How not to kill your erhu guide:
1. Always put erhu in case after playing to prevent damage from humidity
2. Avoid storing in very dry or humid conditions
3. Leave packets of silica gel in the case
4. Keep the wood moist to prevent shrinking or cracking if it is made of ebony wood, leave it in case or add wax to the wood
5. Always loosen the bow hair after playing to prevent having a loose bow and bent bamboo
6. Keep instrument clean after use, keep snakeskin and wood in high quality conditions, wipe with fiberless cloth or brush
7. Avoid low humidity, dry environments for ebony wood
8. Avoid hot humid areas!!!
9. Do not put in direct sunlight
10. Clean rosin powder off wood, strings, and SKIN with a brush or cloth
11. Do not put strange or corrosive substances on strings (alcohol wipe OK), neck, wood (H2O only)
12. Cover strings with paper or cloth to prevent rosin going on from the bow
13. Thicker and tighter snakeskin is louder, but when it is too thick, the vibration is slower. If it is too thin, the sound is thinner and easier to make unwanted noise. If it is too tight, the sound is thin and sharp.
14. Put pencil on top of snakeskin above bridge or on the top of the soundbox to release pressure everyday (Hardworking method)
15. Remove the bridge when you are not playing the Erhu. This is because if the bridge is left in the center of the snakeskin, the center of the snakeskin would be unnaturally seasoned by the pressure the strings exert on the snakeskin. When you are playing the Erhu, the vibrations from your playing would be seasoning the whole snakeskin instead of just the centre. Hence, you remove the bridge when you are not playing even if you're breaking in your new Erhu. (Hardworking method 2)
16. Do not move the bridge; moving the bridge unnecessarily will disrupt the equilibrium the bridge has built up with the snakeskin. Only after 2 years, use a pencil or dongle to release the pressure off the snakeskin on alternate months. (Lazy method)
17. After two or three months, play your new erhu every day. To play, the tension of the piano skin can be moderately tight. At this time, it is necessary to prepare a pencil that is generally longer than the horizontal surface of the soundbox. After playing, the pencil is placed under the string to reduce the pressure on the membrane of the bridge and keep the film. This will make the snakeskin last longer. (Lazy method 2)
18. Every year, use extra virgin olive oil on the snakeskin if it is dry or flaky
19. The width of both 3rd and 4th fingers are the width of the qianjin or the width of thumb
20. Keep erhu in tune (D A)
21. Move dampener closer to the bridge for a more focused/dispersed/less compact tone and closer to the base for a brighter/sharp tone
22. Dampener needs some effort to push under strings, but not too much
23. Material test: Pull the damper apart and see if it stays in shape. If it does not and changes shape, the material is not good enough to be a damper. If you pull it and it stays in shape, it should be fine.
24. Keep strings close to the pegs for a good angle between the bridge and qianjin
25. No oil, sweat, or other substances on bow hair, it will leave a black mark and will not sound
26. Clean rosin off the bow if you not going to play for a long time
27. Rosin the bow every other practice (5-10 slow strokes each side)
28. Rotate qianjin if the quality of the string on the string is worn off
29. Qianjin is positioned where the pinky meets the palm when resting arm on the soundbox
30. Tying the qianjin; 353 or 254 or 161; alternate neck-string when tying with the strings
31. Tilt the bridge in an anti-clockwise direction to keep playing more in tune
32. You can put a sponge folded within the damper
33. If you see signs of the snakeskin on the soundbox softening or sagging, place the instrument in an area with good air circulation on a good weather day to regain the tautness of the snakeskin. Do not place in direct sunlight
34. Change one string at a time to protect the bridge and qianjin
35. Add chalk to pegs’ contact point if they slip
36. Log recordings of your erhu to check if there are changes in tone
1. Always put erhu in case after playing to prevent damage from humidity
2. Avoid storing in very dry or humid conditions
3. Leave packets of silica gel in the case
4. Keep the wood moist to prevent shrinking or cracking if it is made of ebony wood, leave it in case or add wax to the wood
5. Always loosen the bow hair after playing to prevent having a loose bow and bent bamboo
6. Keep instrument clean after use, keep snakeskin and wood in high quality conditions, wipe with fiberless cloth or brush
7. Avoid low humidity, dry environments for ebony wood
8. Avoid hot humid areas!!!
9. Do not put in direct sunlight
10. Clean rosin powder off wood, strings, and SKIN with a brush or cloth
11. Do not put strange or corrosive substances on strings (alcohol wipe OK), neck, wood (H2O only)
12. Cover strings with paper or cloth to prevent rosin going on from the bow
13. Thicker and tighter snakeskin is louder, but when it is too thick, the vibration is slower. If it is too thin, the sound is thinner and easier to make unwanted noise. If it is too tight, the sound is thin and sharp.
14. Put pencil on top of snakeskin above bridge or on the top of the soundbox to release pressure everyday (Hardworking method)
15. Remove the bridge when you are not playing the Erhu. This is because if the bridge is left in the center of the snakeskin, the center of the snakeskin would be unnaturally seasoned by the pressure the strings exert on the snakeskin. When you are playing the Erhu, the vibrations from your playing would be seasoning the whole snakeskin instead of just the centre. Hence, you remove the bridge when you are not playing even if you're breaking in your new Erhu. (Hardworking method 2)
16. Do not move the bridge; moving the bridge unnecessarily will disrupt the equilibrium the bridge has built up with the snakeskin. Only after 2 years, use a pencil or dongle to release the pressure off the snakeskin on alternate months. (Lazy method)
17. After two or three months, play your new erhu every day. To play, the tension of the piano skin can be moderately tight. At this time, it is necessary to prepare a pencil that is generally longer than the horizontal surface of the soundbox. After playing, the pencil is placed under the string to reduce the pressure on the membrane of the bridge and keep the film. This will make the snakeskin last longer. (Lazy method 2)
18. Every year, use extra virgin olive oil on the snakeskin if it is dry or flaky
19. The width of both 3rd and 4th fingers are the width of the qianjin or the width of thumb
20. Keep erhu in tune (D A)
21. Move dampener closer to the bridge for a more focused/dispersed/less compact tone and closer to the base for a brighter/sharp tone
22. Dampener needs some effort to push under strings, but not too much
23. Material test: Pull the damper apart and see if it stays in shape. If it does not and changes shape, the material is not good enough to be a damper. If you pull it and it stays in shape, it should be fine.
24. Keep strings close to the pegs for a good angle between the bridge and qianjin
25. No oil, sweat, or other substances on bow hair, it will leave a black mark and will not sound
26. Clean rosin off the bow if you not going to play for a long time
27. Rosin the bow every other practice (5-10 slow strokes each side)
28. Rotate qianjin if the quality of the string on the string is worn off
29. Qianjin is positioned where the pinky meets the palm when resting arm on the soundbox
30. Tying the qianjin; 353 or 254 or 161; alternate neck-string when tying with the strings
31. Tilt the bridge in an anti-clockwise direction to keep playing more in tune
32. You can put a sponge folded within the damper
33. If you see signs of the snakeskin on the soundbox softening or sagging, place the instrument in an area with good air circulation on a good weather day to regain the tautness of the snakeskin. Do not place in direct sunlight
34. Change one string at a time to protect the bridge and qianjin
35. Add chalk to pegs’ contact point if they slip
36. Log recordings of your erhu to check if there are changes in tone
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