Besides sharing what I know about how to maintain the instruments or improve the sound quality, the students also shared with us some of the things they come across.
Two suggestions were of particular interest to me.
I was talking about how to maximise the Erhu rosin. You know when you keep rosining a particular spot on the rosin, a groove forms on the rosin. Though its easier to rosin with a groove in the rosin, there is a lot of wastage from the mountains of rosin you built while cutting grooves left right centre of the rosin cake. So I suggested to rosin the cake down evenly so that you do not waste the rosin. So this guy from Chinese High told us that when the peaks of rosin forms, he melts them together again. He just takes a cigarette lighter and holds the rosin face down above the open flame. When the rosin melts together and before it drips down, he turns it front side up again. Good idea I thought. I'm sure the rosin will still retain its properties after a hot sauna.
A groovy kind of rosin...
Another girl shared with us another way to play with fire, with compliments from her Erhu instructor. The instructor suggested to use an open flame from a cigarette lighter and place it under your Erhu bow hair. The heat is suppose to straighten the Erhu bow hairs. The girl remarked that the bow looks nicer with straight hair rather than natural curls, but remains uncommitted as to whether it improves the sound in anyway.
Sounds a bit risky to me. Your whole bow might go up in smoke.
But if you got bows to burn, go ahead and try it.
