In our accumulated practice, we should pay attention to the protection of erhu. Today, let's introduce the maintenance of erhu! The first is the erhu skin, and the maintenance of the erhu skin is very important for maintaining the tone of the erhu. If the erhu skin can be carefully maintained, it will have a long service life. An frequently used erhu maintains a certain degree of elasticity in its skin, and the sound quality of the erhu is also relatively stable. The tone of the erhu is gradually developed through continuous use, and frequent use of the erhu is a good way to maintain and care for it. In addition, we also need to understand the production process of the erhu skin. Generally speaking, the first process of erhu skin processing is scraping, the second process is covering, and the third process is skinning. The purpose of covering the skin is to stretch the python skin and remove the oiliness from it, as oily erhu skin can affect the sound of the erhu. So in our daily use of erhu, we don't need to apply vegetable oil, vaseline, etc. to the skin of the erhu, let alone seal the back of the erhu with wax. If oily substances are applied to the inner and outer surfaces of the skin, it will affect the breathability and vibration of the skin. 

The maintenance of the erhu sound box and stem is related to the service life of the erhu. The sound boxes and stems of the erhu are mostly made of hard wood such as purple sandalwood, black sandalwood, and rosewood, which are easily affected by climate. Therefore, the sound quality of the erhu is related to different climate conditions and air humidity. Hard wood has a dense density and delicate texture. In different environments of dry, wet, cold, and hot, it can cause an imbalance of internal and external stresses in the wood. If exposed to excessively humid environments for a long time, it can also cause the erhu sound box and skin to peel off. To avoid the above situation, when not practicing, the erhu should be placed in the erhu case and some desiccant should be placed inside the erhu case. 

Finally, the maintenance of the erhu bow is also crucial. During the use of the bow, do not touch the hair with your hands to avoid oil stains on the hair that may affect the performance. Once it is found that there is a lot of oil stains on the bow hair that affects performance, remove the bow hair and wash them with soap in clean water, air dried, and then recoated with rosin before use. After playing the erhu each time, the hair on the bow should be relaxed to restore the bow to its normal shape, otherwise it will deform over time and affect the performance of the bow. If the bow is not used in the erhu case for a long time, some insect repellent should be placed in the case to prevent the bow hair from being bitten off by moths. 

The skin, sound box, stem, and bow are important components of the erhu. If you want our erhu to accompany you through the long learning journey, you must love and care for it, and learn to maintain it correctly.