二胡 First Lesson in Erhu (Chinese 2 stringed-fiddle)

Today I had my first lesson in erhu. To play the erhu and own one is one of my Chinese dream. I bought my erhu for around P7000 (seven-thousand) Philippine Pesos. It is a bit expensive. But my teacher says that the price is alright. I bought my erhu from a local online seller whose husband is Filipino-Chinese. My plan originally was to enroll again at Confucius Institute, but this time in Makati because they don't offer the Chinese music course in Katipunan. So I tried looking for an erhu teacher online. I contacted a former student from U.P. Diliman who plays the violin, and is now based in Singapore. She suggested that I try contacting the Music department in U.P. Diliman, and look for Prof. Ongsiako. I searched for this person online, and I found out that they have a music group or ensemble. They perform usually in Chinese events and by request. (You can contact them in Facebook, just search for Kim Hwa Music Ensemble). I contacted them, and they arranged a lesson for me. My erhu teacher is the daughter of Prof. Ongsiako. Ms. Tanya is her name. According to her she has been playing the erhu, since she was 7 years old. She was a guest before in GNN tv show hosted by Mr. Herman Tiu Laurel, wherein she showed her musical prowess.

On to today's happening. My erhu was not yet playable, so the first thing that she did was that she assembled my erhu. She skillfully re-attached the strings to the pegs, and carefully wiped my bow with rosin. While doing that we chatted about my interest in Chinese culture, and I asked her a few questions with regards to the erhu (the price, and the quality of my erhu). She asked me if I have Chinese ancestry, I told her I don't know. I further added, I'm Chinese by heart (because I love the Chinese culture, no pun intended. I am serious about this). This blog proves how much I adore the Chinese culture.

Our first lesson is how to hold the erhu, and the bow properly. She said its similar to holding a chopsticks. I told her I'm not that very good in holding the chopsticks so I was having difficulty holding the bow. I did bow exercises, playing the inner and outer string. The erhu, although it sounds similar with the violin, they differ in many ways. The erhu is a 2 stringed instrument, and it has no visible frets. The bow is secured in place in the middle of the strings. I hope I can play even a simple piece someday.

Parts of the erhu (source: Wikipedia)

Qín tong (琴筒), sound box or resonator body; it is hexagonal (liu jiao, southern), octagonal (ba jiao, northern), or, less commonly, round.
Qín pí/She pí (琴皮/蛇皮), skin, made from python. The python skin gives the erhu its characteristic sound.
Qín gan (琴杆), neck.
Qín tou (琴頭), top or tip of neck, usually a simple curve with a piece of bone or plastic on top, but is sometimes elaborately carved with a dragon's head.
Qín zhou (琴軸). tuning pegs, traditional wooden, or metal machine gear pegs
Qiān jin (千斤), nut, made from string, or, less commonly, a metal hook
Nèi xián (内弦), inside or inner string, usually tuned to D4, nearest to player
Wai xián (外弦), outside or outer string, usually tuned to A4
Qín ma (琴碼), bridge, made from wood
Gong (弓), bow, has screw device to vary bow hair tension
Gong gan (弓杆), bow stick, made from bamboo
Gong máo (弓毛), bow hair, usually white horsehair
Qín diàn (琴墊), pad, a piece of sponge, felt, or cloth placed between the strings and skin below the bridge to improve its sound
Qín tuō (琴托) – base, a piece of wood attached to the bottom of the qín tong to provide a smooth surface on which to rest on the leg