Listen to the erhu
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
How the erhu makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the erhu belongs to the lutes: strings run parallel to a soundboard and along a neck – the family of the guitar, violin, sitar and oud.
More broadly it is one of the chordophones (string instruments), where sound comes from vibrating strings, amplified by a resonating body.
Players shape its sound through technique and materials; the resonating body filters the raw vibration, boosting some harmonics and damping others.
From Wikipedia
The erhu is a Chinese two-stringed bowed musical instrument, more specifically a spike fiddle, that is sometimes known in the Western world as the Chinese violin or a Chinese two-stringed fiddle. It is used as a solo instrument as well as in small ensembles and large orchestras. It is the most popular of the huqin family of traditional bowed string instruments used by various ethnic groups of China. As a very versatile instrument, the erhu is used in both traditional and contemporary music arrangements, such as pop, rock and jazz.
Other lutes
More instruments from People's Republic of China
Frequently asked questions
What does an erhu sound like?
Listen to 5 recordings on this page. As one of the lutes, its sound comes from the way strings run parallel to a soundboard and along a neck.
What type of instrument is the erhu?
It is classified as lutes (Hornbostel–Sachs 321.313).
Where does the erhu come from?
The erhu originates from People's Republic of China.
Sources & credits
- Erhu or Cease to be (Antti Luode) by Antti Luode – CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Erhu Strikes Back (Antti Luode) by Antti Luode – CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Dances With Erhu (Antti Luode) by Antti Luode – CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- More Erhu! (Antti Luode) by Antti Luode – CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Pjano Man and Erhu Man (Antti Luode) by Antti Luode – CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q726306 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Erhu – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by LDHan – Public domain