The Structure of an Hurdy Gurdy

A hurdy-gurdy is a stringed instrument. Like a violin, it has melody strings that are bowed. However, the melody strings are not bowed with a violin bow, but with a wheel. This is turned with the right hand using a crank. The wheel is essentially an endless violin bow (as Matthias Loibner so aptly puts it). This has advantages and disadvantages: a violin can modulate a note more strongly, but a hurdy-gurdy can play a note indefinitely, for as long as the crank is turned and the wheel is driven.

The keys of the hurdy-gurdy are sliders in the so-called tangent box. When the keys are pressed, flags shorten the strings. These flags are made of wood in older hurdy-gurdies, while modern hurdy-gurdies use only metal or plastic.