How to change erhu strings
An erhu has only two strings, but changing one has traps a guitarist doesn't expect: the bow hair is threaded between the strings, the qianjin (the cord loop that acts as the nut) must stay at the same height on the neck, and the little bridge stands loose on the python skin, held there only by string pressure.
Erhu standard tuning
Open strings, inner then outer, at A 440 Hz.
| String | Note | Hz |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | D4 | 293.66 |
| 1 | A4 | 440.00 |
How to use it
- Read the whole list once, then tick each step as you do it. Progress is saved on this device.
- When every box is ticked, the page scrolls to the tuner. Allow the microphone, choose the inner or outer string and bow it open.
- Bow lightly and let the note settle before reading the needle. Start over clears the checklist for the other string.
Help and explanations
The guide below changes one string at a time so the bow, the bridge and the qianjin stay in place. At the end, the erhu tuner checks the standard tuning given by erhu player and composer Lan Tung: inner string D4 (293.66 Hz) and outer string A4 (440 Hz), a fifth apart.
Inner and outer string
The inner string (nèixián) is the thicker one, nearer to you, tuned to D4. The outer string (wàixián) is thinner, tuned a fifth higher to A4. On most erhus the upper peg holds the inner string and the lower peg the outer one, but check yours before you take anything off: the two pegs are not interchangeable, and sets are labelled inner and outer.
Modern erhu strings are steel. Each has a small loop at one end, which hooks onto the string holder at the bottom of the neck, below the sound box, and a plain end that goes into the peg.
Bridge, damper and qianjin
With both strings slack the bridge falls over and the bow can slide off the instrument, which is why one string at a time is the safe way. Many players wrap a piece of tape round the qianjin before they start so it keeps its place and shape. If the qianjin moves, the sounding length of the string changes and your hand positions move with it.
Under the strings, below the bridge, there is usually a small piece of felt or sponge, the damper. Put it back after the change: without it the erhu sounds harsher and wolf tones get worse.
Tips
- Keep the old string until the new one is tuned: if the new one breaks, you can still play.
- Chinese orchestras often tune to A 442 Hz; set your reference the same way as the group before tuning.
- For fine checks of the fifth between the strings, use the strobe tuner.
Frequently asked questions
What notes are the erhu strings tuned to?
The inner string is D4 (293.66 Hz) and the outer string is A4 (440 Hz), a perfect fifth apart, at A 440 Hz.
Which peg is the inner string on?
On most erhus the upper peg holds the inner (D) string and the lower peg the outer (A) string. Look at how your strings run before you remove them.
Do I have to take the bow off to change erhu strings?
Not if you change one string at a time: the bow hair stays between the two strings. Change both at once and the bow has to be unthreaded and put back.
Why does my new erhu string keep going flat?
Steel strings stretch little, so it is usually the peg: on wooden pegs, turn while pushing the peg into the neck so it grips, and check the loop is fully seated on the string holder.
Where should the erhu bridge sit?
On the python skin, usually a little below the centre, square to the strings. Check it after tuning: string pressure tends to pull it toward the neck.