Harry Wass on Hurdy Gurdy
616,405
Published 2014-04-26
(more details about Harry Wass and about the Hurdy Gurdy below (press "Show more").
Harry Wass makes his own medieval instruments!
sites.google.com/site/medievalinstruments2/
[email protected]
I took this video of him at Salamanca Marked, in Hobart, which is in Tasmania, Australia. I'm posting it with his kind permission - he even sent me some details:
"The two short tunes are original pieces written by me the first being called Gumbo the second tune is the faster part that I go into it's called Crossover."
The Hurdy Gurdy is even more amazing than it looks. Keep reading, srsly:
The rhythmic buzzing you hear is part of the music, controlled by the speed of turning, you can see him adjusting the tension on it at the 18-second mark.
Many people associate it with bagpipes because it has a drone (the constant base noise). Many instruments have had a drone, but the bagpipes are the only common instrument left with one. It's sometimes used as a stand-in for bagpipes!
He lifts one of the drone strings, checks the tuning of the other, and returns the first drone again at the 25-second mark.
The keys even have a little bit of travel, so you can not-only hit a note, but you can also pitch-bend it a little, giving the hurdy gurdy extra expressiveness.
It's an amazing invention
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurdy_gurdy
and it has a history dating back to around the start of the 11th century. It's somewhere around 900 years old! Srsly!!
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organistrum
All Comments (21)
-
Sounds like he is summoning a cicada army
-
The little boy is going to be a Gurdy man when he grows up .
-
That kid in the background is clearly transfixed and has more appreciation and patience than the adult looking after him !
-
That kid in the background just got in touch with something extraordinary.
-
I know what my next Bard's instrument is...
-
I need this guy to just follow me around all day playing. Mundane tasks and errands would feel like some epic journey haha
-
God damn the tempo, makes the drone sound so good. This makes me think of a cavalry battle.
-
It´s like a violin and a bagpipe at the same time!!! god!! It´s fucking awesome!!!
-
This instrument kind of feels like the stringed equivalent of a DJ’s table with the variety of sounds it can produce and weave into the music
-
Looks like he's about to go take care of the vampire problem lmao I don't know why but he gives me mad Helsing vibes
-
He is like a traveling magician. He possessed my soul with that box!
-
I saw this video over 2 years ago and it was my first experience with a hurdy gurdy. I'm now 7 months into lessons and my 2nd gurdy is being built 😝. I love coming back to this video and hearing what sparked my interest
-
I think the kid in the background made his decision to become a pirate in the future.
-
The kid is somewhere at least around 4 and this was in 2014, that would mean he would be 10 at 2020, lets hope he grew up to become a hurdy gurdy man.
-
This makes me feel like I’m about to go on a secret mission during the revolutionary war with a musket
-
the little boy with the lifevest never took his eyes away, i dont even think he blinked
-
I got a kick out of the kid in the yellow vest in the background....another convert is made! Welcome to the Dark Side, kid. LOL
-
All the while I'm hearing the clink coins against each other, likely a mark of success for a minstrel
-
Wonderful Playing! Great Video! Thank You!
-
I just couldn't stop watching, this was beautiful.
