Chords for How EXACTLY does the hurdy gurdy work?

Tempo:
131.85 bpm
Chords used:

G

D

Cm

C

Dm

Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Show Tuner
How EXACTLY does the hurdy gurdy work? chords
Start Jamming...
All right, Patti, so we've seen you play, but how the hell does the hurdy-gurdy work?
How does it make [D] so many different sounds?
Hurdy-gurdy is a drone instrument just as [Dm] the bagpipe, which means it can be played using a constant drone note as a bass.
But it actually works more like a violin, since it is a bowed instrument.
On the violin
you have a bow, which you [G] can put down on the strings to play.
On the gurdy
you have a wheel, which basically does the same job,
just that you're putting the strings down on the bow to play.
When you put down a string on the wheel and turn the handle,
the string will start [Abm] to vibrate.
The wheel is made of a special kind of plastic or wood,
then covered in rosin to make it sticky and give it more grip.
The part of the string that touches the wheel should be wrapped in a thin layer [G] of cotton to give it a more defined tone.
On the violin you press your fingers down on the string,
shortening the vibrating length in order to get a higher tone.
The [F] gurdy uses keys with tangents [D] for that,
which can be adjusted to get a different pitch.
[N] In many cases
you will find a chromatic range of two octaves,
which should be enough to play all your favorite melodies.
The keyboard can be observed from above, and it actually looks a bit like a
piano keyboard, starting with the open G, moving on with the G sharp, then the A, A sharp,
B, C, C sharp, so on and so forth.
In the beginning I told you that the gurdy is a drone instrument,
so these are the low [Cm] drone strings.
If you're putting one on the wheel, you can play a melody too.
[G] Now there's one [N] super special kind of string, and the way it works can only be found on hurdy-gurdies.
It's the trumpet strings, and they work a bit like high drone tones,
that can make a buzzing sound if you're giving the wheel a little impulse while playing.
The impulse forces the movable
trumpet bridge to hammer on the little wooden piece underneath.
This happens because the bridge, which is also sometimes called dog in English,
you see why, is tied to a peg, and the more tension I give it, [C] the louder and longer the sound will be.
And [G] this is how the magical [Cm] buzzing is made.
[C] [Ab] These are the main [Cm] most important parts of the hurdy-gurdy.
I hope this video was helpful.
[N] Feel free to share it with your friends, and leave me a comment if you have [D] more questions.
If you click on this video,
you can see a live performance with my instrument, and if you click this one,
you can see all the extra features my instrument has.
Bye bye, see you next time!
Key:  
G
2131
D
1321
Cm
13421113
C
3211
Dm
2311
G
2131
D
1321
Cm
13421113
Show All Diagrams
Chords
NotesBeta
Download PDF
Download Midi
Edit This Version
Hide Lyrics Hint
All right, Patti, so we've seen you play, but how the hell does the hurdy-gurdy work?
How does it make [D] so many different sounds? _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Hurdy-gurdy is a drone instrument just as [Dm] the bagpipe, which means it can be played using a constant drone note as a bass.
But it actually works more like a violin, since it is a bowed instrument.
On the violin
you have a bow, which you [G] can put down on the strings to play.
On the gurdy
you have a wheel, which basically does the same job,
just that you're putting the strings down on the bow to play.
When you put down a string on the wheel and turn the handle,
the string will start [Abm] to vibrate.
The wheel is made of a special kind of plastic or wood,
then covered in rosin to make it sticky and give it more grip.
The part of the string that touches the wheel should be wrapped in a thin layer [G] of cotton to give it a more defined tone.
On the violin you press your fingers down on the string,
shortening the vibrating length in order to get a higher tone.
The [F] gurdy uses keys with tangents [D] for that,
which can be adjusted to get a different pitch. _
[N] In many cases
you will find a chromatic range of two octaves,
which should be enough to play all your favorite melodies.
The keyboard can be observed from above, and it actually looks a bit like a
piano keyboard, starting with the open G, moving on with the G sharp, then the A, A sharp,
B, C, C sharp, so on and so forth.
In the beginning I told you that the gurdy is a drone instrument,
so these are the low [Cm] drone strings.
If you're putting one on the wheel, you can play a melody too. _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [G] Now there's one [N] super special kind of string, and the way it works can only be found on hurdy-gurdies.
It's the trumpet strings, and they work a bit like high drone tones,
that can make a buzzing sound if you're giving the wheel a little impulse while playing.
The impulse forces the movable
trumpet bridge to hammer on the little wooden piece underneath. _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ This happens because the bridge, which is also sometimes called dog in English,
you see why, is tied to a peg, and the more tension I give it, [C] the louder and longer the sound will be. _ _ _ _ _ _
And [G] this is how the magical [Cm] buzzing is made. _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ [C] _ _ [Ab] These are the main [Cm] most important parts of the hurdy-gurdy.
I hope this video was helpful.
[N] Feel free to share it with your friends, and leave me a comment if you have [D] more questions.
If you click on this video,
you can see a live performance with my instrument, and if you click this one,
you can see all the extra features my instrument has.
Bye bye, see you next time! _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

You may also like to play

6:03
Non Resonating Hurdy-gurdy demonstration.
3:29
Dark Medieval Blues. Hurdy-Gurdy, Organ & Drum
5:07
The Walking Dead Ep. 206 - The Hurdy Gurdy In-Depth