Erhu

The little erhu song performed during the talent show was quite the surprise. The beauty of the instrument was soothing to all. The erhu is a two-stringed bowed musical instrument, more specifically a spike fiddle, which may also be called a "southern fiddle", and 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. A very versatile instrument, the erhu is used in both traditional and contemporary music arrangements, such as in pop, rock, jazz, etc. A notable composer for the erhu was Liu Tianhua a Chinese musician who also studied Western music. He composed 47 exercises and 10 solo pieces which were central to the development of the erhu as a solo instrument. The erhu is also used in the music of the Cirque du Soleil show O. Even fusion progressive rock groups like The Hsu-nami have incorporated the erhu into their music and it is their lead instrument. It is incorporated in the Taiwanese black metal band ChthoniC and also used in the song "Field Below" by Regina Spektor.