Just wanted to add/clarify: I am a musician and play primarily electric bass guitar (I have over a dozen basses), guitar (have 6 electric and acoustic guitars), and mandolin (have 7 mandolins and mandola). In addition, I try and learn how to play whatever I can get my hands on (lap dulcimer, bowed psaltery, cuatro, concert flute, saxophone, kalimba, etc). Also have a collection of electric pianos and synthesizers. Last count, I had approximately 50 musical instruments.
I became interested in the hurdy gurdy in the early 1980s when Don Heller and his wife Anicet gave a hurdy gurdy demonstration on Staten Island, NY. And soon after saw Jake Walton play hurdy gurdy on a couple of songs with partner Jez Lowe in a NYC concert. I fell in love with the hurdy gurdy and wanted to own one and learn how to play it. I could not afford one until my mom died in 1998 and left her 5 children her savings account. I told my wife that she could do whatever she wanted with the money, but I wanted $5,000 set aside for the dream of my life -- to own a hurdy gurdy. I searched and investigated and Alden and Cali Hackmann were able to build the hurdy gurdy with the specifications I desired. There was a two-year waiting period and when it came time to begin building my Volksgurdy I would receive periodic photos of its progress. It was like watching a baby being born. So, I didn't just have money laying around to put down on such an expensive instrument. The money came from savings my immigrant mother worked two and three jobs at a time and cooking for an entire school singlehandedly to pay our tuition. This hurdy gurdy means more to me than just a musical instrument. If I do decide to eventually sell it, it would be a sad day as every time I look at it I see my mom and how much she meant to me. I just never realized that the hurdy gurdy is such a 'high maintenance' instrument. I will endeavor to make the effort this year to learn how to play it as it means so much more than another instrument to me. From seeing Don & Anicet Heller and Jake Walton playing their gurdies, to Vlad visiting here in New Jersey to see my gurdy, to all the useful information on this list, to my mom's sacrifice, I will make every attempt to become another gurdy player in the next year. Sorry for the rant. Jake -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "hurdygurdy" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/hurdygurdy The rules of posting, courtesy, and other list information may be found at http://hurdygurdy.com/mailinglist/index.htm. To reduce spam, posts from new subscribers are held pending approval by the webmaster.
