Gehu: A larger volume, a wide range of bass stringed instrument. Fifties Shanghai Conservatory of Music Yang Yusen (1926 to 1980) on the basis of the erhu lessons created other stringed instrument made of the characteristics and therefore called gehu. And later through continuous improvement, and now has become a rich expressive bass stringed instrument.
Gehu profile
One kind of large volume, wide range bass stringed instrument. Fifties Shanghai Conservatory of Music Yang Yusen (1926 to 1980) on the basis of the erhu lessons created other stringed instrument made of the characteristics and therefore called gehu. And later through continuous improvement, and now has become a rich expressive bass stringed instrument.
Gehu Zhonghu shape and low HU are different, it is Zhang has four strings, a fingerboard, Qintong tap, piano bar is inserted Qintong side. Qintong wooden mask with python, horsehide or sheepskin, skin and timpani same way, you can adjust the tension. Chord horse flat spade. Vibration python string does not directly bear the pressure. Cello bow bow and the same external pull-outs in the chord, easy bowing. Because of the fretboard, Anxian extremely convenient, not only bowed, plucked can play.
Gehu meaning and value
In traditional Chinese instrumental ensemble, due to popular support traditional voice polyphony of musical texture, there is no functional harmony, there is no so-called “bass voice” and therefore a variety of musical instruments to play melodies as much, nor is there a special role to play bass and accompaniment of musical instruments. It seems that Chinese traditional music on the pursuit of aesthetic concepts are loud high-pitched sound with the late nineteenth, early twentieth century Western music and musical ideas penetrate Chinese Orchestra was established, traditional Chinese music ensemble to add flowers unison melody-based supported by the European voice polyphony becoming mainstream harmonies affected. In Western harmonies bass part account for a very important position. Chinese music to be “European” and the traditional functions by Western harmonies and orchestration impact itself but the lack of support from the entire band can bass, forcing contemporary musicians adopting Western bass: cello and double bass. But in a “Chinese” in the use of this band 0 “Western” (especially in appearance) instrument, the total can not be justified, so musicians have to develop a completely, or at least the appearance looks invented by the Chinese bass.
Appear Background
Western influence
In 1919 the “May Fourth” New Culture Movement, the Western music culture on Chinese musical influences getting bigger, then refer to the West Symphony musicians, models of its orchestra orchestra moved to China and if The Chinese orchestral ensemble history dating back to the Zhou Dynasty, has been to Sui’s band did not pull strings. (Hu Teng jumped 1994:253) but in the West Symphony Orchestra Strings is indispensable, is divided into five parts : first violin, second violin, viola, cello and double bass. twentieth century Chinese musicians to apply this concept in Chinese orchestra, two, thirties Wei Chung Yue, who founded the Shanghai Datong Club early attempts Reference Western orchestra have been adopting new reforms coir Ogo and buildings in a low voice as the piano. (Qin Peng Zhang 1997:2), but the music has been lacking in conventional and functional harmony perspective this can be seen in various parts of China vocals, in addition to Tibetan Buddhist music, bass singer in fact, only the range of ordinary people to speak, rather than a Western vocal bass like “unnatural” bass. visible aesthetics of traditional Chinese music does not attach bass.
In rare bass instrument
Can be called the perfect musical instrument in the bass, so people only converted into the existing instruments in the bass. 1936 Central Broadcasting country music group made up according to the principle of Nago and low Hu Ogo post (Xue Zong 1983:832), people put the band’s musical instruments stringed consort with Western concepts systematically into high HU, erhu, the Hu Hu five Ogo and low voices. (Yu Shaohua, 2001: 90), but Hu Ogo and low range and volume limited, difficult to prop up the entire band’s harmonies, so many bands used directly cello and double bass symphonic band to meet the trend of the time. But since it is China’s national orchestra, should have Chinese characteristics. Use do not belong to their own ethnic musical instruments, how to show China’s national character uphold such a national self-esteem, Shanghai Conservatory of Music Yang Yusen in 1949 decided to invent their own ethnic bass. Starting from his erhu, cello reference structure, in 1951 developed the first to gehu, named after the “reform of the erhu.” But early research into gehu not have a lot of technical problems to overcome, Yang Yusen continuous reform, to 1979 developed into a “seventy-nine-type” gehu for gehu stereotypes.
Back in 1957 when the National Music Week, gehu folk music concert at the audition, followed by some large and medium-sized national orchestra adoption. 1969 Zhou Enlai want to put national bands cello, double bass for into gehu, bass gehu, and stressed the need to “come up with their own bass, the styling to the United States, sounds to be nice, to have distinctive ethnic characteristics.” (baby 1983:18-19) he insisted on national orchestra Using ethnic bass, so at the time of Chinese and other ethnic dance troupe visits abroad group performances, the use of the bass strings are pulled gehu. (Chenyou Fu 1995:19) gehu value of recent decades, someone who has developed many different bass stringed instrument, numerous species, such as the village in 1958 the legislature created a “senior drum piano.” 1963 Rongfa Ming Cheng of the “four chord Ogo.”
Use a small range
1978 4 “Bass Tailpiece gourd piano”, etc. (Xuezong Ming 1983:879-884) These instruments often have different drawbacks, such as poor sound quality and loud enough so there is still a big gap compared with the cello , so soon after the invention are unmanned and then as eighties and nineties were praised by domestic musicians of the new nation’s gehu bass stringed instrument, both in structure and sound principles, is tuned, playing methods, are imitating cello, but happens to sound quality, volume, resonance effects, sound stability, convenience of playing norms, and no one on the cello (cello also people from beginning to end as the standard). As for talent, the National Orchestra of gehu Most hand cello origin, their playing habits, pitch hearing more or less influenced by Western music, so the sound is difficult integration with other stringed instruments. coupled gehu of Qintong to Mongolia python skin, python needed Paper size and large, it is not easy to find such a large python. Moreover, in recent years, the protection of wild animals was banned, this needs to be made to kill python skin whichever instrument naturally become conservationists ban targets in China, has long been mentioned of using film to replace synthetic snakeskin, but it seems not much results. (Shang Zhiyong 2001:87) plus production costs are high, for various reasons do not become so gehu National Orchestra uniform use.
Voice Features
Gehu bass stringed instrument with four strings, a fingerboard, Qintong tapped, the same bow and cello bow, pull-outs can also pizzicato, playing a variety of forms.
Gehu bass stringed instrument with four strings, a fingerboard, Qintong tapped, the same bow and cello bow, pull-outs can also pizzicato, playing a variety of forms.
Gehu muffled sound bright, mellow rich, wide range, since the bow string, but also rich musical skills. It absorbed the erhu, the HU, HU fall, dances and playing skills and to develop. In ethnic band, it can substitute in low Hu Hu and can be used solo, trio, ensemble playing, or various forms of accompaniment. Today in our country and some Southeast Asian country’s national orchestra, has become an essential bass stringed instrument.
Production process
Mahogany, rosewood system, the length of 170 centimeters. Headstock carved leader, piano bar inserted Qintong side of the curved surface is provided piano bar fretboard. Qintong oblong, 37, the former mouth diameter 38 cm. Mongolia python, horsehide or sheepskin. After the opening set acoustic window. Leather adjustable tension. Set axis, Zhang four strings. Played with a cello bow. Film does not directly bear the tension of the string, leather inside center with six foot-shaped frets acoustic, piano yards Chengbian spade, code convergence capitals feet and sound to expand the scope of the film vibration. Mellow strong. Tuned in C, G, d, a, range four octaves. Seventies has developed into a round square tube and full co-Vibration plate gehu. The former co-vibration of the diaphragm with the drum type, paulownia board affixed behind python, pronounce sound loud; latter Qintong Chengbian urn, no skin film, front, rear and right side panels on three sides located Paulownia through frets and Code to make three straight lever Association vibration plate, pure and honest sound muffled.
Playing method
Bow outboard pull-outs can be plucked play. Absorbed the erhu, the HU, HU fall, dances and playing skills and to develop. In the national orchestra can replace the HU and low HU.
Different types of
Yang Yusen 1970s successfully developed a round square tube co trembler gehu. Association for the diaphragm vibration drum combines style, in oblong wooden drum circle in front of Mongolia to python, Paulownia plate affixed to the back. Left direction strings vibrations transmitted to the horse through the lever Skin to straight, thus, the low-frequency reflected; strings longitudinal vibrations. Role in the co-vibrating drum python with Paulownia board.
Which will be reflected in high-frequency and times. Chord horse by the flat spade to two volumes ear lever straight horse, complex structure, so that the strings vibrating to better conduction. Round square tube co trembler gehu expanded strings vibration amplitude, low Hu retained the basic tone. Pronunciation solid loud. Gehu bass is tuned in C, G, d, a, range of four octaves, double bass gehu tuned in E1, A1, D, G. Range is quite wide.
Innovation
Deficiencies
Until the twenty-first century still some luthiers who does not give up improving gehu. Beijing luthiers who Jiang Yun armor to gehu develop into “old bottles Hu.” He declared: “This ‘old bottles Hu’ design all over the world stringed instruments, it is more advanced than the cello, more scientific, richer sound than the violin, stringed instruments cutting-edge technology. three sides also issued a stereo, from the first generation of the cello and the effect of the phonograph to today by the cello and violin and dances The perfect synthesis of sound, completely changed the Chinese and oriental stringed bass in history without history. ‘old bottles Hu’ birth, but in the past may be a Chinese Orchestra concert in Vienna in order to give up the usual national dignity with Western cello instead of bass and switch frequency is not in place instead of pulling Nguyen bass regret. “Jiang Yun armor had four to find someone, even promise free to let people try pulling his old bottles, HU, but nobody cares about the grounds that it is The new instrument, the cello is still used to the practical. (Hua Ran, Feng Qian 2001) old bottles Hu in 1998 has been developed into, but so far I have not heard of any orchestra use each application gehu Orchestra and bass gehu circumstances founding of the PRC, the economy is more stable. 1952 Ministry of Culture decided to create a variety of professional arts organizations, national orchestra began to develop rapidly, the professional orchestra dedicated to reform the band formed and folk instruments while seeking ways to strengthen national orchestra traditionally weak in the bass area. (Zhao Yan Chen 1994:288) since the 1950s began, there have been many reforms bass stringed instrument, such as gehu, bass Yang Hu, sheepskin low Hu pull Pa, corbels piano, Ogo, low HU, etc., all ethnic band or try one to use, but most is not promoted or endorsed by, many national bands still use cello and double bass as the bass part. (Zhao Yan Chen 1994 : 292) bass is not developed, so there is no one kind of bass for the band are commonly used by various ethnic groups in the statistics of nine different places professional orchestras will use five different bass stringed instrument, in which four orchestras use gehu and bass gehu, others were using cello and bass cello, big bass dances and dances, bass and double bass pull pull Nguyen Nguyen, Ogo and low HU.
To fill the gap
Gehu itself has many congenital deficiencies, but there are still professional orchestras in the use of one hand, if we are not adopting Western cello, then China worth using bass stringed instrument is very small on the other hand, there are more than cello gehu winning places. Some conductors, such as Kuan Nai-chung prefer to use gehu than that of Hu’s range is not low enough, so the orchestra’s string tenor and bass in a great gap between the cello has a very strong tone higher overtone, gehu is biased in the bass overtones, so when using the cello, the bass will be out of the entire orchestra sui generis, but the gap is still large tenor. gehu timbre features on just to make up this gap, and high-order harmonics less likely to go outside to orchestra, so will it be possible to do using gehu String overall fullness. (Sun Pei Yuan 1994) he served as Music Director of the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, the symphonic works dedicated to large ethnic training, he knew the use gehu, bass gehu make the whole greater integration of audio playing folk music and orchestra established in gehu, bass gehu a solid position. (Bian Zushan 2002) The author also considers Cello and Bass cello sound difficult with other Chinese stringed tone fusion with the piano chord wood material, different sound principles, they are very different tone and erhu, and medium and large Nguyen tone can not be properly fused, likely to cause the entire String orchestra sound is not synergistic. Others dances such as large bass, piano and pull big Pa Nguyen structure are made using similar instruments cello, cello sound quality than the poor, so there is not too many bands use. According to my research currently only the China Broadcasting Chinese Orchestra and bass with big dances dances. Their sound is more bleak, it seems that the only advantage is to reduce the sense of conflict arising cello As low Ogo and Hu made the original stringed instrument principle is proportionate amplification, the strings bold and growth, together with enlarged Qintong This method is quite feasible in HU, but using it on the Ogo ideal sound could not be sent because the violin is a single rod and resonance body connection, acoustic limited capacity, used in Ogo and can not be issued on the good vibes, and in this regard gehu gehu indeed more excellent bass.
Affect
China is not fully developed bass stringed instrument is an indisputable fact, if you agree Orchestra continues moving in the “symphonic” road marching appropriate introduction of exotic musical instruments, nor as not. Reality is: If the Chinese Orchestra Western instruments such as timpani, various Western cello and double bass percussion instruments are abandoned off, the tone will be very different and difficult in recent years, China embarked on the pursuit of Chinese national orchestra musicians “symphonic” road (note: but this sounds exactly Western tone). Another expedient is subject to different situations using different instruments. For example, when playing stringed instrument sounds highly desirable unified harmony, it will use gehu and bass gehu, when the song that rich bass, they use the cello and double bass. But in the long run, to design a national bands used exclusively for perfect bass is a must. Because Chinese Instrumental Ensemble of the “symphonic” has become a big trend, musical instruments, symphonic reform had to follow the pace on bass in the orchestra of the problem, many people have always been the focus of debate in various Chinese developed into a bass Bowed Instruments imperfect circumstances, cello and double bass is undoubtedly a better choice. Chinese musicians has always stressed the need for their own national musical instruments, so do not want to use Western bass stringed instrument, but the irony is that the reason why the need bass stringed instrument orchestra, because under the influence of Western values of traditional music. Problem lies in The emergence of the Western orchestra symphony is simply a replica and if opposed to the use cello, whether that should be against the imitation of Western orchestra model to study the issue further: Chinese ensemble music should be developed in accordance with the West in recent years, Chinese orchestra music in terms of musical instruments , Orchestra, intonation and aesthetic concept of development, are affected by western music culture, is an indisputable fact. example, in 1979 in the United Kingdom Dowling (Durham) Oriental Music Festival, performing musicians from China was Foreign scholars believe too modern, too westernized, not their mind, “Chinese music.” (Yu Shaohua 2001:94) Chinese national orchestra which for decades have followed the development of Western music values, it seems now is the time to reflect, to the extent possible Looking for the improvement of Chinese musical culture, rather than blind called.
