Among bowed string instruments, pitch, or intonation, is the most important. Erhu and other stringed instruments such as violin, gaohu, etc., must rely on hearing and fingers to control the pitch, unlike the piano and dulcimer have a fixed position, so the pitch requirements are not easy to achieve. The erhu is also a multi-tempered mixed-use national stringed musical instrument. The height and method of tuning in different pieces of music have different requirements for temperament. ), but also depends on the different modes, tonality, and different musical styles and flavors of the music. For example, "Erquan Reflecting the Moon", "Thinking About the Great Wall" or "Birds Throwing in the Forest" by Cantonese music and "Jackdaw Playing in the Water" by Chaozhou music have different pitch requirements, and the relationship and distance of intervals are also different. Varies by song. Of course, the twelve equal temperament should be the most basic concept of intonation, no matter for beginners or experienced players. This is very different from the violin and cello. Whenever a violin encounters a semitone relationship, the two fingers are as close as possible, which means that the semitone distance is less than the semitone interval of the piano.

There are two main reasons for the poor pitch control of bowed and stringed instruments. One is the defect of the ability to distinguish the sound, that is, it is impossible to pull it without knowing it. The ability to distinguish sounds is mainly formed in congenital. People with congenital deficiencies can train their ears by listening to recordings often and using instruments with fixed pitches such as piano and yangqin. Acquired efforts are also effective, but they are often of no avail, especially when they are a little older. In this case, it is best to choose some instruments with fixed pitches.

Another reason for the poor pitch control of bowed stringed instruments is the lack of skill and method. In other words, tone inaccurate felt it but failed to adjust his fingers in time. Therefore, in order to pull the pitch, you must have a keen hearing ability and skilled finger control. Both are indispensable. The following are some precautions and basic methods for controlling pitch.

The first is to tune the zero string of a perfect fifth, and then use the index finger to press the upper position of the string, for example, the inner and outer strings of the perfect fifth octave higher. If the sound of the zero string is accurate and the fifth of the upper handle is too large or too small, there are two main reasons; one is that the inner and outer strings are produced by different manufacturers, and one of the strings must be replaced to achieve unity. The second is that the inclination angle between the inner and outer strings from the jin to the tuning shaft and the piano rod is too different, so it must be re-adjusted to the same extent.

The use of reserved fingers and "index finger incision" not only brings convenience to fast playing, but also makes pitch control easier. The concept of finger retention is to try not to do unnecessary finger movements and use fingers economically. For example, 5 6 7 1 uses (1) (2) (3) (4) fingers. Do not lift the pressed finger when going up, and do not need to re-find when going down. In particular, the retention of the index finger can help you play 4 1 strings, 7 # 4 strings and other songs that are difficult to master the key and position of the intonation. "Forefinger cutting method" means placing the index finger on the 4 1 string or the 5 2 position of the high fret, the 7#4 string or the 1 5 position of the high fret, and other tunings, and the high fret 2 6 or 6 3 The position of the index finger is kept relatively fixed as far as possible, and the phoneme of the index finger is stabilized, so that other fingers can be easily manipulated.

The biggest difficulty in controlling pitch is changing the handle. There are two types of handle changes: "finger-moving" handle and "finger-clearing" handle change. The difference can be simply understood as changing the handle without portamento and along the pitch. In addition, according to the application of the fingers, it can also be divided into the same finger change handle and the different finger change handle. It is relatively easy to control the pitch of the same finger, but it is more difficult to change the different fingers, especially if there is no portamento.

Many erhu players do not carefully distinguish between the different effects of finger shifting and sliding finger shifting, but they must slide the pitch every time they change it, which is not right. Although the erhu is not like the violin, the violin is not portamento in most cases. Although the portamento of the erhu, gaohu and even the bamboo flute is widely used, there are many occasions where portamento is not required. Therefore, it is necessary to be able to control the two methods of finger movement and finger sliding at will, and at the same time to accurately control the intonation, to be a qualified performer.

There are a lot of things that need to be paid attention to when controlling the pitch of the erhu. For example, when using techniques such as "pad finger glissando", "fixed handle glissando", and vibrato, be sure to stabilize the position of the handle, especially the position of the index finger. Because there is no fingerboard, it is difficult to control the pitch of the erhu, but it is precisely the erhu without the fingerboard that can play some unique and charming ethnic-style tunes. Although the control of erhu pitch should be done hard on technical practice, but ultimately rely on one's own ears. In the end it is your ears that will help you.