The charter of the HG list is to discuss the HG, in all its aspects.
Obviously not all conversations are going to be of interest to all list
members. For this reason, please keep the subject line consistant with the
topic, so that people can choose to use their Delete key. Most people have
been
have a paperback book, they certainly won't let us have a
hurdy-gurdy. Professional symphony musicians have been subjected to the same
restrictions, and forced to tour by train and bus instead of by airplane even
though they have purchased seats for their instruments.
At this point our best
Roy said:
BUT PLEASE, PLEASE, not in front of the kids. For some reason too many
are bored/annoyed when we discuss such fascinating, intriguing subjects
as HGs on the HG list.
The heck with that. The listmaster (petit moi) says: it's a HG list, so let's
discuss HG soundhole placement.
Welcome back, whichever Roy you are. ;-) ;-)
Alden
http://www.mail-archive.com/hg@hurdygurdy.com/
Seems useful. Is this something the Hackman's set up, or did the
owners of that site just decide to archive us?
I don't know who set this up. It was not I.
Alden
Bennett, I am hoping that you mean width where you said thickness. I
can't imagine any wood, hard or soft, that you would need thicker than is
commercially available, unless you are building the Bosch.
Alden
Bennett,
Ah, I'd forgotten the large piece needed to make that part:
12 x 5-1/8 x 1-3/8
Depending on the wood you are using, it's certainly possible to find a piece
of that size. 6/4 stock, 6 wide, 12 long is fairly commonly available.
Laminating is also a reasonable approach here.
I think
What kind of gurdy is in this book... Guitar shaped, lute, etc.. Seth
It's kind of wedge-shaped or trapezoidal. Anybody got a picture? If one goes
far enough back into the lore of the Over the Water Festival, there are
pictures of Roy holding his Little Doorit. He spent most of his
Just to whet your appetite:
I have two short videos from the instructor concert at 2006 Over the Water.
I'll be posting them on YouTube pretty soon - they're just waiting for the
players to approve them.
Alden
Dear HG List,
I have posted the first of the videos from the OTW festival instructor
concert, featuring list members Tobie Miller and Sharon Berman.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWmNGYAPfL4
As you probably all know, the Over the Water Hurdy-Gurdy Festival is held
every September at Fort
Thanks, Roy
On 2/20/07, Seth Hamon [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
www.vintage-instruments.com has some vintage antique hurdy gurdies for
sale... Some have pictures.
Hurdy Gurdy, CAILHE DECANTE A CHARROUX ALLIER, 1880s
Hurdy Gurdy, COLSON, Mirecourt, 1850s
Hurdy Gurdy, FRENCH, 1850s,
Hurdy
Did anyone manage to save the video of Patrick and Gilles on France2? I have
tried several times, but apparently have some hardware/software issues to
resolve. If you have got it already, please contact me off list and save me
from a lot of grumbling about software. ;-)
Alden
[EMAIL
I have the Varquain
Hmm - haven't thought about those in a while. Nice external drawings, but
don't trust the internal details.
and the Lambert guitar style plans...
Those the ones from Michael Muskett? They're OK as a guideline, but there are
discrepencies and errors. (I think Marcello's
I was going to use the Lambert plans for the body style , but incorporate the
plans from the Dewit book for all the lengths and key placements. And boy do
those plans make this insturment look tiny... Seth
You may benefit from doing the math yourself for key placement - I don't
recall how
Ok I raised it a hair and the scratyness is gone but
its pretty quiet and the drone is kinda drowning it
out... Seth
Welcome to the land of St. Goldilocks, the patron saint of hurdy-gurdies.
The first shim was too small, the second shim was too big, the third shim was
too small, the fourth
I already took vacation for the festival but I'm going to avoid taking the
train... I'll just have to try my luck at flying with my insturment.
Another option is to ship the instrument ahead of you. We'll be happy to be
the collection point for people to ship their gurdies if that works out
It is not yet online. A portion of it will soon be on the OTW website as the
Commonly Played Tunes for people to practice in preparation for coming to
the festival. Stay tuned (ahem...)
Alden
This begs another question .. where can one find the OTW Tune Collection?
Is it online somewhere?
Bill said:
As I mentioned in my last (I mean previous; don't get your hopes up!)
message, I've started considering the acquisition of a proper, pro-built HG.
Alden is, of course, the prime source for such instruments here in the US;
but, considering the great demands being put on the shop
The Listmaster Speaks:
I can appreciate that some people would like to see smaller forums for smaller
conversations, but that's not where I'm going to take this list at this time.
Subject closed.
The subject of the Hurdy-Gurdy List is hurdy-gurdies:
- playing them
- adjusting them
- recording
The traditional method of installing the wheel was to put it permanently.
When all else fails for figuring out the bearings, you can get an X-ray of it.
;-)
Alden
At 10:49 PM 6/10/2007 +0300, you wrote:
Hi Matt,
Do you know how old the Hurdy Gurdy is?
Could be that it was an early model
We get our X-rays sort of under the table (so to speak) from a clinic where a
friend of a friend is the director of radiology. (Convenient, that.) She
didn't seem at all concerned about the insurance implications or whatever.
The techs are always very helpful and interested (pecan brownies
If you get a short run of copies (even loose copies), please include one for
us. ;-)
Alden
Marcello all:
Hold your horses!!!
Hi
A dear friend of mine asked me about this:
HURDY-GURDIES FROM HIERONYMUS BOSCH TO REMBRANDT
by Kahren J. HELLERSTEDT
(Ph.D, dissertation, University of Pittsburgh
Geoff said:
I suppose this should go off list. Let me know if this is too far afield.
And the Listmaster says:
This is far enough off-topic that I'm going to restrict it.
Everyone who has something to say about this subject may make ONE more post
before 9:00 Pacific time Wednesday.
I'll certainly second Pat's comments on ribbon mics. We've used Royer 121's
and been very, very pleased with them. They're especially nice as a Blumlein
pair for stereo micing.
I didn't mention ribbon mics because of their fragility and somewhat
problematic preamp situation. (A preamp with
to take
what she says with a grain of salt (if you have that expression). Some of her
research was quite good, and some was wildly inaccurate.
Alden
nobody? sigh...
maybe more general: can you point me to pictures of hurdy gurdies or
music that was possibly played on hurdy-gurdies in England
We're talking to these gentlemen off the list.
For everyone's information, I'll remind you all that the HG list is a place to
discuss the hurdy-gurdy with a big group of people. The HG list is NOT a
direct line to Olympic Musical Instruments. For that, use our telephone or
our email, [EMAIL
Oh my god, that poor instrument. The best that can be hoped for it is to save
the peghead for a reference and to bury or burn the rest with due reverence.
Alden
Anyone looking for a winter project?
Try item 200166052660 on eBay!
My guess would be that its playing days are over.
Gerald
OK, here's my short treatise on amplification in general and more specifically
on the HG.
There are several options for amplification: piezo pickups, onboard
microphones, stage microphones, and magnetic pickups.
1) Piezo pickups - these are small discs that work on the piezoelectric effect
to
Augusto -
I have questions though... As I understand, my maker will probably use three
piezo pickups and I will have to use an offboard mixer (That yamaha mg 10/2
looks really interesting! Does that only mix the signal or does it amplify it
as well? I really do not understand this well).
A
Are you hoping to restore this instrument?
Alden
Good question, Jay. This matter was debated at some length a few months ago
(or maybe more - I forget).
Try this archive:
http://www.mail-archive.com/hg@hurdygurdy.com/
Alden
Call me crazy but I don't have a sense of the use of the HG in the area of
Celtic music. Have I just been looking
an ethnomusicological
viewpoint is NOT going to be an issue on this list. We're here to discuss
hurdy-gurdies, their music, their culture, their players, etc. So we can
discuss where or how HG's have been applied to Celtic Music as defined above.
If the discussion wanders into examining what Celtic
Hmwell with the understanding that I am probably going to butcher the
spelling of most of these names since we put all our CD's on the ipod and I
can't locate the j-cards for reference.
1. First and always Gilles. I could sit at his feet and learn for the rest
of my life.
2. Marcello
Graham said:
Alden and Cali use them on HGs without problems (I believe)
That's correct.
There seem to be 2 types
Pegheds are installed in a plain tapered hole and glued in
Perfection Pegs are also put in a tapered hole but have a self-tapping
threaded bit
They both seem to be designed
I can't really speak to the historical timeline on overspun strings - but I'm
sure that someone on a lute or early music list or forum can tell you the full
story.
We experimented with gimped strings a few years ago when we were in search of
The Ideal Low G Trompette. We calculated the right
Changing the wheel material won't necessarily solve that problem - getting the
wheel to run dead true with an insert (regardless of the material) is a huge
challenge. Often the best strategy is to use a thicker material (such as
Baltic Birch with thick veneer faces on each side) that is
'approxiamately 293' times a second. I
can only find hard-copy at the moment, but will
scan it in and post the article on the UK hurdy-gurdy site.
Dave
Marc said:
Although this article gives a good way to comprehend the working of the
chien I have some serious doubts about the 293 times... this is in no way
explained and up to me this frequentie depends from many factors ...
Weight of the chien, amount of rosin on the wheel and coton on the
Have I been kicked off the list? I haven't gotten anything in a week.
I checked the archive and the list is going on.
It looks as if you are posting OK, and I haven't seen any bounces from your
address.
If I get continual bounces from a bad address, I uns*bscribe that address.
That's not
Well, we don't have a 12th century castle to offer, but Cali and I were
thinking about offering a build-your-own-gurdy experience in the summer in
the Great Northwest of Washington State. Since the subject has come up, we
thought we'd put it out there for people to think about. If there's
Fi wrote,
I know a lot a people who have bought various kits and made the instruments.
Many of them have been happy with the results even though the instrument
often requires a fair bit of tweaking. What is it about the hurdy gurdy
that makes it particularly unsuited to kit form
can understand that Alden,
As noted, Cali on average spends more time in the shop than I do. I'm the
more public face of OMI, but we're a team.
who after all makes and sells a very desirable
line of hurdy gurdies, is not obligated to help me salvage an instrument
from a different maker
It depends on the cat or dog. Some of them love it, some can't stand it. Most
seem indifferent. Your mileage may vary.
Alden
and dogs and cats will run from it
Is this a common occurrence when playing the HG?
I ask in all seriousness, because I am quite interested in getting an
HG, but
Fi -
Wow... I feel kind of out of touch. I think I may have seen it about 30 years
ago, but it's not exactly on my musical radar.
Musical tastes change of course. One of the most obvious ones that just
about everyone would know is the Disney movie Snow White and the Seven
Dwarfs. Someday
Arle -
Strangely enough, our mechanical peg supplier recommends that the threads go
in the opposite direction from that which I would have expected. For our
pegs, which we tighten by turning to the left, I would have expected a
left-hand (backwards) thread, but he intentionally sends us a
I'll throw in my 2 cents: 3-in-1 oil turns gummy after a while, leaving
deposits that require disassembly and cleaning. We recommend a light bearing
oil or a sewing machine oil that has less additives. One possibility is this
Trinity oil available from Tower Hobbies or wherever else you can find
Yup, it's a hurdy-gurdy - one of the classic illuminated depictions thereof.
Nice color! I've only ever seen this in b/w.
This is a good reminder not to take iconographic sources too literally. I
have a nice rant prepared for this occasion if anyone is interested...
Alden
http
OK, you asked for it. ;-)
Arle pretty much made my points for me already, so I'll just say this:
In scholarly circles there is, perhaps, a dedication to the iconography that
is unwarranted. The scholars go on and on about how the instrument shown in
this source has this feature while this one
OK, ladies and gentlemen:
For your viewing pleasure, here are the Stratocasters:
http://www.hurdygurdy.com/mailinglist/guitars.htm
At the bottom, there's a link to a photo of a Strat. But before you go there,
consider the following:
Based on the iconography:
How many strings does the Strat
The collection has two more guitar drawings:
http://www.hurdygurdy.com/mailinglist/guitars.htm
Alden
I think Louise Craig may already have plans to do this kind of thing in
conjunction with the OTW cite so no need to duplicate efforts here. Thanks
for thinking of this though.
:-)-Cali
As regards mug shots, I'm sure most of us have one on a web page somewhere
(with or without our HG).
Dear HG list,
We have on consignment a guitar-shaped HG by Reichmann, $3500. I don't have
pictures on the website yet - please contact us off-list if you are
interested.
Alden and Cali
OMI
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Gary said:
I wondered if anybody has seen a similar bridge used on a hurdy gurdy - it
would save shimming.
We thought so too, and we tried them for a while. Our goal was to make the
instrument fully adjustable at each bridge and nut.
We tried bridges split in the middle with the thumbwheels
A better question to ask is why you need an adjustable bridge in the first
place? I would suspect that such constant adjustment is necessary because
the instrument is not structurally sound or the bridge is not fixed
properly.
In our experience, shimming is just a fact of life with the HG.
Or it may be that you clicked on Weichselbaumer's name instead of the PHOTO of
the instrument.
Alden
NB:
Go to www.gurdygirl.com/instruments.html and click on the picture of the
alto. This will give you a view of the bridge.
You may need to allow pop-ups but I do not think so.
Dear List,
For a while now there have been some problems for list subscribers with
Comcast addresses. We've traced the problem to a DNS identification error
associated with our server.
Unfortunately this error can't be solved without our provider. (It's a long
story.) We're working on
I came late to the kits and plans party, so I'll just add a few cents.
We've talked about making a kit, and there are a bunch of problems. One of
the biggest is the size of the market. Realistically, how many could we sell
in a year? Five maybe? For what price? Let's say a round $1000. The
If this is the one I'm thinking of, it's a pretty badly worn Thouvenel or
Colson. There may be others in the collection, but this is the one I know
about.
Alden
Hi,
This is mainly for the UK HGists does anybody have information or
knowledge of Hurdy Gurdy`s at this location.
Snowshill, nr
In most cases it's unlikely that the player should need to be able to remove
the wheel. However, the builder and the restorer/repair person are going to
find life a lot easier if the wheel can be removed.
Here are just a few of the reasons:
- to be able to service or replace the bearings
- to
Our Minstrel model was designed with the airlines in mind as well. It fits
the dimensions for carry on luggage. It is light, stable, easy to play. Very
rich sound and can compete with just about any other gurdy for volume. Just
ask anyone who went to the San Antonio gathering this year :-)
happy that Ben looked at the instrument for you and liked it. We
respect Ben as an excellent player. However, Ben is not aware of all the
factors and decisions which we use to set up an instrument for its optimal
sound. Not all hurdy-gurdies are made alike and Alden and I have done a lot
of research
and then hand scraped.
Please understand that I love wood and the traditional look and feel of wood.
I also know that the wheel is the heart of the hurdy-gurdy and if it has a
problem your whole instrument has a problem. So, making the wheel of a
material that is stable, attractive, protective
Dear Arle,
I think by the time I had faced, banded, etc. that I would prefer to use a
voidless baltic birch ply with a band which is also very stable and I would
save a step by not having to face the wheel. This is what we have done in the
past and it works well.
We are all looking for a good
on the list: Sarah Palin,
the Argentine national debt, how to transplant begonias, and so on. The list
is meant for hurdy-gurdy discussions. The time to take the discussion off the
list is when it's no longer about hurdy-gurdies or some aspect of them. As
listmaster, my definition
You don't need a gmail account. All you need is your current email
The Google Groups help information at
http://groups.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=46438cbid=-maem9jqr8uousrc=cblev=index
seems to say that participation in a Google Group via a non-google email
address is possible.
Dear Listmembers,
Sorry, that got last message got sent before I was ready.
You don't need a gmail account. All you need is
- your current email
- the ability to use an internet browser
- a Google Groups account
You only need the browser and the Google Groups for the day you subscribe to
the
Dear HG Listmembers,
Most people seem to be making the transition to the new list
([EMAIL PROTECTED]) without too much trouble. This being real life,
there are always some complications.
If you sign up on the Google Groups list, you should be getting a confirming
email that you need to answer
Dear Listmembers,
So far some 90 people have migrated to the new list. There are still over 200
addresses on the old list who haven't moved yet. Just a reminder of how to do
it:
Use your web browser to go to this webpage:
http://groups.google.com/group/hurdygurdy/
Click on the link at the
I subscribed you manually, so you should now be able to post.
Alden the Listmaster
Sorry, I can't get a Google account: the page keeps freezing. I can't even
contact them about the problem :(
**
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