The ''erxian'' ( 二弦; pinyin: èrxián; literally "two string") is a Chinese

bowed Bowed string instruments are a subcategory of string instruments that are played by a bow rubbing the strings. The bow rubbing the string causes vibration which the instrument emits as sound. Despite the numerous specialist studies devoted to th ...

string instrument String instruments, stringed instruments, or chordophones are musical instruments that produce sound from vibrating strings when a performer plays or sounds the strings in some manner. Musicians play some string instruments by plucking the ...

in the '' huqin'' family of instruments. It has two strings and is used primarily in

Cantonese music ''Cantonese music'' may refer to: *The music of Cantonese-speaking peoples, especially: **Music of Guangdong **Music of Hong Kong ** Music of Macau *Cantonese language music, especially Cantopop Cantopop (a contraction of "Cantonese pop mus ...

, most often in "hard string" chamber ensembles. In the 1920s, following the development of the '' gaohu'', the ''erxian'' experienced a decline and since the late 20th century has been little used outside the tradition of Cantonese opera. Similar instruments also referred to as ''erxian'' (constructed and played differently from the Cantonese ''erxian'' discussed above) are used in Chaozhou music (where it is called ''touxian'', 头弦, literally "leading string nstrument) and in the '' nanguan'' music of the Southern Fujian people. The ''erxian'' (called ''yi6 yin4'' 二弦 in Cantonese) is often referred to as the ''yizai'' () amongst older Cantonese opera musicians. The neck of most ''erxian'' is made of

hardwood Hardwood is wood from dicot trees. These are usually found in broad-leaved temperate and tropical forests. In temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen. Hardwood (which comes from ...

(often ''suanzhi'' ( 酸枝, rosewood) or ''zitan'' ( 紫檀, rosewood or red sandalwood). The sound chamber is made of a large section of

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, ...

with a dome-shaped ring of hardwood glued on the front end, making the actual playable face of the chamber about half the size of the entire face. The back of the sound chamber is not covered with any lattice work like those of ''erhu'' or ''gaohu''. ''Erxian'' can be found with very ornate

dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted ...

heads, ''ruyi'' () heads, or a very plain box-cut stock head. Earlier ''erxian'' very closely resembled the ''jinghu'' of Beijing opera in size, construction, and playing technique. Erxian 19th century Chinese, possibly Chaozhu sub-culture, from the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Erxian 19th century Chinese, possibly Chaozhu sub-culture, from the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Currently, the ''erxian'' is used for accompanying the singing of ''dai-hau'' ( 大喉) characters in Cantonese opera as well as all roles in ''gu-hong'' Cantonese opera (). Other instruments used in conjunction with the ''erxian'' are the ''juktaikam''/'' zhutiqin'' (), '' yueqin'' (''yuetkam''), ''

sanxian The (, literally "three strings") is a three-stringed traditional Chinese lute. It has a long fretless fingerboard, and the body is traditionally made from snake skin stretched over a rounded rectangular resonator. It is made in several sizes ...

'' (''samyin''), and ''doontong''/''duantong'' (). Together, this grouping of instruments is called the "hard bow ensemble" (). The name "hard bow" comes from the fact that both the ''erxian'' and ''tiqin'' are/should be played with a bow made of a thick, hard piece of bamboo rather than a thinner and softer reed like modern ''huqin'' bows. The ''erxian'' of earlier times came in two forms: one for playing ''bongjee''/''bangzi'' ( 梆子), and a slightly larger one for playing ''yiwong''/''erhuang'' ( 二黃). *A ''bangzi erxian'' is tuned to 士-工/la-mi/A-e *An ''erhuang erxian'' is tuned to 合-尺/so-re/G-d Today, the ''bangzi erxian'' is more commonly used to play both ''bangzi'' and ''erhuang'' melodies. The heavy silk strings of the earlier ''erxian'' have largely been replaced with wound steel strings and some modern players have begun to use ''erhu'' bows instead of the heavier (and more uncomfortable) "hard bows." While the ''erxian'' has experienced a decline in usage since the 1920s, it remains a staple instrument in any Cantonese opera orchestra and recently composed Cantonese operas like "新霸王別姬" and "林沖之魂會山神廟" are calling for its regular usage.

External links

Article about ''nanyue erxian''
(Chinese)
''Erxian'' photographPhotograph of ''nanguan'' ''erxian''Erxian page
(Chinese)

Video

Cantonese ''erxian'' video
by Chu Yung {{huqin Chinese musical instruments Huqin family instruments Necked bowl lutes Cantonese music

See also

External links

Video