Well said, Matt (my hg maker!)
michele
Michele McCann [EMAIL PROTECTED] (302) 453-1858
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Hurdy Gurdy Player; Multi-Instrumentalist; Celtic/Folk/French Musician
On Wed, 28 May 2008 10:18:20 -0400 Matthew Szostak <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
writes:
Hi William,
I want to add my opinions to this "amateur" kit- and scratch-building
issue. This question comes up every so often, but I think its an
important one to discuss, so Im glad youre here. There seem to be two
main points to your discussion: 1)You want a hurdy-gurdy, and 2) you wish
there were "good plans or a "good" kit.
First of all, the kit/plan issue. You want a truly functional
hurdy-gurdy kit, and/or plans that will allow someone with no instrument
making experience to make a decent hurdy-gurdy on the first try. The
simple fact is, as most of the naysayers here have stated, what you
want isnt readily available. Umm
sorry. Please dont berate the
hurdy-gurdy community for not providing this <g>.
The two following sentences in particular from your recent post caught my
attention:
"...the demand for a good kit and/or building plans is obviously there.
It truly surprises me that someone with the knowledge and experience has
not stepped up to the challenge and created a good set of plans or a
truly functional kit to aid those adventurous few that wish to challenge
themselves."
I would argue that there isnt really an obvious demand for a good kit or
plans, if only an adventurous few wish to challenge themselves. Proper
plans, which must include many detailed drawings and instructions, would
require a great deal of time and effort to create. That adventurous few
would have to pay a hefty price indeed to make it worthwhile to anyone
undertaking the job of creating the plans. Im here to tell you that as
expensive as a hurdy-gurdy may seem, it doesnt cost much for the amount
of effort that goes into making a good one. Most of the people I know
who would be qualified to create the resource youre looking for are
plenty busy just trying to make a living building instruments. And, I
suspect that not all of the adventurous few would want the *same*
hurdy-gurdy. There are many different styles, and this would reduce even
further the need for plans of any one particular style.
Kits: I cannot speak for any other makers, but for me creating a kit
would probably be as much work as making a complete hurdy-gurdy. When I
make an instrument, I try to follow a somewhat consistent order of work
that (in theory, anyway <g>) allows for a certain efficiency in the
process. And despite the detailed mechanical nature of many of the
parts, and my goal of making things the same way each time, I do in fact
adapt bits and fine tune some adjustments as I go along, a process that
just doesnt lend itself to the kit-building concept. Its been said
time and again: much of the effort of making a nice sounding and well
playing hurdy-gurdy is in the setup and adjustment which takes place
after most of the construction work is done. This is arguably the
greatest challenge to the novice hurdy-gurdy maker. To create a kit that
works well and works consistently for most anyone without any hurdy-gurdy
experience is an awfully tall order.
You may have noticed that I'm staying away from any personal opinion
about currently available kits. Unlike some of the other builders and
players on this list, I have no experience with any of them, so I cannot
objectively comment on them. But most on the list who have an opinion
think that someone without any experience with instrument making in
general, and hurdy-gurdies in particular, cannot expect to end up with a
hurdy-gurdy that sounds good and works well. I do know of a couple of
people who have been satisfied with the end result of their kit-making
efforts, but only after assistance with setup issues from someone with
experience. Most who end up with a hurdy-gurdy that works well enough to
inspire them to continue playing soon want more features or better sound
than the kit provides; they either buy a professional instrument or use
what theyve learned to make their own improved version. This is, in my
opinion, a strong statement about the inherent difficulties of
hurdy-gurdy kits in general. In the end, even the best kit is only as
good as the experience of the builder that makes it.
Blah, blah, blah
what you really want is a hurdy-gurdy, right? We can
discuss the lack of plans and the merits of kits forever; its
interesting but its taking away from your hurdy-gurdy building time! I
may be misconstruing some of the comments made by some of the list
members, but I don't think that anyone here is insisting that you *not*
build your own hurdy-gurdy. If you truly want to try, then by all means
you should! In fact, from your in-depth postings, I get the impression
that youre someone who would in fact not be truly satisfied with simply
ponying up and buying a ready-made instrument.
So, what are you waiting for? Talk to the people who have built their
own instruments. Some are list members; some have websites documenting
their projects. Find out what theyve used for resources, and get
cracking! There are no secret enclaves of hurdy-gurdy players in most
every American town; there are barely any hurdy-gurdy players in *any*
American town. Most of them, however, are willing to give their opinions
if you ask them, which you did. Most, also (myself included), are
willing to help when they can, if you ask, which you will. This is
*precisely* why this list exists, and there is no better use of it.
As Geoff and Juan have said, if you are determined to succeed you will,
despite the lack of kits or plans you desire. Maybe in the end, youll
be the one who creates the kit or plan that everyone will want!
~ Matt
At 01:10 AM 5/28/2008, you wrote:
Greetings unto Melissa and the list,
I agree with your argument to a point...
"I don't think that anyone has made a violin kit that
can be successfully made by someone who has never
played a violin before. I don't think anyone builds a
bicycle without first learning how to ride a bicycle
built by someone else. Why should hg be any different?"
I know of instrument makers who have never played a day in their life
yet produce lovely, fully functional instruments. Being able to play is
not a requirement for making an instrument, although it would certainly
be a great boon to the effort. The same could be said for your argument
about the bicycle. It would be valid argument if I had never seen a
bicycle in person and was trying to create one from scratch with few or
no references. The end result would most certainly be a miserable
failure. But, if I was armed a great deal of research before I started
and a valid set of plans, or even better a well designed kit made by a
professional bicycle builder, I could more than likely create a
functional bicycle. I certainly would not expect to win the Tour De
France on it, but it would more than likely function well enough for
every day use.
If the making of a hg by a novice had never happened, I would not be
making this argument. I would willingly acquiesce to the wisdom of the
naysayers. But it has happened, numerous times, with varying degrees of
success, as many of the websites and members of this list can attest to.
This is how , by their own admission, many hg builders got started. I
am not the first and most certainly will not be the last to attempt to
make a functional hg. It just seems to me a monumental waste of
research , effort, time and money to reinvent the wheel (in this case a
rosined one) every single time a novice wants to make a hg. I know that
making a hurdy gurdy is a momentous task not to be under taken by most.
Yet, the demand for a good kit and/or building plans is obviously there.
It truly surprises me that someone with the knowledge and experience has
not stepped up to the challenge and created a good set of plans or a
truly functional kit to aid those adventurous few that wish to challenge
themselves.
It seems the only options advocated to most aspiring hg enthusiasts
is to buy a professional grade hg (which ,while well worth the money, is
cost prohibitive to most people, especially when just starting), to seek
out the secret enclaves of hg players that can certainly be found in
most every American town and apprentice to them, or sit on the sidelines
and be forced to watch as the hg parade pass them by.
Many before me have decided to take the road less traveled by trying
to make their own hg. I hope to join them. I do not think it
unrealistic to hope that some experienced traveler will offer directions
to help get these hardy few where they are going with a minimal number of
detours and bumps in the road.
Just my humble opinion, offered with respect to all who share this
list.
Sincerely,
William Gull
