Test Drive of Fang Fang Gaohu Strings

Fang Fang Erhu strings are quite popular among Erhu players.

But not a lot of people use Fang Fang Gaohu strings. They are so used to using Dunhuang Gaohu strings that the mere thought of changing to another brand sent shivers down their spine.

So we decided to do a demo of the Fang Fang Gaohu strings on a Wan Qi Xing Aged Rosewood Gaohu.

The tone compared to using the Dunhuang Gaohu strings has improved significantly. It is much clearer and brighter, even at the higher registers. The volume has increased as well.

Here is the video demo:

As one user puts it, once you have used Fang Fang Gaohu strings you are never going back to the usual Gaohu strings.

Purchase them here:

http://www.eason.com.sg/products/string_access/mgh8.jsp

Christmas Promotion 2011!

Its the time of the year again and we are glad to bring you our Christmas promotion!

If you are thinking of giving something to yourself or your musical

(or non musical) friends and family, below are some awesome gift ideas:

1) Dizi (Chinese flute)

Dizis make a great gift. They look great, are easy to ship and are very affordable.

Learning the basics is not difficult as well.

http://www.eason.com.sg/products/products_dizi.jsp

Promo: Purchases above US$50 will receive a free dimo applicator

Also check out our other wind instruments:

Xiao: http://www.eason.com.sg/products/products_xiao.jsp

Bawu: http://www.eason.com.sg/products/products_bawu.jsp

Xun: http://www.eason.com.sg/products/products_xun.jsp

Hulusi: http://www.eason.com.sg/products/products_hulusi.jsp

2) Erhu

The tone that the Erhu produces is like no other. For the longest time, people have been

enthralled by the soulful sounds produced by the erhu.

Playing the erhu is not as difficult as you think, and with our online erhu lessons, we

will have you up and playing in no time.

http://www.eason.com.sg/products/products_erhu.jsp

Promo: Purchases above $300 will get free access to our Erhu learning

portal www.learnerhu.com for 6 months

Also check out our other huqins:

Gaohu: http://www.eason.com.sg/products/products_gaohu.jsp

Zhonghu: http://www.eason.com.sg/products/products_zhonghu.jsp

3) Ruan

The Ruan is like a Chinese guitar. It has 4 strings and can be used to play notes

as well as chords. Play it like the guitar and get a totally unique sound.

http://www.eason.com.sg/products/products_ruan.jsp

Promo: Free 2 nylon picks and Zhong Ruan chord chart

Also check out our other instruments from the plucked section:

Pipa: http://www.eason.com.sg/products/products_pipa.jsp

Liuqin: http://www.eason.com.sg/products/products_liuqin.jsp

*IMPORTANT NOTE*

- Normal shipping takes around 2-3 weeks. If you want it to reach you before Christmas,

Please make your purchase as soon as possible! Otherwise, express shipping is available

(Additional fee applies)

- Promotion period is from 25 Nov to 14 Dec

Thank you and Happy Holidays! (Local customers please enquire about our promotions at our store)

Da Da Zhonghu and its Flight Case

Recently I custom made a da da zhonghu for an overseas customer.

The reason why I called it a da da zhonghu is because it is something in between a da zhonghu and a dahu. The resonator is bigger than a da zhonghu but smaller than a dahu.

The shape of the resonator is different as well.

According to the maker YKM, this is the most optimum shape for this kind of instrument.

Since, it is a custom made instrument, we chose premium grade aged rosewood and a good piece of snakeskin.

The instrument is preferably tuned E, B and does not have a baseplate.

The headstock was suppose to be much simpler in design but YKM decided to impose his sense of beauty on it.

The sound is quite marvelous. Bassy, mellow and rich.

Not only was the 'dahu' custom made, the case that houses it is also specially tailored.

The case is a custom made flight case and it is quite marvelous too. Seldom do we get individuals who are willing to invest in a flight case to house their instrument.

The only drawback is its weight!

Electric Guzheng

A few years back we came across some plexiglass, see through, translucent electric Chinese instruments like the erhu, zhongruan and pipa. So it is inevitable that someone someday would come up with the translucent electric Guzheng.

Recently I stumbled upon one while in Shanghai.

Behold, a translucent electric Guzheng!

The whole Guzheng, including the bridges are made of see through plexiglass. But like an electric guitar, the guzheng is hardly audible without connecting to amplifier. When connected to an amplifier, it sounds, well, like an electric guzheng. The size and weight is definitely ideal for gigs or practising at home in the still of the night.

But before you raise your hand to say 'I want one of these!', I think we can still wait for the manufacturer to iron out some existing issues first.

Firstly, the bridges are glued to the soundboard, which makes adjusting the tension of the strings impossible. Secondary, the guzheng is not built for intense playing. Strum a little harder and you will have the strings falling out of the bridge grooves. Lastly, the sound is as good as how the amplifier sounds. And the amplifier that comes with the guzheng is total crap.

But still, it is an interesting product that shows lots of promise.

We will update if we do bring it in after the issues have been ironed out.

New Zhongruan Strings by Zhang Xin Hua

There is a new type of zhongruan strings by famous Ruan / Liuqin player Zhang Xin Hua from Beijing, China.

Zhang Xin Hua has his line of ever popular Ruans. He is also famous for his extremely expensive nylon picks ($40 a piece). So it is inevitable that he will start to dabble in zhongruan strings sooner or later. His favorite recommended zhongruan strings used to be the professional series by XingHai FuYin.

But now he came up with the below:

What I heard is they are better sounding and longer lasting. Of course they are more expensive as well. They are priced around US$35 - $40.

I brought a few sets back and most have been reserved by some ruan players in Singapore. I do have 1 set left though.

Will update again when I get more feedback about the strings.

New Strings from Beijing

We just brought in new strings from Beijing for Erhu, Gaohu, Zhonghu, Liuqin and Pipa.

Calling out to beginner players who are looking for good and affordable strings, Erhu Strings endorsed by Erhu Maestro Wang Guo Tong would be what you might be looking for.


After the really good response from the Abing Silver Erhu Strings (MEH21), we decided to bring in Gaohu and Zhonghu strings from the same label. ABing Silver Gaohu Strings and ABing Silver Zhonghu Strings.

These strings silver are made of pure silver and they are longer lasting. And not to mention that they are highly recommended for use by the China Erhu Association.

Not forgetting the pluck string instruments, we also brought in strings from two different companies for both Liuqin and Pipa. Beijing Xinghai Professional Liuqin Strings and Beijing Chang Qing Professional Pipa Strings..

So hurry up and check them out now!!

Bling Bling Bags

Here are some stylish new bags that were just introduced to the market in China and have been a massive hit since! These really sleek looking bags are durable, lightweight and are available for a variety of Chinese instruments! And not to mention it comes in 31 colours!!

Zhongruan bag:

Pipa bag :

Liu qin bag:

Erhu bag:

Dizi bag:

The good news is that we are doing pre orders from now to 24th June!! So what are you waiting for?? Choose from the following colours and pre order these shiny bags now!!

Just to let everyone know, the HOT favorites are the following colours: 1, 28, 29, 30, 31

Available for the various instruments:

Erhu (S$45)

Dizi (S$40)

Liuqin (S$50)
Zhongruan (S$70)
Pipa (S$70)

Note: Prices are in Singapore Dollars and valid for pre-orders only. Retail prices may vary slightly.

How to order

For local and international orders, send an email to tansungwah@gmail.com with the following details

Colour code:
Instrument/Qty:

Name :
Contact number:

Mailing Address: (For international orders only)

We will reply your email with details of payment.

*Important*: Waiting time from closing date is 1-2 months and you will be notified when the bags arrive.

So hurry and choose your stylish instrument bags now!

Singapore Youth Festival - Central Judging of Chinese Orchestra

Here are the latest results. Congrats to all.

Temasek Secondary School - Gold
Seng Kang Secondary School - Silver
Bedok South Secondary School - Silver
Broadrick Secondary School - Bronze
Jurongview Secondary School - Silver
Coral Secondary School - Gold With Honours
St Anthony'S Canossian Secondary School - Silver
Victoria School - Gold
Boon Lay Secondary School- Silver
Nan Hua High School - Gold
Chung Cheng Main - Gold With Honours
Fuhua - Silver
Balestier Hills - Bronze
Pasir Ris - Gold With HonoursChung Cheng Yishun - Gold With Honours
Manjusri - Silver
Bukit Batok - Silver
Bukit Panjang - Silver
Ngee Ann - Gold With Honours
Eastview - Bronze
Nanqiao High - Gold
Ahmad Ibrahim - Silver
Greenridge - Silver
Chua Chu Kang - Silver
Presb High - Silver
Mayflower - Gold
Swiss Cottage - Gold
Serangoon - Bronze
Beatty - Bronze
Holy Innocent - Silver
Jurong - Silver
Raffles Institution - Gold
Northland - Bronze
Outram - Bronze
Christ Church - Silver
Evergreen - Gold With Honours
Pasir Ris Crest - Silver
Rivervalley - Gold With Honours
Greendale - Silver
Dunman High - Gold With Honours
Siglap - Bronze
Siling - Bronze
St Nicholas - Gold With Honours
Katong Convent - Silver
Changkat Changi - Bronze
Catholic High - Silver
Woodgrove - Gold
Acs Barker - Gold
Anglican - Silver
Zhonghua - Gold With Honours
Marsiling - Gold
Hwachong - Gold
Nanyang Girls - Gold With Honours
Raffles Girls - Gold
Yuying - Gold
Maris Stella - Silver

New Shipment of Zhang Xin Hua Ruans

We have a new shipment of Zhang Xin Hua Rosewood and Basswood Zhongruans, Rosewood Gaoyinruans and Basswood Daruans.


The rosewood Zhongruan is the one on the right and the basswood Zhongruan is the one on the left.

They look pretty identical, except that the rosewood Zhongruan feels significantly heavier, the grains are different and of course the tone is much better. The last batch of Rosewood Zhongruans came with a oval shaped soundhole but they reverted to a bird shaped soundhole this time.


All of them come with this type of plastic - metal alloy that is suppose to provide the durability of metal frets without the harshness - metallic overtones of steel frets.

Grab them before they are out again!

New Joyo Metronome, Tuner and Tone Generator

We have a new type of digital tuner, metronome and tone generator from Joyo.


We kind of like this tuner better than the earlier version because:

1) It is smaller (10cm by 6cm)
2) It is lighter (60g with batteries)
3) It has backlight (Can see better in the dark)
4) The beeping is more soothing
5) It looks good (especially the white color)

Comes with contact mic and batteries are included.

If you are interested, here is the link:
http://www.eason.com.sg/products/string_access/mtu9.jsp

Tropical Harmony Erhu Ensemble

Singapore Chinese paper Zaobao (早报) wrote an article on the 20th February 2011 on Tropical Harmony Ensemble - which is made up of Japanese erhu ladies learning erhu at Eason Music Pte Ltd.

U double bass flute by Xie Bin

There is a new flute in town.




It is a mega, huge, long double bass flute. Too log that you have to curve it into a U shape else you will not be able to reach with your hands.

It comes with 2 dimo hole instead of one.

The fingering is similar to that of a Xiao instead of the dizi.

Here's how it sounds:



Priced at US$329 each. Available keys are C and D. Shipping worldwide costs US$22.

Please email tansungwah@gmail.com if you are interested.

Pirastro Red Dragon Erhu Strings

We just listed Pirastro Red Dragon Erhu Strings on our online store.

http://www.eason.com.sg/products/string_access/meh35.jsp

If you are not sure what to buy, take a look at this blog post:

http://tansungwah.blogspot.com/2009/11/annual-erhu-strings-award.html

They are very good sounding strings and easy on the fingers.