HI Charlie Do you want to play the instrument or do you just want to make one? It is a TRICKY instrument to learn and keeping everything set up just right is a constant headache. An example: at a concert, the group will go off for a break at the interval - but the gurdy player has to stay back and retune and re-cotton the strings (Nicolas Boulerice, Vent du Nord, 20 years experience). If you have an instrument that you know works well and is properly set up when you get it, you still have to learn to keep it in order. IF it's not properly set up, you need to find a luthier to fix it for you, or try sanding, glueing, yourself with no guarantee of success. If you want to play, can you find a cheap 2nd hand instrument to try out? I spent £600 on my first instrument (ebay), not a great sound, then moved up to one that had been made by a professional instrument maker - but NOT a professional gurdy maker - after several expensive repairs to the wheel and axle of this I am now on my third instrument which is brand new from an expert maker. Yes, it's easier in Europe as there are more instruments around and also more people to fix problems. But I'd say that makes it even more important to get one that you know works well in the first place. It's a bit like asking someone to build a car before they take driving lessons - yes, they'd learn a lot about engines but it would be a slow and perhaps painful process. And you might end up with a Citroen V with a manual clutch and flap windows! Good luck
Clare On Thursday, 2 January 2014 15:29:48 UTC, [email protected] wrote: > Hello, I am new to this group and based in Colorado. Currently, I am > saving my pennies for a hurdy gurdy. My primary instrument is the highland > bagpipes, but I have always been enthralled by the sound of the hurdy gurdy > (maybe something to do with drones). > > I suppose, I'll be aiming for a repertoire consisting of music from the > British Isles, probably beginning with English folk tunes. > > Given that I do have basic woodworking tools and skills, when I cam across > the Monarch kit from hurdygurdycrafters, I thought (this could be for me, > and the price is right). > > BUT........ another hurdy gurdy website suggests that kit hurdy gurdies > are not necessarily very good. They do have their own product to sell of > course, but there could be a grain of truth in their statement. > > I have also noticed a number of Monarch instruments offered for sale for > not much more than the kit purchase price........... > > So, I'd like to hear from other builders of the Monarch kit. > > 1. How difficult was it to build? > 2. Did you get a playable instrument? > 3. Does it stand alongside in terms of other pre-built instruments? > > Any other recommendations? > > Thanks, > Charlie > -- -- 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. --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "hurdygurdy" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
