[Theme] Musical instruments

[Hugh_3170]

Thanks Colin for the image and informative comment.  Yes, quite complex considering its antiquity.

[Akira]

So I'd heard the Donovan song about the Hurdy Gurdy man, but never seen one till now.

According to Wikipedia "The hurdy-gurdy is generally thought to have originated from fiddles in either Europe or the Middle East some time before the eleventh century A.D."
There's a handle on the lower left which rotates a wheel. This rubs on strings
- the two central ones (whose pitch can be changed using the keys) plus
- drone strings (as in bagpipes) on either side
I'm amazed at the complexity of something going back almosy a thousand years

The second image shows ancient kings playing one at the Pórtico de la Gloria in the Catedral de Santiago de Compostela in Santiago de Compostela, Spain

This is a very educational shot showing the inside of the key mechanism.  Apparently, this hurdy-gurdy allows fine adjustment of each notes.  Thank you for sharing!

[ColinM]

You're welcome Hugh & Akira.

I'll leave it to one of our Swedish members to tell us more about the even more fiendish Nyckelharpa

https://www.reddit.com/r/BeAmazed/comments/umiqeb/the_nyckelharpa_a_traditional_swedish_instrument/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x