Virtual Erhu β Play Online
Click, hold, and slide up or down the strings to play. The Erhu is a traditional Chinese two-stringed fiddle known for its expressive, vocal-like pitch bending.
Loop Recorder
Record up to 8 seconds of playing.
Not recording
β How to Play the Virtual Erhu
- Click and hold anywhere on either string to start producing sound β holding simulates bowing the string.
- While holding, drag your cursor or finger up or down to slide the pitch seamlessly. Moving up raises pitch, moving down lowers it.
- Wiggle your cursor rapidly up and down while holding to create expressive vibrato β the Erhu's most characteristic technique.
- The Inner String (left) is tuned to D4 (293 Hz). The Outer String (right) is tuned a perfect fifth higher to A4 (440 Hz).
- Use the Markers dropdown to show D Major scale guides on the neck. Select "None" for a fully fretless experience.
- Use the Loop Recorder to capture a sliding melody β all pitch bend events are recorded and reproduced accurately on playback.
What is an Erhu?
The Erhu (δΊθ‘), often called the "Chinese violin" or "Chinese two-stringed fiddle," is one of the most expressive and widely played bowed string instruments in East Asian music. With a history spanning over a thousand years β tracing its roots to instruments played by nomadic peoples in Central Asia during the Tang Dynasty β the Erhu has become the defining melodic voice of Chinese traditional orchestras, opera, and folk music. Today it is estimated that tens of millions of people play the Erhu in China and among Chinese communities worldwide, making it one of the most commonly learned instruments in the country.
The instrument's construction is elegantly simple yet acoustically sophisticated. A long hexagonal or octagonal wooden neck passes through a small, cylindrical resonator box β typically crafted from hardwoods like rosewood or sandalwood β whose open end is covered with python skin. This snakeskin membrane is the key to the Erhu's sound: it vibrates sympathetically with the strings and gives the instrument its characteristic warm, slightly nasal, singing tone that closely resembles the human voice. Two strings β traditionally silk, now usually steel wound with nylon β are tuned a perfect fifth apart: the inner string to D4 and the outer string to A4.
What makes the Erhu unique among bowed instruments is that the bow β made of horsehair stretched over a bamboo stick β passes permanently between the two strings. The player cannot remove the bow from the instrument without cutting the hair or unstringing it. To play the inner string, the bow is pushed forward; to play the outer string, it is pulled back. This means string changes involve a direction reversal rather than a lateral lift, giving Erhu playing a continuous, flowing quality. The left hand does not press strings against a fingerboard (there is no fingerboard) but instead presses the strings from the side in mid-air, giving the player infinite pitch flexibility and enabling the effortless sliding and vibrato that defines the instrument's style.
This virtual Erhu synthesises the bowed string sound using a continuous sawtooth oscillator β rich in harmonics β combined with a sub triangle oscillator for body warmth. A bandpass formant filter centred around 1,200 Hz replicates the resonant peak of the python-skin membrane, giving the synthesised sound its slightly nasal character. When you click and hold, an attack envelope mimics the initial bow friction; when you release, a short decay represents the bow lifting. Dragging up or down modulates the oscillator frequency with a 20ms glide time, reproducing the fluid portamento that makes the Erhu so expressive.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the Erhu called the "Chinese violin"?
The comparison to the violin comes from both its bowed playing technique and its vocal, melodic sound. However, the Erhu has only two strings (the violin has four), no fingerboard to press against, and a fundamentally different bow that stays permanently between the strings. Its tone is arguably warmer and more vocal than a Western violin, and it sits at the heart of Chinese classical and folk music the way the violin does in European orchestral music.
Why does the Erhu have python skin?
The python skin membrane covering the resonator's open face is the primary acoustic driver of the Erhu's sound. When the strings vibrate, the membrane vibrates with them, amplifying and shaping the tone. Python skin is prized for its specific combination of flexibility, thinness, and durability. Conservation concerns have led modern makers to experiment with synthetic alternatives, but traditional instruments still use python skin for its irreplaceable acoustic properties.
What is the range of the Erhu?
A standard Erhu has a playable range of about three octaves, from D4 to roughly D7, though advanced players can extend this further. Each string covers about two octaves of comfortable playing range. This virtual Erhu covers two full octaves per string β from D4 to D6 on the inner string and A4 to A6 on the outer string β which represents the core performing range used in most repertoire.
Can I record my playing?
Yes β the Loop Recorder captures all bowing start events, pitch slides, and stop events with precise timestamps. Press Record, play a melody with slides, press Stop, then Play to loop your performance. The recorder captures pitch bend movements at approximately 40ms intervals so your glissandos replay accurately.
References & Notes
- Standard DβA tuning: Inner string D4 (293.66 Hz), Outer string A4 (440.00 Hz)
- Audio synthesis via Web Audio API β continuous pitch resolution with no quantisation
- Formant filter centred at 1,200 Hz to replicate python-skin membrane resonance
- Vibrato depth and speed are entirely controlled by your mouse or finger movement
This is a simulation tool for learning and entertainment.