HURDY-GURDY: THE WORLD'S FIRST MECHANICAL MUSICAL MODEL FOR SELF-ASSEMBLY AND PLAY IS A GENUINE GEM OF THE UGEARS

The Ugears Hurdy-Gurdy assembles easily and with no glue, toothpicks or special tools due to our patented plywood joints method. The assembly of the Hurdy-Gurdy includes several stages. Firstly, you put the smaller parts together to form the large blocks: the body, decks, wheel, crank, head, tuning pegs, keyboard, melody strings – which will altogether complete the whole model. 

Hurdy-Gurdy Assembly Instruction. 

STEP 1

Adjusting the height of the strings

The strings should touch the wheel gently.

The hurdy-gurdy produces a sound resembling one of a bagpipe by a hand-turned wheel rubbing against the strings working similarly to a violin and a fiddle bow. 

Turn the small ventils clockwise on the bridge to decrease the height and counter-clockwise to increase  of the height of the strings

STEP 2

Switching off a bourdon string

Before tuning the first string – the melody string - please switch off the bourdon string using a little lever in the keybox.

STEP 3

Tuning a melody string

Tune the respective peg on the head to the D note. You can do this by ear or by using a free online chromatic (guitar) tuner app.

Do note it is our recommendation because it fits the Hurdy-Gurdy’s sound the best.

STEP 4

Tuning a bourdon string

Tuning the respective peg in unison to the melody string (D note in our example) or in any melodic interval (quart, quint, octave).

Again you can do this by ear or by using a free online chromatic (guitar) tuner app

STEP 5

Waxing the wheel

Wax the wheel with a piece of rosin from the kit to improve the sound and you are ready to play Hurdy-Gurdy.

Just build it together with your own hands and feel like Stradivari or a popular Hurdy-Gurdy star!