I've been working on a few new instruments recently! This is the prototype for one of them, and I think it's one of my favourites of all of the instruments I've made so far. It's one of the first I've made where the problem is more likely to be user error than design flaw if it sounds bad (some would argue that hurdy-gurdies always sound bad, and I am not one of those people. I rather enjoy that ominous buzz, like a nest of melodious, angry wasps).
It's a spin (see what I did there) on the original hurdy-gurdy-thing from August 2020, except that instead of there being keys, there's a neck and fingerboard. Like the earlier design, a rosined wheel is hand-cranked, so that it excites a melody string, which rests lightly on the wheel. In this case, the wheel is a nylon caster from Bunnings, and the string is nylon fishing line.
I had originally planned to press down on the string, like a guitar, but it increased the downbearing pressure of the string on the wheel so much that the sound was distorting horribly. I accidentally worked out that if I used the flat of my fingernails to create the nodal points, this would resolve the issue, as the pressure would be sideways, not down. It also means you can more easily do things like vibrato and glissandos. It's a new addition to the family, so I'm still getting my head around it, but here's a basic demonstration of how it sounds. Sorry, Kurt.
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