica music and classic blues guitar music in the movie is one thing, but you just can't listen to the covers in the movie, you're drawn to searching for the original Muddy Waters on guitar and Little Walter on harmonica for a true dose of the blues.
You may not like the Cadillac Records movie, but I liked the nostalgia it created for me based on the movie music.
If you want to give the harmonica a try, WorldMusicalInstruments.com is offering the Bends brand harmonicas from Brazil, which are just being introduced into the US market. Bends Harmonicas start around $30:
You may not like the Cadillac Records movie, but I liked the nostalgia it created for me based on the movie music.
If you want to give the harmonica a try, WorldMusicalInstruments.com is offering the Bends brand harmonicas from Brazil, which are just being introduced into the US market. Bends Harmonicas start around $30:
Chinese Musical Instruments of Beijing Olympics 2008
Well, back to the Shanghai fair again.
Inside Shanghai Dunhuang's booth(the one with the giant lute - see previous entry), there is a special room where they house the Beijing Olympics 2008 Chinese musical instruments.
I only know that erhus were used in the closing ceremony of the Beijing Olympics. Seems like there are more Chinese musical instruments specially made for that occasion.
The first one is a chime stone. You hit it with the beater as shown.
'No touching' it says, but I touched.
The second is a weird looking erhu.
The headstock looks like a Christmas tree.
The body looks like some prop from the Gladiator movie.
It has a 'no touching' sign as well. Again, I touched.
Here are 2 Beijing Olympic flutes.
Don't know if it was used during the Beijing Olympics, but it has the words 'Olympics flute' in Chinese engraved.
'No touching' again. But again I touched.
A huge drum here.
Noticed the sign says 'You may touch', but I didn't. Not very good at taking orders eh?
Finally, my favourite - the erhu that was used by 67 Chinese babes during the Beijing Olympics closing. It is a collaboration between Shanghai Dunhuang and Roland Music.
It is a traditional electric erhu. Traditional in the sense that the erhu is like any traditional erhu, very similar to this model of erhu that I am selling in my online store. Electric in the sense that there are electronic components attached to it that allows the tone to be amplified and modified.
Here's a body shot of it.
The erhu has a cloud design headstock that symbolises prosperity.
There is an effects pedal affixed on the neck of the erhu. You can add reverb, delay, chorus etc to the tone of your erhu. By fixing it on the neck allows you to toggle the effects easily.
Some knobs in front of the erhu for you to set the parameters of the different effects.
The back is where you insert a 9 volt battery.
The brand names of Shanghai Dunhuang and Roland.
Real python skin was used for the resonator.
Here's where the cable goes.
I have 2 of these sitting in my shop. I haven't decide if I want to sell it yet. The last time I heard, the current market price in China is 30,000rmb, about 6000SGD, or 4000USD.
Feel free to let me know if you want to take a look at it if you ever drop by my shop.
Inside Shanghai Dunhuang's booth(the one with the giant lute - see previous entry), there is a special room where they house the Beijing Olympics 2008 Chinese musical instruments.
I only know that erhus were used in the closing ceremony of the Beijing Olympics. Seems like there are more Chinese musical instruments specially made for that occasion.
The first one is a chime stone. You hit it with the beater as shown.
'No touching' it says, but I touched.
The second is a weird looking erhu.
The headstock looks like a Christmas tree.
The body looks like some prop from the Gladiator movie.
It has a 'no touching' sign as well. Again, I touched.Here are 2 Beijing Olympic flutes.
Don't know if it was used during the Beijing Olympics, but it has the words 'Olympics flute' in Chinese engraved.
'No touching' again. But again I touched.A huge drum here.
Noticed the sign says 'You may touch', but I didn't. Not very good at taking orders eh?
Finally, my favourite - the erhu that was used by 67 Chinese babes during the Beijing Olympics closing. It is a collaboration between Shanghai Dunhuang and Roland Music.
It is a traditional electric erhu. Traditional in the sense that the erhu is like any traditional erhu, very similar to this model of erhu that I am selling in my online store. Electric in the sense that there are electronic components attached to it that allows the tone to be amplified and modified.
Here's a body shot of it.
The erhu has a cloud design headstock that symbolises prosperity.
There is an effects pedal affixed on the neck of the erhu. You can add reverb, delay, chorus etc to the tone of your erhu. By fixing it on the neck allows you to toggle the effects easily.
Some knobs in front of the erhu for you to set the parameters of the different effects.
The back is where you insert a 9 volt battery.
The brand names of Shanghai Dunhuang and Roland.
Real python skin was used for the resonator.
Here's where the cable goes.
I have 2 of these sitting in my shop. I haven't decide if I want to sell it yet. The last time I heard, the current market price in China is 30,000rmb, about 6000SGD, or 4000USD.
Feel free to let me know if you want to take a look at it if you ever drop by my shop.
Didgeridoo Making - How It Is Done
Didgeridoos from WorldMusicalInstruments.com are hand-crafted, one-of-a-kind instruments made by Tree Thump Didj Co. that not only create the unique didj buzz, but are also finished to last a long time. Here's a brief look at the didgeridoo production process of turning a tree branch into a beautiful, long-lasting musical instrument, the didgeridoo:
Tree branches are selected for the didgeridoo production process. These didgeridoos are made in Illinois, so are made from limbs of pine, poplar, or birch trees.The bark is removed and the branch is shaped and sanded, then split in half, ready to be carved.
Branches are carved to specifications to create didgeridoos in various keys. After carving, the two halves are glued back together and coated inside with a protective resin and hung to dry.A final sanding, then finishing artwork and/or stain are applied, followed by a glossy protective resin coating. What was once just a tree branch is now a custom didgeridoo!
Please note: Since the didgeridoos hang to dry, there may be some hardened resin drips at the bell of the didgeridoo as pictured here, which in no way impact the great didj buzz:
Presentation on the Maintenance of Chinese Musical Instruments
We were invited by recently by the Ministry of Education(MOE), Singapore to give a talk to secondary school students leaders of various Chinese orchestras on how to maintain and protect their Chinese musical instruments.
We starting giving such talks to teachers and students a couple of years ago and it quickly became a yearly affair.
Usually the talk is one of the programmes of a music camp organised by MOE for student leaders from the various secondary school Chinese orchestras.
The talk starts with a presentation by Tan Kim Seng- one of the founders of Eason Enterprises, followed by a breakout session whereby students are split into string, plucking and wind sections. The old dude one the left is Tan Kim Seng and yours truly is on the right.
Below is Mr Er, a music instructor for not the Erhu as his name suggests, but Chinese wind instruments like Dizi and Sheng(Chinese pipes). He is one of the few people in Singapore who can repair the Sheng. He gave some tips on how to do simple repairs on the Sheng.
And that's me speaking to a group of wonderful students from the string section on things like maintenance and setting up - the various aspects of the erhu except how to play it.
This is Mr Ng, one of the people from Eason. Besides knowing how to wipe the Yangqin, he plays and teaches the Yangqin as well, along with the Liuqin, Pipa, Guzheng and Ruans - well, almost every instrument in the plucking section.
I'm surprised many of the students who play Chinese musical instruments have blogs. I have added some of their blogs on the right.
I have also added a cbox on the right. It is a sort of message board so feel free to leave me a message. Please refrain from posting viagra ads or related stuff. The profile of my readers clearly is not your target audience.
We starting giving such talks to teachers and students a couple of years ago and it quickly became a yearly affair.
Usually the talk is one of the programmes of a music camp organised by MOE for student leaders from the various secondary school Chinese orchestras.
The talk starts with a presentation by Tan Kim Seng- one of the founders of Eason Enterprises, followed by a breakout session whereby students are split into string, plucking and wind sections. The old dude one the left is Tan Kim Seng and yours truly is on the right.
Below is Mr Er, a music instructor for not the Erhu as his name suggests, but Chinese wind instruments like Dizi and Sheng(Chinese pipes). He is one of the few people in Singapore who can repair the Sheng. He gave some tips on how to do simple repairs on the Sheng.
And that's me speaking to a group of wonderful students from the string section on things like maintenance and setting up - the various aspects of the erhu except how to play it.
This is Mr Ng, one of the people from Eason. Besides knowing how to wipe the Yangqin, he plays and teaches the Yangqin as well, along with the Liuqin, Pipa, Guzheng and Ruans - well, almost every instrument in the plucking section.
I'm surprised many of the students who play Chinese musical instruments have blogs. I have added some of their blogs on the right.I have also added a cbox on the right. It is a sort of message board so feel free to leave me a message. Please refrain from posting viagra ads or related stuff. The profile of my readers clearly is not your target audience.
Duduk Tips for Ghamish Reed
This post provides tips for working with the ghamish reed for the Professional Duduk:
Make sure ghamish is open before playing. If it is not completely closed you can blow warm air through it to get it to open a little more so it will play better. If the ghamish is completely closed, you can do one of three things:
- make sure cap is on and run some warm water into the bottom (open) end, shake it with your finger covering the hole and then pour out. Leave sitting with cap down in a vertical position for up to 20 minutes.
- an alteration of the above is to leave the warm water in the ghamish and let it sit for awhile with cap on, upside down.
- on a really dry day with a very closed ghamish you can take the cap/bridle off and set the top upside down into about 1/2 to 1 inch of warm water. This can be dangerous if you forget and leave it! The ghamish is not a split reed like bassoon or oboe; it will want to revert to a round shape if left in that water. This is not good and you would need to carefully put the cap back on and hope it comes back down to a reasonable opening with time.
Once it is open enough to play (you never want it too open- if so it will feel really hard to blow) you can use the bridle to make very slight adjustments to the pitch. Remember that ghamish can change pitch in the middle of a tune with no warning so that bridle needs to be able to hold on to the reed a little for adjustments. In dry environments you can put a little water under the bridle on the ghamish to help it grab.
The duduk is played with very little reed in the mouth. Just a quarter inch or so. The embouchure is not like oboe or any other double reed woodwind in that the reed is not held between the teeth with the lips covering them. You must keep the reed/ghamish in front of the teeth controlled by the lip muscles. The whole top minor third of the range (on an A duduk from G to the highest B) is all achieved by squeezing the reed so the opening has to be good to allow for the control to get these notes. If the opening is too little, or the ghamish is dry many times these notes can be very sharp. And conversely if it is too wet and open you will have great difficulty playing the top part of the range.
These tips for working with the duduk ghamish reed were provided by professional woodwind player Chris Bleth.
To purchase the Professional Duduk from Armenia, visit WorldMusicalInstruments.com.
Make sure ghamish is open before playing. If it is not completely closed you can blow warm air through it to get it to open a little more so it will play better. If the ghamish is completely closed, you can do one of three things:
- make sure cap is on and run some warm water into the bottom (open) end, shake it with your finger covering the hole and then pour out. Leave sitting with cap down in a vertical position for up to 20 minutes.
- an alteration of the above is to leave the warm water in the ghamish and let it sit for awhile with cap on, upside down.
- on a really dry day with a very closed ghamish you can take the cap/bridle off and set the top upside down into about 1/2 to 1 inch of warm water. This can be dangerous if you forget and leave it! The ghamish is not a split reed like bassoon or oboe; it will want to revert to a round shape if left in that water. This is not good and you would need to carefully put the cap back on and hope it comes back down to a reasonable opening with time.
Once it is open enough to play (you never want it too open- if so it will feel really hard to blow) you can use the bridle to make very slight adjustments to the pitch. Remember that ghamish can change pitch in the middle of a tune with no warning so that bridle needs to be able to hold on to the reed a little for adjustments. In dry environments you can put a little water under the bridle on the ghamish to help it grab.
The duduk is played with very little reed in the mouth. Just a quarter inch or so. The embouchure is not like oboe or any other double reed woodwind in that the reed is not held between the teeth with the lips covering them. You must keep the reed/ghamish in front of the teeth controlled by the lip muscles. The whole top minor third of the range (on an A duduk from G to the highest B) is all achieved by squeezing the reed so the opening has to be good to allow for the control to get these notes. If the opening is too little, or the ghamish is dry many times these notes can be very sharp. And conversely if it is too wet and open you will have great difficulty playing the top part of the range.
These tips for working with the duduk ghamish reed were provided by professional woodwind player Chris Bleth.
To purchase the Professional Duduk from Armenia, visit WorldMusicalInstruments.com.
New Products Listed - Mini Flutes and Mini Ruans
I've just listed some new products on my website.
2 of them are koudis - which directly translated to English means 'mouth flute'. I suppose they called it a mouth flute because it is played with the mouth, as opposed to the rest of the flutes which is played by the, erm...., the mouth as well. Hey!....so why is it call the mouth flute?
After looking at the video below, I conclude they call it the mouth flute because the lady looks like she is whistling instead of playing a flute.
Anyway I shall call it the 'miniature flute' instead.
You need one of these if you want to do what this lady is doing:
One of it is a G key koudi and the other a D key koudi.
Click the below links to go to the individual product pages:
http://www.eason.com.sg/products/dizi/wdz42(d).jsp
http://www.eason.com.sg/products/dizi/wdz42(g).jsp
------------------------------------------------
The other 2 products listed is a XiaoRuan (Small Ruan) and GaoYinRuan (High pitched Ruan). The XiaoRuan and GaoYinRuan is part of the Ruan family, consisting of DaRuan, ZhongRuan, XiaoRuan and GaoYinRuan.
Here's how they line up to be:
The XiaoRuan and GaoYinRuan sounds similar to the mandolin.
For those who are not acquainted with the 'hanyu pinyin', the pronunciation of 'Ruan' is more like Run, instead of 'Roo...Ann'.
Click on the video samples link in the respective pages to hear how they sound like.
XiaoRuan:
http://www.eason.com.sg/products/ruan/tbxr5.jsp
GaoYinRuan:
http://www.eason.com.sg/products/ruan/tbxr3.jsp
Ruan product page:
http://www.eason.com.sg/products/products_ruan.jsp
2 of them are koudis - which directly translated to English means 'mouth flute'. I suppose they called it a mouth flute because it is played with the mouth, as opposed to the rest of the flutes which is played by the, erm...., the mouth as well. Hey!....so why is it call the mouth flute?
After looking at the video below, I conclude they call it the mouth flute because the lady looks like she is whistling instead of playing a flute.
Anyway I shall call it the 'miniature flute' instead.
You need one of these if you want to do what this lady is doing:
One of it is a G key koudi and the other a D key koudi.
Click the below links to go to the individual product pages:
http://www.eason.com.sg/products/dizi/wdz42(d).jsp
http://www.eason.com.sg/products/dizi/wdz42(g).jsp
------------------------------------------------
The other 2 products listed is a XiaoRuan (Small Ruan) and GaoYinRuan (High pitched Ruan). The XiaoRuan and GaoYinRuan is part of the Ruan family, consisting of DaRuan, ZhongRuan, XiaoRuan and GaoYinRuan.
Here's how they line up to be:
The XiaoRuan and GaoYinRuan sounds similar to the mandolin.
For those who are not acquainted with the 'hanyu pinyin', the pronunciation of 'Ruan' is more like Run, instead of 'Roo...Ann'.
Click on the video samples link in the respective pages to hear how they sound like.
XiaoRuan:
http://www.eason.com.sg/products/ruan/tbxr5.jsp
GaoYinRuan:
http://www.eason.com.sg/products/ruan/tbxr3.jsp
Ruan product page:
http://www.eason.com.sg/products/products_ruan.jsp
More Photos From Shanghai Music Fair 2008
Here are the rest of the pictures I took at the Shanghai Music Fair:
This was one of the main attractions at the Dunhuang booth - a butterfly Guzheng.
Its not just 1 Guzheng, its 4 Guzhengs in 1!
Shot of the gigantic lute again. Nothing new cos they recycled from last year's fair.
The world's largest erhu? Correction - the world's largest playable erhu. Tried playing it and sounds horrible.
A close up of the erhu. What a bridge.
The booth of Shanghai Dunhuang 'Yun' brand, which we are the sole distributor in Singapore.
Took them a long time to figure out sex sells....
After 1 year they are still together....
Nice booth.
To be frank I'm not sure what is this. Looks like a horn flute or something.
I took some shots of these ocarinas but was stopped by the owner. What's so special about them?
Miniature Chinese instruments.
Another shot of it.
The world's largest Chao gong. Correction - the world's largest playable Chao gong. According to the owner there are some bigger in size but they are all looks and no substance.
Coming up next.....Beijing Olympic Chinese music instruments.
This was one of the main attractions at the Dunhuang booth - a butterfly Guzheng.
Its not just 1 Guzheng, its 4 Guzhengs in 1!
Shot of the gigantic lute again. Nothing new cos they recycled from last year's fair.
The world's largest erhu? Correction - the world's largest playable erhu. Tried playing it and sounds horrible.
A close up of the erhu. What a bridge.
The booth of Shanghai Dunhuang 'Yun' brand, which we are the sole distributor in Singapore.
Took them a long time to figure out sex sells....
After 1 year they are still together....
Nice booth.
To be frank I'm not sure what is this. Looks like a horn flute or something.
I took some shots of these ocarinas but was stopped by the owner. What's so special about them?
Miniature Chinese instruments.
Another shot of it.
The world's largest Chao gong. Correction - the world's largest playable Chao gong. According to the owner there are some bigger in size but they are all looks and no substance.Coming up next.....Beijing Olympic Chinese music instruments.
Trade In Your Guzheng For Cash!
Do you have an unused Guzheng collecting dust in your storeroom or taking up space in your living room?
Have you or your kid decided that you're done with the Guzheng for the rest of your life?
Well, instead of throwing it away or wait for it to biodegrade, why not bring it down to our shop to exchange for some cash?
Because we are taking in used Guzhengs.
So if you have one which you would like to get rid of, please send an email to us at tansungwah@eason.com.sg with the following information:
- Describe the physical condition of the Guzheng
- Tell us when you bought it
- Are there any bridges or stands missing?
- Send us some photos of it if possible.
Please note that we only take in Shanghai Dunhuang Guzhengs.
If you are do not own any Guzheng at the moment and are thinking of getting one, please take a look at our selections here: http://www.eason.com.sg/products/products_guzheng.jsp
Have you or your kid decided that you're done with the Guzheng for the rest of your life?
Well, instead of throwing it away or wait for it to biodegrade, why not bring it down to our shop to exchange for some cash?
Because we are taking in used Guzhengs.
So if you have one which you would like to get rid of, please send an email to us at tansungwah@eason.com.sg with the following information:
- Describe the physical condition of the Guzheng
- Tell us when you bought it
- Are there any bridges or stands missing?
- Send us some photos of it if possible.
Please note that we only take in Shanghai Dunhuang Guzhengs.
If you are do not own any Guzheng at the moment and are thinking of getting one, please take a look at our selections here: http://www.eason.com.sg/products/products_guzheng.jsp
Two Videos From Shanghai Music Fair 2008
Here are two of the few videos I took during the Shanghai Music Fair 2008.
The first is a dude from the Beijing Conservatory of Music. You might find him familiar because I previously posted a clip of him playing Jiang He Shui, also at a music fair sometime ago. Apparently he's doing some promotion for some erhu makers/manufacturers. He just puts his own bow on whatever erhu they give him and play!
This time I caught him playing the last part of Zigeunerweisen on the erhu.
Watch his fingers fly!
------------------------
The second clip is a guy playing the MaTouQin. "Ma Tou" means "horse head" and "Qin" means instrument. So Voila! The instrument he played has a horse head for its headstock!
The instrument is has 2 strings and a bow is used to play. For more information about the matouqin you can go over to wiki here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matouqin
Notice he did not use his fingers to 'press' the strings like what you would do for normal string instruments. He uses his fingers to push the strings sideways instead.
'
The first is a dude from the Beijing Conservatory of Music. You might find him familiar because I previously posted a clip of him playing Jiang He Shui, also at a music fair sometime ago. Apparently he's doing some promotion for some erhu makers/manufacturers. He just puts his own bow on whatever erhu they give him and play!
This time I caught him playing the last part of Zigeunerweisen on the erhu.
Watch his fingers fly!
------------------------
The second clip is a guy playing the MaTouQin. "Ma Tou" means "horse head" and "Qin" means instrument. So Voila! The instrument he played has a horse head for its headstock!
The instrument is has 2 strings and a bow is used to play. For more information about the matouqin you can go over to wiki here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matouqin
Notice he did not use his fingers to 'press' the strings like what you would do for normal string instruments. He uses his fingers to push the strings sideways instead.
'
Gaining in Strength to Strength With Your Erhu
I was speaking to Dr Z yesterday about erhus.
We were talking about how the erhu will improve in sound when played by certain people, but will deteriorate in sound in the hands of another.
Certain people have the ability to 'grow' their erhus.
Part of it of course depends on the bowing technique (can be scientifically proven). With the bow pulling the strings at a correct angle, the vibrations created will give the snakeskin a good workout and have a positive effect on the tone.
The second part depends on each individual person's aura (not scientifically proven). It's like some jewelery looks sparkling on one person, but the same thing looks dull and jaded on another.
The last part depends on how you much you love your instrument (not scientifically proven again). The wood and snakeskin before they were cut down and up to make the erhu were living things before their demise. Part of them still lives within the instrument. So if you take care of them and nurture them with love, they will respond positively and the tone will improve.
One of my customers emailed me the other day: "I like my gaohu better the more I play it. I just wish there was more time and energy to spend on my fiddles. The more I practice on them the more they want."
Very true.
So do you find your erhu getting better each day or not as good as before? You could be the reason.....
We were talking about how the erhu will improve in sound when played by certain people, but will deteriorate in sound in the hands of another.
Certain people have the ability to 'grow' their erhus.
Part of it of course depends on the bowing technique (can be scientifically proven). With the bow pulling the strings at a correct angle, the vibrations created will give the snakeskin a good workout and have a positive effect on the tone.
The second part depends on each individual person's aura (not scientifically proven). It's like some jewelery looks sparkling on one person, but the same thing looks dull and jaded on another.
The last part depends on how you much you love your instrument (not scientifically proven again). The wood and snakeskin before they were cut down and up to make the erhu were living things before their demise. Part of them still lives within the instrument. So if you take care of them and nurture them with love, they will respond positively and the tone will improve.
One of my customers emailed me the other day: "I like my gaohu better the more I play it. I just wish there was more time and energy to spend on my fiddles. The more I practice on them the more they want."
Very true.
So do you find your erhu getting better each day or not as good as before? You could be the reason.....
Shanghai Music Fair 2008 / New Erhu Bow
It's been a while since I posted on blog. So how have all of you been?
The financial crisis is really getting to everyone. Today I was at a food centre and all the queues of the supposedly popular stores have vanished. More people are eating in instead of eating out. I think people will be more prudent with their spending, which means bad times for businesses.
Well, not all business are affected negatively. Pawnshops and second hand stores have reported brisk sales. Supermarkets have also seen an increase in people buying more groceries to cook at home instead of eating out.
So what's the direction going to be for Chinese musical instruments business? At the moment it seems the trend is down.
But I hope people realize that since they can't afford to change cars or houses so often, why not spend it on spiritually and culturally stimulating things like the erhu, pipa and dizi!
If you're thinking how are you going to learn to play the erhu, we have our online erhu lessons still going at an introductory price of US$480!
And for those who prefer a more in-your-face type of musical expression, you can consider our drums, gongs and cymbals! It is also a more economical stress reliever than St. Regis Monarch Resort. (Someone email my website address www.eason.com.sg to the executives of AIG)
Anyway, one of the reasons I went MIA recently is because I went to the music fair in Shanghai. Yes it is the time of the year again. Not a lot of surprises this year it seems. The number of exhibitors has in fact decreased. I did not see quite a lot of previously seen names at the fair. One told me that there were too many makers and those that cannot make the cut died off naturally.
The buyer power of the Chinese still seems very strong. Buyers are still seen in droves, buying at prices that even my most affluent customers would deem very expensive. How about 20,000-30,000 RMB for 1 erhu?
Anyway here are some pictures of the Shanghai fair. I'll post more later when I have the time.
>>The entrance to the expo centre
>>Registration area inside the expo centre
>>Big banner inside the expo centre
>>Funny looking pianos
>>Funny looking piano again
>>With a brand name that strikes a chord with Singaporean ah bengs and ah lians
>>A piano made of porcelin
>>The player of the piano made of porcelin
More later.
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I've recently listed another product on the website.
It is one of the most well made bows I have seen so far. Although the rod is not very thick, it is a rather stiff bow.
Read more about it here.
The financial crisis is really getting to everyone. Today I was at a food centre and all the queues of the supposedly popular stores have vanished. More people are eating in instead of eating out. I think people will be more prudent with their spending, which means bad times for businesses.
Well, not all business are affected negatively. Pawnshops and second hand stores have reported brisk sales. Supermarkets have also seen an increase in people buying more groceries to cook at home instead of eating out.
So what's the direction going to be for Chinese musical instruments business? At the moment it seems the trend is down.
But I hope people realize that since they can't afford to change cars or houses so often, why not spend it on spiritually and culturally stimulating things like the erhu, pipa and dizi!
If you're thinking how are you going to learn to play the erhu, we have our online erhu lessons still going at an introductory price of US$480!
And for those who prefer a more in-your-face type of musical expression, you can consider our drums, gongs and cymbals! It is also a more economical stress reliever than St. Regis Monarch Resort. (Someone email my website address www.eason.com.sg to the executives of AIG)
Anyway, one of the reasons I went MIA recently is because I went to the music fair in Shanghai. Yes it is the time of the year again. Not a lot of surprises this year it seems. The number of exhibitors has in fact decreased. I did not see quite a lot of previously seen names at the fair. One told me that there were too many makers and those that cannot make the cut died off naturally.
The buyer power of the Chinese still seems very strong. Buyers are still seen in droves, buying at prices that even my most affluent customers would deem very expensive. How about 20,000-30,000 RMB for 1 erhu?
Anyway here are some pictures of the Shanghai fair. I'll post more later when I have the time.
>>The entrance to the expo centre
>>Registration area inside the expo centre
>>Big banner inside the expo centre
>>Funny looking pianos
>>Funny looking piano again
>>With a brand name that strikes a chord with Singaporean ah bengs and ah lians
>>A piano made of porcelin
>>The player of the piano made of porcelin
More later.--------------------------------
I've recently listed another product on the website.
It is one of the most well made bows I have seen so far. Although the rod is not very thick, it is a rather stiff bow.Read more about it here.
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