Erhu Strings

An erhu carries two strings, and the outer one takes the heavier pressure, so it is usually the outer string that goes first. That is why the Dunhuang, Xinghai, Kaikai and Suzhou Dongwu strings in our Taipei shop are sold one at a time, inner or outer, while Thomastik, Pirastro, D'Addario, Fangfang and Shanghai Yuesheng come as matched pairs. Matching is the point: two strings from the same maker and the same model sit at related tensions, and that is what keeps position changes and string crossings feeling even instead of stiff on one side. The jing erhu is a separate case with its own xipi inner and outer strings, and if you want the older, looser sound, the Marusan silk strings run at a lower tension with a softer tone.