<HTML><BODY style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; ">Hi Jeff,<DIV><SPAN class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </SPAN>I have a similar "hurdy gurdy" in my "client base" (referral from a close friend), though mine is made in Barcelona (name escapes me), has the crank on the side, and has six settings: each cylinder has six songs on it, and it has two cylinders. Fascinating little device. Hammers made of that elbow plastic (though none breaking yet) with a slip of wood in a slot at the tip which actually hits the strings. The hammers are close to the strings, and are mounted much like upright damper levers that don't quite touch the strings, with similar springs. The nubs on the cylinder act on the bottom of the lever to move the hammer away from the string, then suddenly release, and the flex in the system allows the hammer to hit the string and rebound. Troublesome to tune, as the pins are much smaller than 1/0 but larger than zither (my smallest piano tip just barely doesn't strip), and the space available to pluck the strings is minute. A bit of music wire is the best plucker I've found.</DIV><DIV><SPAN class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </SPAN>Nice aspect of tuning it: the client brings it to me.<BR><DIV> <SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><DIV>Regards,</DIV><DIV>Fred Sturm</DIV><DIV>University of New Mexico</DIV><DIV><A href="mailto:fssturm@unm.edu">fssturm@unm.edu</A></DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"></SPAN></SPAN> </DIV><BR><DIV><DIV>On Sep 11, 2006, at 1:30 PM, Jeff Tanner wrote:</DIV><BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">This is a deep hearted thank you to all for the answers to the Hurdy Gurdy question.<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>If I ever encounter a real one, now I have some ammo.<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>At least I've learned about something I didn't know about before, and this has evoked quite a bit of interest for me.<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>I am much appreciative of all the effort you all went to offering advice and help.</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">It turned out to be a Faventia Barrell Piano, exactly like the one found at this link, but with a deep red stain.</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><A href="http://www.pebworths.com/Faventia/Faventia.html">http://www.pebworths.com/Faventia/Faventia.html</A></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Quite an interesting music box to be sure, at the time, an expensive gift to her grandfather.<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>It has apparently earned the nickname "hurdy gurdy" due to the crank handle you turn to play it.<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>She said that's what she'd always heard it called, and I looked on ebay and found one exactly like it, callled a hurdy gurdy.<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>Each pitch is noted above each set of tuning pins (1/0), and a piano tuning hammer is required to tune it.</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">...so I guess it turned out to be more piano related than I expected.<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>I must say I'm disappointed it wasn't actually a hurdy gurdy.<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>I'd gotten my hopes up for that.</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Thanks,</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Jeff T</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">On Sep 8, 2006, at 11:51 AM, Jeff Tanner wrote:</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Hi all,</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">I know this is completely off topic of pianos, and I apologize but I'm not finding any clear answers anywhere else that satisfy me.<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>(and yes, I've been to <A href="http://www.hurdygurdy.com">http://www.hurdygurdy.com</A> )<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>I thought I see if there are any CAUTs who might have a little experience with this medieval instrument.</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Does anybody know how the Hurdy-Gurdy (or French Vielle a Roue) is normally tuned?<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>I'm supposed to meet with a client tomorrow to help her.<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>Feel free to answer off list.</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Thanks,</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Jeff</DIV> </BLOCKQUOTE><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV> </BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><BR></DIV></BODY></HTML>