Joe,
Any Hurdy Gurdy is meant to be tinkered with. There are quite a number
of variables, which affect the sound, that you will likely find
hours/weeks of entertainment figuring all the ways a given Hurdy can be
made to sound. Something you want to ask yourself is what kind of
tinkerer you are. If you are the craftsman type that would like to learn
the mechanical and acoustical properties of the instrument, then a hurdy
kit is a good way to get started (by the way google for the "$20 Hurdy
Gurdy").
On the other hand, if you are more of a player looking for a new sound
palette for expressing yourself, then a trip to a large Hurdy gathering
would be valuable for you to sample the kind of sound you are looking
for. Someone already mentioned "Over the Water" in the US
(http://www.overthewater.org/), and there is Saint Chartier Festival in
France (http://www.saintchartier.org). Hurdy's are like Guitars, so many
flavors each suitable more than others for certain kinds of music.
Frankie
Joe Mejia wrote:
Hello group,
My name is Joe and I'm brand new to the hurdy-gurdy. As a matter of
fact, I neither know how to play nor do I own a hurdy-gurdy. But I am
looking into fixing both of those problems soon.
I've been researching the instrument and watching this mailing list
for a little while and I've come to the conclusion that I want a hurdy
with a chromatic keyboard. I read that it opens up many more options
for playing music. I also want one that is affordable, since I am but
a poor college student trying to finish up school. The latter part has
been a real issue so far. This isn't a cheap hobby!
So, I found some kits on the internet in my price range, but the
problem is they have diatonic keyboards (Or tangents? What is the
correct term?). I was wondering, since I am somewhat handy at
tinkering, would it be possible to convert a diatonic kit, such as the
one found at musikit.com
(http://www.musikit.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=hurdy
<http://www.musikit.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=hurdy>),
into a chromatic keyboard setup?
Thanks in advance,
- Joe
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