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| What is a SoundFont? | In
simple terms, it is a customized sound that you can load
into your computer to be used in your music, something
like a text-font used in word processors. Read more about
the Basics of
Soundfonts
at the Creative.com website. |
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| What is an Er-Hu? | It is
a two-stringed bowed instrument with a tone similar to a
western violin, yet more soulful and expressive. While
the violin is played horizontally, the er-hu is played
vertically. In the modern Chinese Orchestra, the er-hu
are divided into the first and second parts. In the
orchestras of Southern China, the gao-hu is the first
bowed string while the er-hu is the second. |
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| So what does Er-Hu music sound like? | Here
are some example recordings of er-hu music (of varying
sound quality), played on authentic acoustic er-hu
instruments
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| Brief history of the Er-hu... | An
ancient instrument, extremely popular in China today as a
medium for both traditional and contemporary music, the
er-hu was introduced into central China from the minority
tribes in the northern frontier, probably now Mongolia,
during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), and became
popular during the Sung Dynasty (960-1270 AD).
Throughout its 500-year-old history, it has been
constantly improved. Played with a variety of techniques,
it is now extremely popular for both solo and orchestral
performances. The rise of bowed string instruments in China may have begun around the mid-8th century, the date of the first records of lute-form instruments scraped with a bamboo strip rather than bowed with horsehair. The late 11th century traveler and chronicler Shen Kuo wrote a poem describing the plaintive sounds of the mawei (horsetail) huqin (barbarian string instrument) played by prisoners-of-war captured on a Chinese military expedition into Central Asia. Horsehair bows appear to have gradually replaced the bamboo slip used on instruments like the xiqin. Many distinct forms of fiddle have since arisen, of which the most commonly encountered today is the er-hu. During the 20th century, the er-hu has been redesigned and standardized. For example, steel strings have replaced the traditional ones of silk, altering the tone quality of the instrument and allowing new performance techniques. The erhu is presently used in the orchestra of Chinese instruments and also in numerous Chinese folk opera and ballad forms. Since the 1930s, alto, tenor and bass versions of this instrument have been developed for the Chinese orchestra. |
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| Details to interest the musicians... | The
Range The erhu range is up to four octaves in its most common tuning (it is sometimes tuned to play higher or lower octaves). It has 2 strings, one which is usually tuned D and the other A, a Perfect Fifth apart. Where volume is concerned, it cannot match the violin, yet it is a more flexible instrument. With only 2 strings, erhu virtuosi can yet play even the most complex violin pieces. The Sound Quality The erhu is basically a mid-high-toned instrument where it sounds forceful and lavish. Mid tone sounds are gentle and touching, while high tones becomes clear and bright. This changeful character makes it possible for the erhu to perform tunes in a variety of moods. Throughout its 500 years history, the erhu has evolved and improved. Its tone is now mellow and yet bright. When the strings vibrate, the snakeskin of the wooden drum vibrates, too. A very soft sound is produced and the careful listener will hear a sound like a human voice humming. The absence of a fingerboard allows the erhu player to freely manipulate the tension of the strings to produce a wide a variety of musical effects, such as dogs barking, horses neighing, and birds chirping. Without a fingerboard, it is very easy to go off-pitch when playing a note. In fact, pressing on the strings harder or softer will make the pitch go higher or lower respectively, but this "disadvantage" actually gives the er-hu a flexibility almost comparable to the human voice. It can be a very sad sounding instrument, because when played correctly it can sound like a human voice wailing out a song. The Various Techniques of Playing the Er-hu The techniques of erhu playing are complex and require great skill. Its tone colour is delicate, rich, and it is capable of varied expression. The common erhu techniques are as follows: Regular playing techniques: Up bow, down bow, detache, slur, staccato, vibrato, tremolo, trillo, pizzicato Special effects: Shifting, bird chirping, dog barking, horse neighing |
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| The Er-hu Soundfont | The
er-hu soundfont available on this webpage was developed
by Ms Huang
Huey Shean,
under the supervision of
Dr Minni Ang, as part of her final-year
project on the B.Mus. program at the Music Department of
Universiti Putra Malaysia. Patches created for the Erhu SoundFont
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| The Demo
Files created for the Erhu Soundfont The demo file accessible below was sequenced by Minni Ang, using the Cakewalk sequencing software with the Erhu Soundfont attached. This piece, an original composition by Minni Ang, demonstrates the following patches from the Erhu Soundfont, in order of appearance: erhu bird, erhu shifting up, erhu vibrato, erhu pizzicato, and erhu trillo. Listen to the Demo |MP3 format (1354K)|WMA format (1372K)|ASF format (streaming)| Download the Soundfont and MIDI Demo Files Contents of Erhu-Soundfont.zip file: Erhu.sf2, Erhu-effects.sf2, Erhu-demo.wrk, Erhu-demo.mid CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD (3059 K) |
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