My first hurdy-gurdy was built by Nathan Sweet. It was that oh so familiar story that many of you have lived - I had wanted one for years, and bought the first one I ever found for sale.
When I brought it home, before I could play it, the first thing I had to do was remove all the tangents and keys, and file down the keys and key holes so the keys would slide rather than stick. Then I had to put it all back together again. Needless to say, when I got to the part about changing the cotton, I was never intimidated! After a few weeks of playing, one of the "ear" pieces came off. I ended up having to glue it back on myself. Alden and Cali worked on rounding the wheel for me. I came to the conclusion that the builder had used my instrument for the shop dust pan. For the time that I had it, I extracted giant dust bunnies every time I turned it over and shook. The trompette/dog never worked. The instrument itself was very mellow in sound and easy to play. The best part of owning it was that it got me into the hurdy-gurdy community. I learned tunes and I met Alden and Cali and ordered a volksgurdy from them, and had the Sweet to play while I waited the few months. Since then I have seen several other hurdy-gurdies built by Nathan Sweet, and have come to the conclusion that mine for some reason was his best-ever effort. Everything eventually worked except the dog. The others I have seen were not playable at all. I eventually sold it to another beginner (in the Chicago area) who wanted something to play right away. As much as I dislike the feel of the plastic parts on the Kelischeck, the odds are better that you will have a playable instrument with it. If you find you love playing hg and want something with more features, get on the waiting list of your choice right away and play your minnesinger in the meantime. Don't worry about other instruments you find online. Joanne >> I bought one of those minnesingers. I understand some of you have them as >> well. If you have any suggestions on music and method I would appreciate >> your advice. Now since I have one coming I can say I have started on the >> path. Also, I see that a fellow named Nathan Sweet offers a hurdy gurdy >on the internet. Does anyone have experience with his instruments? Thank >you.
