My New Erhu

This afternoon, Bill took us into town to a music shop. We were interested in purchasing an erhu. It is a traditional Chinese instrument with two strings, played with a bow while resting on the knee. The strings are tuned a fifth apart like a violin, and once the physical technique is figured out, is fairly easy for a violinist to learn to play. Bill can play the erhu (as well as the violin), so he showed me the proper way to hold the instrument, and we began to play together. We played "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star", always a good first piece for a string player! We also did a fun little duet to "Jingle Bells" - he started the melody, so I jumped in with a little accompaniment. But the very best part was when we played "Jasmine Song", a traditional Chinese melody. On an erhu. In China. A little bit of Heaven for this musician who loves traditional Chinese music!