Hurdy Gurdy

[Michael Cyr]

Hello to the hurdy gurdy group this is my first post and i really really wish i found this forum before i built my HG. Well i just finished it and i am now in the process of trying to get cotton to work and tune it. I will post some pictures once i get established here but for now just saying hello. I am not a musician so i can't play it but i am a woodworker and found this to be a fascinating instrument so i built one.

[Marshall Dixon]

Back to the future (warning! - not for parents looking for a little peace and quiet at the end of the day):

https://youtu.be/W0DrXyzlHM8

[Michael Cyr]

I watched a lot of HG players on you tube and he is the one i like the best. He seams to have a deeper sounding HG that i like better than what i have which is C-G tuning. Does anybody know what his is tuned too and can a HG built to C-G tuning be set up to a lower tone like his? Is it just tuning it lower or different strings and are the keys in the correct location for this type of tuning?

[Charlie Schultz]

The two common tunings are C-G and D-G to match the tunes of the time. Longer instruments can of course use thicker strings and some experimentation may be needed to find what suits you best. As far as tuning, the tangents on the keys should be adjustable to accommodate different tunings. The HG in the video strikes me as being quite large.