Rosin for your Erhu makes a difference

Few of us realize the impact erhu rosins has on the sound and feel of your erhu.

Some rosins are more sticky than others.  Some offers more grab.  Some gives out more rosin powder.  Some are easier to apply.

Recently we did a blind test on a few types of rosin.

What we did is we took 7 different types of rosins and applied them on 7 new erhu bows.

The rosins that we used were (in order of price):

1) Pirastro Oiv Rosin

2) Pirastro Schwarz Rosin

3) Song Rosin

4) 4 different kinds of Leto Rosin

The bows were attached to 7 Hu Han Rou aged Rosewood erhus.

I did not know which bow is rosined with which brand of rosin and I tested them one by one.

After playing all the 7 erhus with different rosins on the erhu bows, my preference were as follows:

1) Pirastro Oliv Rosin

2) Pirastro Schwarz Rosin

3) Song Rosin

4) 4 different kinds of Leto Rosin

Yes!  Exactly from the most expensive to the least expensive.  

I find that Pirastro Oliv Rosin produces the most satisfying grab on the strings.  As for the 4 Leto rosins, they all feel quite the same to me, although they were sprinkled with bronze, silver and gold dust respectively.

So does that mean the Pirastro Oliv Rosin is the best rosin for the Erhu?

The plot thickens......

I got one of my erhu instructors to do the blind test as well, and guess what he said?

"The one with Leto rosins are the best!  The Pirastro Oliv Rosin and Pirastro Schwarz Rosin is too sticky for my liking."

Thus the conclusion is........different rosins suit different people!

If you like sticky rosins with good grab, the Pirastro Oliv Rosin is good for you.  If you prefer a smoother experience, the Leto rosins are good (coming to our store soon).

So, be adventurous to try out different types of rosin to see what suits you best.

Visit our Rosin store here.

Rosewood Zhongruan for Sale!

We have a rosewood Zhongruan for sale!

In line with our Christmas promotion 2013, we have put up a very special rosewood Zhongruan for sale.

The usual price was S$650 but we are clearing them at S$380!

The Zhongruan for sale is from Shanghai Dunhuang Yun Brand.  It comes with friction tuning pegs instead of the usual mechanical pegs.

Here's a run down of the pros and cons of this Zhongruan:

Pros:

• Slightly smaller build than usual zhongruans, easier to handle
• Very comfortable and effortless to play
• Sweet sounding
• Classic look with the friction pegs (zhongruans started off with friction pegs)
• Superb value rosewood zhongruan at S$380 instead of S$650

Cons:

• Looks slightly aged
• Case that comes with it looks quite aged too
• Friction pegs might be challenging for some to handle

Here's how it sounds:

Click here for a Zhongruan Chord Chart for you if you decide to strum it like a guitar or ukulele.

If you're looking for something that plays well and sounds good, click here to purchase this Zhongruan.

Bamboo Flute for Christmas Anyone?

Christmas is around the corner!

We have put together some packages and offers for this special festive season.

First up is a Christmas Dizi Package.

We realised that many might have a mind block looking at all the different keys and types of Chinese dizi that we stock.

Nevermind that, we have narrowed it down to just the key D with 3 different quality of bamboo flutes to choose from based on your budget.

Your Chinese bamboo flute purchase will come wrapped in a Christmas wrapper complete with ribbons and a Christmas card.

Please order before 28 November to make sure the Christmas Dizi Package reaches you before Christmas if you are at the other side of the world from us.

Do check back for more Christmas specials from us!

Click here for >> Christmas Dizi Package