Prepare for a deep dive into the fascinating world of instrument hacking as YouTube channel Arty Farty Guitars embarks on an ambitious seven-part series, transforming an ordinary guitar into a unique Hurdy Gurdy Guitar hybrid. This intricate project, heavily reliant on 3D printing, showcases the trials and triumphs of musical innovation.
Hurdy Gurdy Guitar
The hurdy-gurdy, a medieval European string instrument, is known for its distinctive sound produced by a rosined wheel rubbing against the strings.
Unlike bowed instruments, a hand-cranked wheel creates continuous friction, while a keyboard mechanism stops the strings to produce notes. Recent years have seen a resurgence of interest in this unique instrument, with creations like the laser-cut Nerdy-Gurdy and electronic Midi-Gurdy demonstrating its adaptability.
Also, check out the new Cantareel by the Japanese inventor Keizo Ishibashi, which we wrote about this week.
The Quest for a Fretboard Hurdy-Gurdy
Arty Farty Guitars, primarily a guitar enthusiast, set out to merge the hurdy-gurdy’s core concept with a familiar guitar fretboard.
This seemingly simple idea quickly proved to be a complex engineering challenge. The ongoing video series meticulously documents every hurdle, setback, and even a few injuries encountered during this elaborate build.
One of the most ingenious aspects of the project is the custom cranking/keying assembly.
Featured prominently in video five of the series, this innovative mechanism allows one hand to simultaneously crank the wheel and act as a ‘keyboard’ to press strings against it.
This brilliant design frees the other hand to manipulate the guitar fretboard, opening up new possibilities for chorded input and potentially inspiring future human-computer interfaces.
Unexpected Turns and a Plectrum Wheel Solution
As the project progressed into its sixth video, a significant challenge emerged: the guitar’s standard fretting action proved incompatible with the precise, constant tension required for the hurdy-gurdy’s bowing mechanism.
To salvage the ambitious build, Arty Farty Guitars made a pivotal shift from a traditional TPU-surfaced bowing wheel to a plectrum wheel. This modification fundamentally alters the instrument’s sound production, drawing parallels to the ‘thousand-pick guitar’ concept.
DIY instrument building
While this alteration means the hybrid instrument may no longer strictly qualify as a hurdy-gurdy by traditional definition, the spirit of experimentation and DIY instrument building shines through. The dedication to overcoming obstacles and the sheer creativity involved are truly admirable.
Fans eagerly await the seventh and final video in the series on the Hurdy Gurdy Guitar: A Wild 3D-Printed Experiment, which promises a concert showcasing this truly unique creation once Arty Farty Guitars’ masters playing it.
More Odd Guitars
If you like oddball guitars made from unusual materials, then be sure to check out the IKEA guitar and the Pizza Hut guitar.
Do you know of any other unconventional, hacked-together instruments that push the boundaries of musical creation?
More Information
- Arty Farty Guitars YouTube Channel
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