Apr 29
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seen from China
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Absolutely obsessed with this hurdy gurdy rigged up to a tredle sewing machine stand. Man is going NUTS on the thingamabob!!!
His tiktok has more videos as well!
The hurdy-gurdy is a mesmerizing medieval string instrument that sings through a hand-cranked wheel instead of a bow. Born in 10th-century Europe, it began as the organistrum, played in monasteries to support sacred chants-deep, droning, and hypnotic. Its sound feels ancient yet alive, like history breathing through wood and string.
As centuries rolled on, the hurdy-gurdy escaped the cloisters and hit the streets-powering dances, folk tales, and festivals across Europe. With buzzing drones, rhythmic clicks, and haunting melodies, it became the soundtrack of the Middle Ages. One turn of the crank, and time rewinds.
I realised I've never posted this.
Altan's redesign for a fairy campaign that we held. She's still a bard (spirits college), and she was trying her best to hack different fey puzzles her party encountered on the way. 😈
Her hurdy gurdy has a deer head, and its horns hold the strings!
SAW BEAR MCCREARY LIVE AND THE HURDY GURDY SOUNDED EVEN BETTER IN PERSON 😭
It bothers me every time I remember that this was a popular instrument in Europe since around 900AD, all the way through the Middle Ages.
Like, our picture of medieval tavern music is some guy gently strumming on a lute. But this thing? This has a *crank.* It has a whole little keyboard built into it! And its sound is anything but gentle. It's so mechanical and complex that if you saw this in a medieval fantasy RPG, you would think they were adding some made-up steampunk bullshit.
And listen to this! Listen to what you could *play* on it!! The dominant form of storytelling back then was listening to a guy play a whole ballad on something like this! Can you imagine??
It's just so weird to me that a full thousand years ago we had this complex instrument, and now if it isn't something on a computer and you're not going to a piano recital, the most complex instrument the average person ever plays is like, a guitar.
crankin that hog like it's a hurdy gurdy
Bard by yiguanli123