The Hurdy-Gurdy hurdy-gurdy from Ugears is a stringed instrument that produces a sound similar to that of a bagpipe. A turned wheel rubs against the strings, similar to a violin bow, and makes the hurdy-gurdy sound. 

History of the hurdy-gurdy

The history of the instrument goes back as far as the 15th century and begins in medieval Europe . The basis for it is the organistrum, a portable organ. It quickly rose to become a popular instrument among travelling musicians in England at that time. In the later 17th to 18th centuries, it then developed further into a noble class musical instrument for the entertainment of the wealthy.

Similar to the Ugears hurdy-gurdy kit, the stringed instrument was decorated by craftsmen with inlays and carvings.

The idea of the Hurdy-Gurdy

Fascinated by the medieval instrument, Ugears developed a detailed mechanical wooden model based on it, which can be assembled as a kit. You get a fully-fledged instrument as a 3D puzzle, so to speak.

Structure of the Ugears hurdy-gurdy

Like the original, the model has a case (body), a front and a back deck (front and back covers), gears, a crank (handle), a wheel, tuning pegs (pegbox), melody and drone strings, tangents and a keyboard.

Everything needed for assembly is included in the delivery. All parts are cut by a laser method with high accuracy and can be easily removed from the board.

The enclosed instructions explain the assembly step-by-step. Except for two strings, rubber bands for spring-loaded keys and something to lubricate the wheel, all parts are made of wood.

Set and play Hurdy-Gurdy

To play a melody, the main (melody) string is used. The lower bass string then sets a kind of background music. Six notes of the octave can be played through the six keys. In addition, the open note is played by freely turning the wheel in contact with the open melody string. This seventh open note is marked 0.

To play, first turn the handle of the hurdy-gurdy to produce a monophonic sound. If you then additionally press the keys, they press on the main string and thus change the pitch of the sound.

What can you play on the hurdy-gurdy?

From folk music to modern pop, everything is possible. Just let yourself be musically inspired and create your own pieces.

The scope of delivery also includes tabs for beginners which are ideal for practising.

Model size in cm: 40x17x22
Number of parts : 292
Drive: Manual hand drive
Difficulty level: Medium
Assembly time: 5-9 h
Age recommendation : 12+
Material: Environmentally friendly plywood

The wooden panels have a reasonable thickness and are tested according to strict quality specifications. However, it may happen that a part breaks. More than needed are supplied for critical parts. If they are not enough, you can always contact us and we will take care of spare parts for you for free.