The posture which players must adopt to play the erhu is the same as that for other kinds of huqin: the left hand holding the fiddle and the right hand holding the bow. The erhu is put on the lap vertically, the left hand moves vertically to touch the strings for the right pitch while the left hand (with the bow) moves horizontally to produce the sound.

The erhu is mainly an instrument for melody, like the voice. The left hand slides up and down the instrument while fingers press against the strings to create the desired pitch and "sliding" effects. The right hand pushes the horse hair against the strings while moving horizontally, to create the sounds on either of the two strings.

Occasionally some musicians hold the instrument with the help of a rope, in the same way as the saxophone, in order to play while standing or walking. However, players generally avoid having the sound body pressed against the belly of the performer and the stem of the instrument pointing up and outwards, as it lacks elegance.

Therefore, musicians normally play while seated, unless it is absolutely necessary to do otherwise. In the old days, street musicians often used this method to play while walking. Today, in some pop or rock bands, musicians use this method of playing in order to act on the stage.