What should I pay attention to when choosing erhu? thank you

How to choose erhu is an eternal topic for Hu friends. Over the years, there have been many different opinions and long speeches, which inevitably gives people a feeling of seeing flowers in the fog. They often meet masters who have played the piano for decades and masters who have been doing it for decades, but they don't know why. It seems that choosing a piano generally requires mastering some knowledge of acoustics, materials, mechanics, aesthetics, mathematics and mechanics, plus the foundation of erhu performance, so that you can have a better understanding when choosing a piano. I would like to share my personal experience in piano selection for many years as follows:

First, choose the erhu, and pay attention to the focal area where the drum sounds.

In jargon, the sound of a good piano should be "tied up", that is to say, the * * * vibration and * * sound of the erhu drum must form a concentrated focus, otherwise its sound will be scattered and dull, with hollow high notes and thin bass. After the piano skin vibrates and sounds, it focuses back into a pyramid-shaped area along the bell mouth of the barrel. The length of this area varies according to the inclination of the horn mouth, and the reflection of the sound groove (the elliptical piano has no sound groove) is the key to adjust the balance of the high and low notes of the erhu. Its high-pitched area (i.e. the position of the lower handle) has a large volume and solid sound quality when it moves forward in the key vibration area. When the vibration focus area moves backward, the volume is small and the sound quality is fine. Its bass area (that is, the position of the upper handle) is just the opposite. In order to balance the high and low tones, the focus area of * * * vibration must be in a reasonable position. Experience has proved that it is better to focus on the back of the piano central axis. A simple way to measure the vibration focus of * * * is that when you try to play the piano, your left hand feels a penetrating vibration on the stem, the head and the rest of the piano, which shows that the vibration focus of * * * just falls on the central axis of the stem, and you can hear the focus area by experience.

Second, pay attention to the "broken bamboo pole effect" when choosing erhu.

When a coin is struck intact, its sound will clank. Once there is a crack in the middle or head of the coin, the whole coin will be hissed, which is the "bamboo-breaking effect" of the whole coin after inducing vibration such as cracks. The "broken bamboo pole effect" of erhu has been neglected so far. In the process of erhu production, there will inevitably be some natural and artificial gaps in the material and production structure. If we neglect management and handle it improperly, it is easy to have a "broken bamboo pole effect". I have experienced a good piano with excellent materials and excellent workmanship. Generally speaking, the sound quality is very good, but when there is no noise interference in the dead of night, a faint "hissing" sound can be faintly heard at the D end of the outer string, and the reason can not be found after searching for a long time. Later, I removed the support plate and found a small air-dried crack on the edge of the piano barrel with a magnifying glass (old materials are easy to produce). Use a little high-permeability 502 glue to eliminate it immediately. Generally speaking, the "broken bamboo pole effect" will not occur at the origin. After it is transferred with the leading sound vibration, it appears in the ending sound of erhu pronunciation, but not in all sounds. Sometimes an audio lead vibration of erhu just stimulates the "broken bamboo pole effect". Selection method: 1, pull the empty string and stick it on the piano rod with your ear, and you can hear obvious noise; 2. Listen to every sound carefully and check every point of the material. In this way, the erhu with "broken bamboo pole effect" can be avoided by mistake.

Third, when choosing erhu, pay attention to the falsehood of pronunciation on a certain audio.

This is a common and frequently-occurring disease, which is more common in high-grade pianos with thick and tight skin. When playing the piano, one sound or several sounds often appear obviously untrue, giving off an effect similar to overtone, and some people mistakenly think that the bow is slipping. This is mainly because the * * * vibration of the piano barrel and the piano cover is not well coordinated at a certain audio frequency, and the * * * sound cannot be generated. Some pianos can be softened and disappear after a period of time, while others can't.

Attention method: 1, the piano skin should be thick and uniform, 2, the inner wall of the piano barrel should be smooth and symmetrical, and the radian should be smooth and coherent.

How to Choose Erhu Experience (2)

Fourth, when choosing erhu, we should pay attention to its expressive force.

Expressiveness is the essence of erhu.

Generally speaking, the expressive force of erhu is reflected in two aspects: first, the sensitivity and comfort of erhu. Require a sensitive response, the bow will ring as soon as it touches the string, and the sound quality is pure, full and tireless; It is comfortable to hold the piano, giving the performer an innocent girlish affinity and stimulating the excitement of playing. The second is the controllability and potential of erhu. The piano can be freely expressed and played according to the player's wishes. Strong notes are not "explosive", weak notes are not "empty", high notes are not "whistling" and low notes are not "swallowed". You can play freely in a large span of scope and strength, without feeling "hard", with good controllability and great "reserve". Just like a car with superior performance and strong horsepower, let the driver fully enjoy the fun of driving ... A good car can give the driver a feeling of integration of man and car, and a good piano can also give people a feeling of integration of man and piano.

Expressiveness is easy to master in erhu production, but difficult in bass piano. For example, the ordinary Er Quan is prone to dull pronunciation and weak voice. It should be said that in erhu production, the expressive force of Er is the most difficult to grasp.

Expressiveness is a feeling that is difficult to express but can only be understood. There is no standard or scale to measure it, and it needs the producers and performers of erhu to understand and grasp it.

Five, choose erhu should pay attention to its penetration.

Another important sign to evaluate the sound quality of erhu is "penetrating power". Penetration is the power to integrate timbre, sound quality and volume, and it is an important internal factor for erhu to be excellent or not.

My experience: Penetration should be the embodiment of erhu pronunciation to * * * vibration. Vibration is the source of pronunciation. Without vibration, there is no sound-a simple physical principle. By analyzing the structure and pronunciation principle of erhu, it can be found that the pronunciation of the strings is transmitted to the piano skin (diaphragm). When the central amplitude of the piano skin is large and the frequency is low, the amplitude decreases and the frequency increases as it goes to the edge. The vibration of the skin is transmitted to the barrel (amplifier). At this time, the amplitude of the echo reflection vibration at the front mouth of the skin is small and the frequency is high, and then the amplitude becomes large and the frequency becomes low. Through the * * * vibration of the leather and the * * * vibration of the piano holder, the erhu makes a beautiful sound.

In my opinion, a piano with good penetration should have a wide vibration frequency range, prominent main audio and harmonious sub-audio, just like a good voice. The coordination of high, medium and low sounds makes the music have penetrating appeal. Loud volume does not mean good penetration, and good penetration does not necessarily mean loud volume.

Good penetration is another important requirement for erhu production skills and quality.

There are many ways to test the penetrating power of a piano according to your own experience and feelings, mainly according to your own feelings. Among them, there are two simplest methods: first, when trying to play the piano, the left hand will feel the strong tremor of the lever and the head of the barrel, and the timbre, sound quality and volume are in harmony; Secondly, one person plays the piano and one person listens, from near to far. Listening to its pronunciation is far-reaching, long, full, clear and infectious.

Sixth, pay attention to its artistic beauty when choosing erhu.

A good erhu should be the crystallization of the high-quality function of musical instruments and the artistic beauty of making high-quality products. In other words, it is not only a musical instrument with perfect timbre, sound quality and volume, but also a pleasing and collectible work of art, which makes people play smoothly, sound comfortable and look satisfied.

Personal feelings about American erhu production art;

Manufacturing dimensions and specifications: the central axis of the piano rod, the central axis of the piano barrel and the central axis of the two hammers reach three perpendicular lines; The axis of the piano rod is concentric with the axis of the upper and lower holes of the piano barrel, and the axis of the base is concentric with the axis of the piano, so that the axis effect of the whole piano is highly unified; The splicing angle of the inner and outer walls of the piano barrel is accurate and symmetrical, the thickness of the board wall is symmetrical and uniform, the length is accurate, and the radian is smooth and coherent, so that the vibration frequency and transmission speed of the piano barrel are balanced and symmetrical, and the purity of sound quality is effectively improved.

The production structure is rigorous: first, the piano rod and the hole of the piano barrel are matched accurately and the tightness is just right; Secondly, the hole of the piano rod is accurately matched with the hole and pin of the piano, and it is not easy to twist and not deviate (the joint surface of the hole and pin is completely matched); Thirdly, the tenon and mortise of the stem and the chin rest are closely matched, and the chin rest neither shifts back and forth nor left and right. The holes, tenons and eyes of the whole piano structure have reached strict, solid, accurate and strict high standards.

Exquisite craftsmanship: from the processing of piano barrel skin to the clean treatment of the edge of the skin after the skin; The inlay of the piano barrel, the manufacture and polishing of the inner wall, and the molding and polishing of the shell of the piano barrel are in place; Carving, inlaying, carving and carving; The grooves, grooves, lines, arcs, bends, edges, corners, holes, tenons and eyes of the whole piano are carefully processed, and all the production processes are sawing, planing, chiseling, shoveling, cutting, filing, drilling, embedding, carving, engraving, splicing, gluing, pulling, grinding and polishing.

Beautiful production effect: the production process should make erhu achieve high artistic modeling beauty. A good piano, looking at god from a distance, looking at the shape from a close distance, listening to the sound with your hands. The erhu with superior connotation, sound quality and volume effect complement each other with its smooth, beautiful and generous appearance. It is necessary to design the effective chord length between the fret and the barrel reasonably, so that the tension, vibration frequency and feel comfort of the strings can be organically combined to achieve the best sound quality and feel. The technology of leather membrane treatment and pilar must be in place, so that the tension and elasticity of leather membrane are just right, and the sensitivity, timbre stability, durability and durability of piano are organically combined to give full play to the lasting and good sound quality effect of piano. Generally speaking, a beautiful and good piano should be carefully examined, atmospheric and far-sighted. Only by combining the sound, shape and spirit of erhu can we achieve a harmonious and unified aesthetic artistic effect.

How to Choose Erhu (the Third Experience)

Seven, choose a custom erhu, don't rush for success.

The sound quality of erhu is closely related to stress and vibration. Why is the sound quality of the old piano better than that of the new one? Is the old piano better than the new one? The main reason is that in the process of adapting to the natural environment, Qin gradually eliminates the stress of the piano-making materials, and gradually forms a harmonious vibration in frequency and direction, which cooperates with the "Qi Xin" sound of * * *, giving off a pure and wonderful piano sound.

Speaking of stress, it is basically everywhere: manufacturing, construction, musical instrument industry and so on. Basically all materials have stress, but it exists in different ways. The most intuitive phenomena of stress are: thermal expansion and cold contraction, wet expansion and dry contraction. Generally speaking, the existence of pressure is harmful: mechanical deformation, house cracking, musical instrument breaking and so on are all caused by pressure. Take a daily example: when the new "Pu Sang" car starts to use, the chassis will always "snap" itself. This is because of the appearance and existence of stress in chassis manufacturing, which leads to the phenomenon that the stress of steel is gradually eliminated in use.

Once cut, the critical interface of piano-making wood changes, coupled with the difference of dry and wet environment and the change of wood fiber tensile surface, its stress changes, the most obvious performance is warping deformation, even old wood will change its stress once cut, but the degree is different. Stress must be eliminated, and the best way to eliminate stress is to eliminate it naturally. The so-called "let it be enough" and then make it.

The production process of erhu has a set of scientific and rigorous procedures. There is a long production cycle from cutting to finished product, and its intermittent production process is actually a process of scientifically eliminating material stress and adjusting material vibration. To make a good piano, it is necessary to let the material fully "run in" with the natural environment and let the environment accept its arrival, so as to achieve the best vibration and sound quality effect. In this way, the piano made after passing the test of time has the advantages of fast sound output, good sound quality, good quality stability and durability in the future.

Therefore, if you want to play the piano well, you must be able to hold your temper. "You can't eat hot jiaozi in a hurry."

Eight, choose erhu should pay attention to the "barrel board" effect.

The water content of the bucket plate shall be subject to the lowest bucket plate. Erhu is a barrel, and the sound, shape, spirit, leather, materials and workmanship are all pieces of barrel boards. Under normal circumstances, piano makers will always consider all aspects of the index requirements when making pianos of each grade, just as making cars of different grades requires a balanced configuration. Of course, there is always something better and something worse, and the pianist can make up for it. Unless the buyer has special requirements, generally speaking, from the six aspects of "sound, shape, spirit, skin, material and work", the balance is better. Otherwise, a bad item will drag down a good one, but the overall effect will drop, forming a "barrel board" effect.

Nine, erhu material selection points "sound, shape, spirit, skin, material, work"

"Tone"-the key to choosing a piano. It is divided into three elements: timbre, sound quality and volume. The timbre is usually rich, soft, bright, sweet, high-pitched and vigorous, but it is not absolute. A piano often has both, but there is no unity. You can choose according to your personal preference. Sound quality is usually measured by purity, roundness and thickness. A piano can have both. The volume is often divided into large, medium and small. Under the condition that the thickness and tightness of leather are the same, the larger leather is better. It is not advisable to be loud and scattered without god. Analysis of the development trend of volume shows that the volume of tight skin and thick skin increases gradually with the performance, while the volume of thin skin and loose skin does not.

Form-the formal beauty of erhu. It is required that the design layout is reasonable and the shape is beautiful and generous.

"God"-the artistic beauty of erhu. Connotation has a high sound quality, characterized by excellent expressive force and strong penetration; Extension is to look at the air from a distance, look at the atmosphere from a close distance, get used to it delicately, show the gas field, and have the feeling of being a naive girl, a person and a piano.

"Skin"-the skin is best taken from the tail of a python since childhood. Especially the leather board with good tension and elasticity, even scales, neat texture and smooth and bright color is better.

"Material"-Usually high-grade pianos are made of old mahogany, rosewood and ebony. The so-called old furniture and old rosewood materials are basically not available in the market. Selection of piano material: the wood is cut in diameter, with straight texture, no knot scar, no damage, no decay, high and uniform density, consistent color and harmonious collocation.

"Work"-fine production technology, accurate size and tight structure. Different piano manufacturers have different production process characteristics and different production forms. You can choose according to your personal preference.

The above is a summary of the requirements for piano selection. The standard of choosing a piano is explained by four words: sound, shape, spirit, skin, material and skill.

Ten, pay attention to the "new piano sounds familiar" and dyed skin.

There are often new pianos from manufacturers and businessmen. There are usually two reasons for playing "the new piano sounds familiar": First, Pizon has no stamina. The good times don't last long, and they will soon decline. This piano is not ideal. Second, the sound is raised artificially. One of the simplest methods is to put a strip on the leather of the piano by the "familiar sound" pressed out, then cover it with a board and press it on. It only takes one day to get it. The piano made by pressing out familiar sounds has a short life and poor stamina. The usual identification method is that there is a concave round pit under the piano code chassis, so pay attention to it when choosing the piano.

Some new cortex fraxini are brightly colored. It should be noted that there are quite a few dyed erhu skins on the market now, which has become an open secret or a public hazard. There are many dyeing methods, usually made of oily dyes or chemical solutions. When choosing A Qin, be careful not to be confused by color. How to Choose Erhu (Ⅳ)

What I wrote and published a few years ago was mainly about the exchange of experience on how to choose erhu technology. Today, I continue to write four episodes. In view of the confusion and misleading problems brought by some abnormal phenomena in the erhu market to Hu You's purchase and selection of pianos, combined with my personal and friends' feelings, I will focus on learning and communicating with Hu You on how to identify fakes and prevent fraud.

Eleven, choose erhu pay attention to carefully identify its authenticity.

The development of market economy drives the development of cultural industry, and the development of cultural industry drives the development of erhu industry. The growing market demand for erhu has stimulated the development of erhu production industry. Driven by interests, the production of fake and shoddy erhu has been induced and encouraged to a certain extent, and the phenomenon of confusing fish with pearls is becoming more and more common. When buying erhu, you still need to pay attention to the following kinds of pianos:

1. OEM pianos, usually some music shops and musical instrument shops, are sold from erhu workshops with poor brands and markets (manufacturers' workshops with excellent brand quality will never give people OEM pianos), engraved with their own store numbers and trademarks. This kind of shops and shops often flaunt themselves as front shops and back factories (workshops), but in fact they can't make erhu in general, and some shops and shops are also placed. Ordinary customers are often confused at first sight and believe it. This brand of piano is very attractive and deceptive to online friends, foreign friends and unsuspecting friends.

2. Usually, some manufacturers and workshops join hands with some erhu celebrities and masters to make some pianos engraved with the words of celebrities, famous producers, appraisal, etc. , and then attach certificates, cards and the like. The authenticity and quantity of this kind of piano cannot be verified. Often the producer exists in name only, and the appraiser has no way to verify the authenticity of the piano, which has a long history. Anyway, the piano is expensive, the wool is on the sheep, and the manufacturer and celebrity win-win. This kind of piano is very attractive and deceptive to Hu You who likes to pursue celebrity effect.

3. OEM piano, which is now showing a trend of continuous spread. At present, some erhu masters, teachers and erhu lovers are keen on this! These famous artists, teachers and Hu You specially ordered some semi-finished products from some workshops with bad reputation and bad market, and took them back for assembly. Some simply take erhu with complete packaging and accessories. The first thing above is that they must engrave the patterns of these handstands with the computer engraving machine. This kind of person suddenly became a "pianist". Some people put a few objects and tools in a room, and some people wrote a "* * * erhu studio". After that, they can really show off and cheat, and some can sell erhu. Occasionally, I found that some ignorant Hu You still believed that he had really met a master and a famous piano. For this kind of person, in the jargon of Suzhou erhu production, it is called "falling into the rivers and lakes." It is common for people like this to perform on several websites from time to time: upload some pictures of erhu, please enjoy what fine erhu has just been refined today, put up some stickers tomorrow, say what the best erhu has been developed recently, please watch it, it is quite shocking, and then ask someone to hold it, blow it, stir it, and finally say "sell"! Since it is "the best", it has a very expensive price! In fact, many of Hu's friends have already seen the fox's tail-in the so-called please enjoy the erhu pictures uploaded on the Internet, it is obvious that there is the OEM of computer lettering-Suzhou area and manufacturer code number! —— On an erhu professional website, Hu Youqin's skin was commented as a deer or a horse: "Your skin is the skin of a python, 5 pieces below the anus!" Let the whole world know that everyone laughs at big jokes! Later, the moderator of the erhu training room in Taiwan Province Province was too careless to see it, so he came forward to correct me: "This piano skin is 1 python skin above the anus"! Where is the pianist who doesn't even know the truth about whether there is a piano skin under the anus of a python?

At present, OEM piano workshops are mainly distributed in the south, and there are also a few in the north. From shell making, inlaying, peeling, carving, numbering and lettering to packaging, erhu collection certificate, etc. They are fully equipped with one-stop service and can also be used as semi-finished products, large semi-finished products and finished products according to the requirements of demanders. The service is thoughtful and comprehensive. At present, the ranks of "down and out" who are willing to resell branded pianos are developing and growing in a single spark. These people often communicate with each other in a virtual way, such as online, email, telephone, etc. Hu You, who knows all the details, dubbed him "virtual piano maker", "online piano maker" and "selling old cows across the mountain".

At present, the trend of OEM reselling has rapidly spread to accessories and other aspects. Except for erhu strings, there is no OEM reselling at present, and others are common, such as rosin and piano codes. It is reported that some people want to copy the patented product made in Taiwan Province Province-the popular steel butterfly erhu silencer on the market, and some even want to make an idea about the patented product. Some people add some red, green, blue and black colors to the very common raw material rosin, and their value rises sharply, and they are blown into the best red, green, blue and black gemstone rosin. The name is gorgeous enough! The piano code is more colorful and changeable, and the clouds are scattered, and so on. These OEM parts have no theoretical basis for scientific research and no technical content of manufacturing process. What's more, what is invented today, what is developed tomorrow, and what is created the day after tomorrow? The materials used are indeed more precious than the dragon liver and phoenix brain, and the use effect is indeed unparalleled, but in the end, the focus is on one word-money, and Hu You, who is not familiar with the situation, is often seen to participate. To know how much effort and how long it takes to study a thing, some need decades, and some generations make unremitting efforts to reach the present level. There is no shortcut to the scientific research of erhu and its accessories. Shortcut-Can OEM be turned upside down to achieve fame and fortune? Nowadays, there are more and more celebrities and ordinary people selling erhu accessories and other things, and the team is getting bigger and bigger.

OEM brings two diametrically opposite trends, simplification and complexity, which develop in parallel: on the one hand, it is precisely because of the appearance of OEM products that some people want to become "piano makers" and the workflow becomes simplified; On the other hand, it is precisely because of the appearance of branded products that most Hu You's work process of identifying the authenticity of erhu and its accessories becomes complicated.

4. Famous pianos and erhu are very sought after by the market because of their small stock and output. Some famous pianists are old and weak, and they are unable to play the piano in their twilight years. However, a small part of their new pianos are sold in the market, which is the temptation driving force of interests. Many factors, such as small quantity, high price, good market and big profit, gave birth to such a piano. There are several sources: first, second, the master himself selected several erhu made by the pianist around him, and then carved (branded). Embedded) the owner's own name; Third, the master asked someone to make it himself or just a foggy skin, engraved (brand. Embedded) the owner's own name. Although this kind of piano was not made by the master in the end, it was somewhat influenced by the aura of the master and its quality was not bad. Of course, the price of the piano is absolutely super high. Some masters, such as the legendary swordsman, have been in the wave of market economy all their lives. Although I can't do it, I have to go with the flow several times, and my reputation is not as good as it is. There are few such pianos and many buyers. For Hu you, who is eager to buy erhu and has a lot of money, it is quite tempting.

5. Old Qin in Ming and Qing Dynasties. Looking at the erhu market, we can find that there are quite a few erhu engraved with the words "Old Qin in Ming and Qing Dynasties". You should know that this kind of "old Qin in Ming and Qing Dynasties" is a good selling point for some manufacturers to manufacture and sell Qin! Everyone knows that the old erhu in Ming and Qing dynasties is good, so we should engrave more "excellent erhu made of old materials in Ming and Qing dynasties" on the products to achieve the effect of fame and fortune. Looking closely at the "refined erhu made of old materials in Ming and Qing Dynasties" in some manufacturers' workshops, it is not difficult to find that there are very few real old materials, and most of them are made of new materials and pigments! The so-called old materials of Ming and Qing dynasties are clearly defined and cannot be confused: the old materials of Ming dynasty: mainly rosewood and yellow gorgeous, which are mostly used by emperors and dignitaries, are precious and rare, and now they are mostly collected as precious cultural relics. Who wants to make a piano? Who can afford it? To emphasize, the old material of Ming Dynasty is wood without acid branches. Old materials of the Qing Dynasty: In the early Qing Dynasty, some rosewood and yellow gorgeous scraps were imperial, and rosewood was the main material in the middle and late Qing Dynasty. Because mahogany and yellow gorgeous were consumed in Ming Dynasty and mainly imported from Southeast Asia in the middle and late Qing Dynasty, most of the old materials used for erhu in the market at present are in the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, and there are few old materials in the middle and late Qing Dynasty. Always contact with old materials and materials, and know a little common sense. A brief introduction: the contrast between the old material and the new material is: the specific gravity of the material is smaller, the audio frequency is lower (the fundamental frequency of the material), the sound wavelength is higher (the fundamental frequency of the material), the material is harder, the material is brittle, the brown eye is bigger, the crystal in the brown eye is brighter, and the sound is rough, loose, soft and round. With the decrease of old mahogany (old furniture materials), some people now look for other sources of materials: many Vietnamese demolition materials have entered the production of erhu materials, and some musicians confuse Vietnamese demolition materials with old furniture materials, which is difficult for laymen to distinguish. In fact, the old materials for house demolition in Vietnam are several times cheaper than the old furniture materials, and the materials are very different. There are also ways to distinguish it from old furniture materials.

6. At present, rosewood and rosewood are precious materials for violin making, mainly imported from India. Due to the large consumption and India's export restrictions, the price of rosewood is rising, and the price of erhuqin made of rosewood is also skyrocketing. Interest-driven forces promote the phenomenon of counterfeit rosewood piano materials to become more and more common, and it is found that some piano dealers call the wood stained with red rosewood as masking materials. Introduction to related professional information: In addition to rosewood, there are nearly 20 kinds of wood that also contain purplish red pigment, but none of them are rosewood. At present, there are many kinds of purple violin erhu called sandalwood: rosewood, Venus rosewood, gold rosewood, Indian lobular rosewood, Ye Tan, No.2 rosewood, No.3 rosewood, rose rosewood, blood sandalwood, etc. There is even an ebony that can't reach the gossip of rosewood and is pushed to the throne of "Old rosewood erhu"! However, it happened that the person who bought the piano himself really recognized the principle of "old rosewood erhu" and just twisted his neck to show the piano everywhere, which made all Hu friends feel incredible. The identification method of rosewood piano is complicated, which can be identified from the aspects of texture, color, specific gravity, smell, brown eyes, crystal and fundamental frequency. Hu you, who does not have certain discrimination ability, should pay more attention to buying rosewood xylophone.