Zhuihu

Zhuihu ( Chinese  坠 胡 , Pinyin zhùihú , also zhuiqin, zhuizixian ), is a two-string, bow- struck tubular violin that is played in traditional Chinese music .

Design

The zhuihu has two strings, which are led from a body covered with snakeskin over a fretless fingerboard . The strings are pressed against the fingerboard with the fingers of one hand while playing. The two long wooden pegs are laterally opposite in contrast to the two-stringed Chinese erhu , whose pegs protrude backwards. As a further difference to the zhuihu, the strings of the erhu are only touched on the sides and not pressed down.

In the 1920s, the Chinese folk artist Wang Dianyu developed the leiqin from the zhuihu , which is used as a solo and orchestral instrument. A related tubular violin in Japan is the kokyu .

Style of play

The instrument is used as a solo instrument to accompany traditional, narrative chants called zhuizi . These narrative chants originally came from the Chinese province of Henan . When used in an orchestra, the zhuihu imitates human and animal voices.