Ever wondered how a hurdy gurdy is made? Get the full history and 'making of' info right here! Subscribe to Discovery UK for more great clips: www.youtube.com... Follow Discovery UK on Twitter: / discoveryuk
@@mcmike89 it's not french, it's origin can be traced to the middle-east in the very end of the first millenium. It traveled up the european contient and evolved to fit cultural standards. I myself would classify the instrument as an euro-centric instrument.
@@znuffyztruggles5744 We cannot say for certain that the instrument traces back to the Middle East, that was the claim of one author based on a description which could be interpreted various different ways. The "wheel instrument" mentioned could simply be a mistranslation of "circle instrument"... that could be anything from a goatskin lute to a frame drum! Still an interesting hypothesis though.
@@lupuscanis4370 not for sale only one I've seen is by guilheim desq and one other dude whos is a bit jank I've seen a few midi ones aswell but they don't really count imo
2:39 This Hurdy Gurdy was made in 1741, the Original Bow Wheel Bowed the Strings like a Violin Bow. The Wheel is now warped and needs to be replaced so a new one is made out of Pear Wood.
The wheel doesn't look like pearwood at all. This is very likely a piece of maple. Also not true: the buzzing sound is NOT the drone strings. It is the trumpet strings.
So you replaced everything but 2 parts. That's not the same HG then, That's a new one with Old parts. If your grandfather gives you an ax and you replace the handle and 2 years later replace the ax head. is it still your grandfathers Ax since no part of the current version he touched?
It depends on the premise of the restoration. A restoration can mean replacing almost everything with new, made to original specs to make it usable as was originally intended. A restoration can also mean returning an old item to "as new" condition, with minimal replacement parts. I terms of a musical instrument, the latter can mean a beautifully crafted but barely functional instrument. The former, means a fully restored and "functional" instrument.
It's interesting that in Japan they consider the old castles from centuries ago the ''same castle'' even if the castle was fully rebuilt after a fire. Their concept of ''something to be the same'' its in the object but not in the material. In western world we think different hahaha
It's very labor intensive.. I know a couple here that made the best hgs in the States and had a very good reputation, but quit a few years ago because the income wasn't sustainable. The biggest complaint with people new to the instrument looking to buy one is "wow, why do they cost so much?!" And then they buy a cheap ($400 or so) on Ebay or from a crap maker and wonder why the thing doesn't sound like they thought it should!
I highly doubt that anyone is simply a hurdy gurdy maker and repairman, he’s probably a luthier specializing in period instruments. There is a huge early music scene and most “modern” luthiers do not know how to properly work with baroque or classical style violins, violas and cellos, let alone lutes and everything in the viol family.
Does anyone know what is used to keep the keys away from the string while not pressed? I assume its not springs since that would cost a lot but what is it?
gravity. a key is pressed against a taut string and is at a slight downards angle, the key itself is not super light, so the logical action for it to take is to slide back into it's original position.
@@znuffyztruggles5744 Interesting! I struggle to envision it but I'm not really an engineer or musician. Well on the topic of its function, do you know why the barking strings make that noise?
@@DragnEYE Ah, yes that I can tell you, first off, it's not many strings that bark, typically only one or two, the higher pitched drone strings in fact. What is producing that barking buzz is a small piece of wood called the chien, (dog) it is not attached to the instrument by any adhesive or screws, solely fastened in place by the tension of the string. It's essentially a floating bridge. So with the chien in place all you have to do to create a beat is to jerk or strike the crank while cranking, qucikly increasing the speed will also make the chien bark. It's the most unique part of the instrument and considered the hardest part to master.
@@znuffyztruggles5744 Interestingly enough there is a hg built in the 18th or 19th century (I forget) that was built to look like a stack of books, the keys did have a spring system as the instrument was played on a table ...
It's just gravity, the instrument is held tilted at an angle to the keys slide back out. There is also a slight pushback from the string when the key is pressed. Some people have experimented with springs or opposing magnets but the traditional way works very well.
Close but the nyckelharpa is more accurately described as a keyed fiddle, there is no wheel... and it's key system is more complicated (unless you play a diatonic moraharpa, of course)
@@hurdygurdyguy1 and even though I have no proof, I can guarantee that nyckelharpa took the key chest tech of the hurdy gurdy. One interesting theory that I've heard here in Sweden about the hurdy gurdy is that the nyckelharpa may have been made in response to hurdy gurdy. In Sweden, when the accordion was introduced, the population despised the instrument because the motions of playing it wasn't seen as proper musicianship, a lazy instrument if you will. There are even accounts of accordion players getting hounded and chased out of villages, signs saying "any accordion brought here will be smashed" and so on. In the same vein, it is very likely that the hurdy gurdy was seen in a similar light, as simply cranking a handle could hardly be seen as an art form, and someone thought it would be a good idea to simply strip the keychest of a hurdy gurdy and play it like a fiddle instead.
@@disky1784 I’m aware but they should not be the price of a small piano, it used to be the instrument of the masses. At the end of the day it’s a violin with keys.
@Joby Fluorine back in medieval times they were the instrument of the masses costing far less than they do these days, a far more reasonable price would be something like £150. I think they can get away with selling it for more because of pure novelty value. Also they don’t take that long to make, unlike a violin the strings don’t need to be as accurately positioned because they are hit by a perfect stroke with the bow unlike a violin which you have to manually aim the bow to hit a string.
