Hurdy-Gurdy & Hurdy Gurdy Kit

[more about the Hurdy-Gurdy]

Hurdy-Gurdy

Es: Viola de rueda, Zanfoña, Cinfonía, Zanfona, Zanfonía, Gaita zamorana, Gaita de pobre, Gaita de Rabil, Rabil de manubrio, Fr: Vielle à roue, Vielle organisée, De: Drehleier, Radleier, Weiberleier, It: Ghironda, Rotata, Stampella, Gironda, Lyra tedesca, Eu: Brenka, Ca: Viola de roda, Cs: Niněra, Da: Drejelire, Eo: Vjelo, Gl: Zanfona, Zanfoña, Zampoña, Eu: Zarrabete, Fi: Kampiliira, Hu: Tekerőlant, Tekerő, Nyenyere, Nyekerő, Szentlélekmuzsika, Kolduslant, Forgólant, Nl: Draailier, No: Dreielire, Pl: Lira korbowa, Pt: Sanfona, Viola de roda, Sv: Vevlira



	Sforza Book of Hours, c. 1490

The hurdy gurdy is played by turning a rosined wheel which touches the strings causing them to vibrate whilst the different notes are produced by depressing keys which stop the strings at different positions.

Most hurdy gurdies have multiple "drone strings" which provide a constant pitch accompaniment to the melody, resulting in a sound similar to that of bagpipes. For this reason, the hurdy gurdy is often used interchangeably with or along with bagpipes, particularly in French and contemporary Hungarian folk music.

RWC Hurdy-Gurdy


	RWC Finished Hurdy Gurdy

The Renaissance Workshop Company hurdy gurdy is an excellent copy based on an original 'Henry III' instrument in the Gemeentemuseum, den Haag, Netherlands.

This rustic style of instrument has a trapezoid shaped body with the minimum of decoration and was one of the most common forms of hurdy gurdy in the 16th Century.

The ribs are straight in the body and curved with turned stays from the shoulder to the pegbox.

The Renaissance Workshop Company 'Henry III' hurdy gurdy is made from figured English sycamore and Swiss pine (for the soundboard). It has a laminated wheel (for stability) fitted on a steel shaft running in two brass bushes. The handle is made of cast brass and the pegs of rosewood.

The RWC hurdy gurdy has 6 strings comprising two melodic chanterelles in g', a gross bourdon in G, a petit bourdon in c, a mouche in g and a trompette in d', and is fully chromatic over a range of one and a half octaves.

Included as standard are two spare melody strings and a tuning peg 'dolly'.

Each instrument is entirely hand built by 'in-house' experienced craftsmen to special order in our own workshops in Toledo (Spain) to the highest standard of craftsmanship. They come with 12 months warranty and 12 months free access to our 'helpline' for advice on setting up, playing and maintenance.

A simple hard case is available as an optional extra if required.

Hurdy-Gurdy Kit


	RWC Finished & Kit Hurdy Gurdy

The same instrument is offered in kit form for home assembly.

The price includes the license to build one instrument for private use and 12 months free access to our 'helpline' for advice on construction, setting up, playing and maintenance.

To ensure success, even for the first time builder, each kit includes:
A fully dimensioned life-size drawing and working template,
A manual with clear and concise step-by-step full assembly instructions.
A set of photographs illustrating further each stage.

To ensure success, even for the first time builder, the tangent box sides are supplied pre-slotted to ensure perfect scaling of the instrument. Traditional materials are used throughout, English sycamore for the back, selected Swiss pine for the soundboard and beech for the action parts. We supply a laminated birch wheel for stability, brass bearings, a steel shaft, strings, rosewood pegs, cast brass handle, glue and clamps etc. In fact nothing is left out of this comprehensive and extremely popular kit that can become in a superb instrument in about 50 hours.

Hurdy-Gurdy Technical Plan


	RWC Finished & Kit Hurdy Gurdy

You can make the same Hurdy-Gurdy from scratch, following detailed step-by-step instructions through the construction process in a clear and concise manner.

A fully dimensioned life-size drawing with templates and a set of photographs illustrate each stage.

The price includes the license to build one instrument for private use and 12 months free access to our 'helpline' for advice on construction, setting up, playing and maintenance.

This icon indicates that you can choose between the hard copy of the documents sent by postal mail, or the downloadable electronic files, in pdf format to your computer. In order to view and print the pdf files, you need the free 'Acrobat Reader' program installed in your computer. Life-size drawings require large printers. Electronic documents have a reduced price, don't have shipping costs, but are non-refundable.

Hurdy-Gurdy Accessories and Spare Parts


	RWC Finished & Kit Hurdy Gurdy

Hurdy-Gurdy Availability and delivery time

Not all of the items listed on our site are available immediately. Products without a reference nor a price are rarely available for quick dispatch. If you are interested in them, please contact us.

We publish standard availability, which means that this product usually ships in that time since it has been ordered. But at the specific time of your order, that interval can be longer or smaller depending on many production factors. In addition, you still will have to wait for your product to arrive (delivery time). [More info about availability & delivery dates]

	Finished Instrument		Three months
	Kit		Three weeks
	Drawing		Three days