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.....