The Hurdy Gurdy

So like many of you might have done, I started my morning in bed scrolling through instagram; and this morning, one of the lovely targeted ads picked for me was a curious video of somebody assembling what looked like a cardboard-cutout piece violin or a handheld grandfather clock. The video was advertising a build-it-yourself version of an instrument called the Hurdy Gurdy. Being immediately impressed by the sound (and the DIY aspect), I assumed what you also might, that it was too good to either be true or be worth any time. Though, also as usual, a quick Wikipedia and youtube search put me straight. This instrument hails from either Europe or the Middle East from sometime before the 11th century (Wikipedia). Yup, super specific. The builder/player lays the completed instrument, which is shaped like ukulele but more closely resembles a violin or viola (both in size and patterns) on their lap, and turns a small hand-crank located on one side while manipulating keys on the "neck" similarly to the way an accordion player does. The combination of actions and changing of keys pressed creates a very unique sound, as the spinning crank seems to create a sound akin to a bow being pulled across a violin/viola string, and the keys create the abrupt changes that come with changes the motion of the bow. The dexterity of our fingers allows for some more interesting sounds to get 'cranked' out than we might be able to accomplish with a more traditional concert string instrument.

Here's a video of a girl named Patty Gurdy showing off her Hurdy Gurdy skills with what I think is an original piece. If not, it's still pretty cool. Oh and also there's a cello.