# What´s this musical instrument with a crank on its side? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 20, 2004, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-this-musical-instrument-with-a-crank-on-its-side/251251 "2004-06-20T01:06:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2004, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-this-musical-instrument-with-a-crank-on-its-side/251251/1 "2004-06-20T01:06:12Z")
I was browsing [Loreena McKennitt´s web site](http://www.quinlanroad.com/videopage.html) and I took a look at the video The “Mummers Dance”; on the video, arond the 20 seconds mark there´s a guy sitting, cranking an odd musical instrument (I suppose), what is it? _P.S: I´m a big fan of Loreena´s music._🙂 ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2004, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-this-musical-instrument-with-a-crank-on-its-side/251251/2 "2004-06-20T01:10:56Z")
couldnT view the video, but ut’s probably a hurdy gurdy. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2004, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-this-musical-instrument-with-a-crank-on-its-side/251251/3 "2004-06-20T01:12:06Z")
[A hurdy gurdy](http://www.e-m-s.com/cat/folk/folk/hurdygur.htm)? ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2004, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-this-musical-instrument-with-a-crank-on-its-side/251251/4 "2004-06-20T01:18:32Z")
Yeah… looks like it. Now, how the heck is that played??? 😕 Quote from Mr. Blue Sky link: > [@](#): > > A late 18th century French guitar shaped Hurdy Gurdy, fully chromatic over two octaves with six strings. It has a trompette in c, a petit bourdon in C, a gross bourdon in G, a mouche in g and 2 chanterelles in g’ which can be played independently. That´s mostly Greek to me, trompette?, petit bourdon?? and a gross one to boot. Is this some kind of musical instruments combo? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2004, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-this-musical-instrument-with-a-crank-on-its-side/251251/5 "2004-06-20T01:29:28Z")
[How a Hurdy Gurdy works](http://users.powernet.co.uk/carlton/gurdy/about1.html) ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2004, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-this-musical-instrument-with-a-crank-on-its-side/251251/6 "2004-06-20T01:29:28Z")
> [@Ale](#): > > Is this some kind of musical instruments combo? :dubious: [More than you ever needed to know](http://homepage.virgin.net/hurdy.gurdy/history.html) ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2004, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-this-musical-instrument-with-a-crank-on-its-side/251251/7 "2004-06-20T02:27:01Z")
Now I get the picture… but I´m not sure of how it sounds, could it be the dronning instrument at the begining of the song? By the way, I just checked the booklet in the “Book of Secrets” CD and the hurdy-gurdy player is Nigel Eaton. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2004, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-this-musical-instrument-with-a-crank-on-its-side/251251/8 "2004-06-20T02:34:49Z")
> [@Ale](#): > > Now I get the picture… but I´m not sure of how it sounds, could it be the dronning instrument at the begining of the song? > > By the way, I just checked the booklet in the “Book of Secrets” CD and the hurdy-gurdy player is Nigel Eaton. Very likely. This site has a link to a sound sample: [http://www.s-hamilton.k12.ia.us/antiqua/hurdy.htm](http://www.s-hamilton.k12.ia.us/antiqua/hurdy.htm) Good for playing while singing songs of love … ---
**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2004, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-this-musical-instrument-with-a-crank-on-its-side/251251/9 "2004-06-20T02:53:42Z")
…and here’s a few more [hurdy-gurdy sound files.](http://www.midcoast.com/~beechhil/vielle/sounds.html) ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2004, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-this-musical-instrument-with-a-crank-on-its-side/251251/10 "2004-06-20T15:05:59Z")
> [@MikeS](#): > > …and here’s a few more [hurdy-gurdy sound files.](http://www.midcoast.com/~beechhil/vielle/sounds.html) Why, thank you; this instrument sounds a lot like a strings bagpipe. I like it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2004, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-this-musical-instrument-with-a-crank-on-its-side/251251/11 "2004-06-20T15:47:53Z")
Wow! I had no idea this instrument existed! If it’s called the hurdy-gurdy, how did that name come to be associated with the whole organ-grinder-and-monkey thing? (Organ-grinders I only know from old Bugs Bunny cartoons, so is that a case of a stereotype that was dying even when the cartoons were made?) (Loreena… :: swoons :: ) ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2004, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-this-musical-instrument-with-a-crank-on-its-side/251251/12 "2004-06-20T16:23:08Z")
[Build a hurdy gurdy for under $20.00](http://www.hurdygurdy.com/hg/havlena.html) I’ve played one that a friend has. They’re fun! ---
**Author:** ![unclviny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e274bd/32.png) [@unclviny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/unclviny)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2004, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-this-musical-instrument-with-a-crank-on-its-side/251251/13 "2004-06-20T17:19:14Z")
> [@yabob](#): > > Very likely. This site has a link to a sound sample: > > [http://www.s-hamilton.k12.ia.us/antiqua/hurdy.htm](http://www.s-hamilton.k12.ia.us/antiqua/hurdy.htm) > > Good for playing while singing songs of love … Yabob, “Motivation is the key”. Unclviny ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2004, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-this-musical-instrument-with-a-crank-on-its-side/251251/14 "2004-06-20T17:20:17Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > If it’s called the hurdy-gurdy, how did that name come to be associated with the whole organ-grinder-and-monkey thing? > > (Organ-grinders I only know from old Bugs Bunny cartoons, so is that a case of a stereotype that was dying even when the cartoons were made?) The organ grinder played a [barrel organ](http://www.todotango.com/english/biblioteca/cronicas/organito.html), not a hurdy-gurdy. Though both are played by turning a crank, the hurdy-gurdy is a stinged instrument, while the barrel organ has a bellows that pumps air through reeds or pipes. Also, the barrel organ is limited to the songs stored on the barrel (like a music box), while the hurdy-gurdy is actually played by the musician. ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2004, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-this-musical-instrument-with-a-crank-on-its-side/251251/15 "2004-06-20T22:36:44Z")
A jack-in-the-box? ---
**Author:** ![TJdude825](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@TJdude825](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TJdude825)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2004, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-this-musical-instrument-with-a-crank-on-its-side/251251/16 "2004-06-21T04:45:30Z")
Did Sting have one at the Grammys (Grammies?)? ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2004, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-this-musical-instrument-with-a-crank-on-its-side/251251/17 "2004-06-21T04:49:19Z")
> [@TJdude825](#): > > Did Sting have one at the Grammys (Grammies?)? Yes ---
**Author:** ![Antonius\_Block](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/51bf81/32.png) [@Antonius\_Block](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antonius_Block)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2004, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-this-musical-instrument-with-a-crank-on-its-side/251251/18 "2004-06-21T06:33:17Z")
> [@TJdude825](#): > > Did Sting have one at the Grammys (Grammies?)? I didn’t see the Grammys, but he certainly played the hurdy-gurdy at the 2004 Academy Awards (aka Oscars).