Thursday, January 18, 2018

Hurdy-Gurdy

Here are some images of UGears Hurdy-Gurdy wooden laser etched model kit.
I've always wanted to try one of these if anything just to see what they were about.
A fun simple kit and it looks great on a wall.
I wouldn't try to stain the wood though. There are a lot of imperfections.
Musically speaking it sounds like an old chicken's death rattle but it actually works.

From Wikipedia"
The hurdy-gurdy is a stringed instrument that produces sound by a hand crank-turned, rosined wheel rubbing against the strings. The wheel functions much like a violin bow, and single notes played on the instrument sound similar to those of a violin. Melodies are played on a keyboard that presses tangents—small wedges, typically made of wood—against one or more of the strings to change their pitch. Like most other acoustic stringed instruments, it has a sound board and hollow cavity to make the vibration of the strings audible.
Most hurdy-gurdies have multiple drone strings, which give a constant pitch accompaniment to the melody, resulting in a sound similar to that of bagpipes. For this reason, the hurdy-gurdy is often used interchangeably or along with bagpipes, particularly in Occitan, Catalan, Cajun French and contemporary Asturian, Cantabric, Galician, and Hungarian folk music.
Many folk music festivals in Europe feature music groups with hurdy-gurdy players. The most famous has been held since 1976 at Saint-Chartier in the Indre département in Central France. In 2009, it relocated nearby to the Château d'Ars at La Châtre, where it continues to take place during the week nearest July 14 (Bastille Day).

4 comments:

  1. I am sure i have heard of this before, but maybe more a phrase than a musical instrument. And it sounds like a chicken.....Interesting.

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  2. 'Twas then when the Hurdy Gurdy Man
    Came singing songs of love
    Then when the Hurdy Gurdy Man
    Came singing songs of love
    "Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy gurdy" he sang
    "Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy gurdy" he sang
    "Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy gurdy" he sang

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  3. Hurdy gurdies are actually played due to the fact Medieval occasions. For centuries, hurdy gurdy players entertained All people from royals to peasants. At present, the instrument has a little but passionate fanbase in early and folk songs circles. Despite that fanbase, however, they’re area of interest devices. You could’t just visit your local Guitar Center and expect to find Hurdy Gurdy For Sale On Amazon.

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  4. There are are a couple of outfits here in Edmonton that sell them. They're expensive.

    ReplyDelete