Thursday, September 25, 2008

Learning the Erhu!

The other day I got a good deal on this two-stringed fiddle (Erhu). Kalila and I rossined up the bow and have been trying our hand at fiddling. The Erhu has a soulful, vocal quality to it. It takes a while to learn how to get a good tone out of it, but once you do it seems to resonate in your bone marrow. Erhu is a favorite among the Chinese. We often stop to listen to a choir of women in the park that follow the melodic lead of an Erhu or two. Notice the sound box at the base is covered with python skin. The Chinese have had to regulate python hunting in the south to ensure that the species is not over-exploited. The men at the music shop kept assuring me that Erhu is easy to learn, but like any instrument it takes a long time before you develop a feel for it.

1 comment:

favero family stuff said...

Hi! From Illinois! I love checking out your blogspot! Keep those pics and documentarys coming! I like seeing everyday life there. I also like seeing Kalila interacting. Those pics of smog are terrible! Don't they have any laws emis sions? It seems they would need lots of rules/laws to keep that many people in order. Plus, they and their families are affected, too. love, aunt colette