Your first erhu song should prove three things: both open strings speak cleanly, the first-position hand can return to the same notes, and the bow can change strings without a crunch. Start with a short, verified public-domain arrangement or original erhu study marked Beginner in the release catalog, with a singable phrase and a manageable pitch range. The piece is the test; open-string tone is still the work.
01 Before the first bar
Tune inner D and outer A. Draw four full bows on D, then four on A, listening for an even start and finish. Next, place the first finger and return to it from the open string several times. If the pitch moves each time, slow down before adding a melody.
02 Read the jianpu key line first
In D key, the open strings are 1 and 5. Say the jianpu digits aloud, clap the rhythm, then trace which string carries each note. Dots and underlines change octave and duration; they are not decoration. The erhu jianpu guide gives the complete reading key.
03 Practise phrases, not a heroic run
Take one or two bars at a tempo where every bow change is deliberate. Loop that phrase until the open-string crossings and first-finger landings repeat, then join it to the next phrase. The app's graded path separates watch, guided, and solo stages so a rough bar becomes a loop instead of a reason to restart the whole song.
04 Use directional intonation once the bow is steady
A noisy attack can look like bad pitch. First earn a steady tone; then use cents feedback. If a note is flat, the stopped length needs to become shorter; if it is sharp, it needs to become longer. Soloist Erhu translates that into a direction and an approximate digital finger-mark move. The mark is a practice cue, not a fret.
05 Leave slides out until the landing exists
Huayin makes the erhu sing, but a slide whose destination is unknown only hides intonation. Play a plain version with clean, separate landings. Then add one written slide and practise its start, continuous travel, and end pitch. Vibrato comes after a stopped note can remain centred without it.
06 A concrete first-song route
Start with any release-catalog entry marked Beginner and Free. Choose one that stays in first position, practise its jianpu line through the watch, guided, and solo stages, then choose a second beginner arrangement or original study. These rows are stepping stones, not proof that technique is finished.
Related reading
Questions
What is a practical first erhu song?
A short Beginner arrangement or original study in first position is practical after you can sustain clean bows on D and A.
Should a beginner add slides immediately?
Learn the start and destination pitches first. Add one written huayin only after both landings are repeatable.
How should I practise a difficult bar?
Slow it down, isolate one or two bars, stabilise the bow change and pitch landing, then reconnect it to the surrounding phrase.