Day 20 ~ Hungary (Hurdy-Gurdy)

A quaint mix of something between a fiddle + a bagpipe, the Hurdy-Gurdy is thought to originate somewhere between Europe and the Middle East around 1000 A.D.  By the early 20th century, most types of hurdy-gurdies were "extinct," with a great exception being the Hungarian variety, called Tekerolant.  At one time hurdy-gurdy playing was basically outlawed in the Soviet Union.  For more on the interesting history of this instrument, click here.  The hurdy-gurdy has a revolving wheel with rosin, that hits the strings as a violin bow would, including drones, and the main body has a keyboard to control the notes.  

This is a sample of Hungarian hurdy-gurdy 

This is a really great website with photos and stories and links to audio about hurdy-gurdies and variations on hurdy-gurdies throughout history.

And, here is a great Meideval rock n roll, English hurdy-gurdier teaching how to play.

This 40-day Virtual World Tour of Music correlates with the World Music House kickstarter crowdfund. (Click the orange words for more details!)