The Chinese bowed instrument with two strings and a snakeskin-covered resonator is the erhu.
The erhu is a vertical spike fiddle that became one of the best-known instruments in Chinese music. Its small sound box is traditionally covered with python skin, which gives the instrument a distinctive, expressive tone. Players hold the bow between the two strings rather than moving it over the outer side of the strings.
The instrument’s name combines Chinese terms associated with “two” and “barbarian” or non-Han origins, reflecting historical links to instruments from regions north and west of China. The modern erhu developed during the twentieth century and is now used in solo, ensemble, opera, film, and orchestral music.
It is sometimes compared with a violin because both are bowed chordophones, but the erhu has no fingerboard. Players press the strings without touching them to a solid board, allowing continuous pitch bends and subtle vibrato.