Posted on October 9, 2025October 9, 2025 by Dale Phillips An Authentic Hurdy-Gurdy An Authentic Hurdy-Gurdy by Wilfried Ulrich Originally published in American Lutherie #77, 2004 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Seven, 2015 The dispute between guitarists and hurdy-gurdists is an old one. In the early 1700s, when French aristocrats became interested in playing the hurdy-gurdy and pretty good composers such as Baton, Chedeville, and others began to compose for it, prominent guitarists contended that the hurdy-gurdy was only good enough for cat music! However, the queen was an eminent player of the instrument, and the two daughters of King Louis XV were trained by Charles Baton. A hurdy-gurdy teacher of the time is said to have wanted to change the outstanding and worthy guitar of a marquis into a hurdy-gurdy. In his opinion, this was the only fit use for such an instrument. The hurdy-gurdy and the musette (a small bagpipe) were the beloved instruments of the leading society. To dignify the instrument, its origin was attributed — without proof — to ancient Greece. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of the Articles Online featured on our website for Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. For details, visit the membership page. MEMBERS: login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on April 21, 2023May 29, 2025 by Dale Phillips Letter: Hurdy-Gurdy Letter: Hurdy-Gurdy by Wilfried Ulrich Originally published in American Lutherie #68, 2001 Dear Guild, Imagine a special magazine where famous and other pretty good hurdy-gurdy builders inform others to build better hurdy-gurdies. What would you think about a guy who got a parcel with a lot of scrap that makes you laugh when looking at the parts, but which are supposed to have the potential to become a guitar? But what the heck is a guitar? When he finished that monster, it had a beautiful big soundhole where you can hide your socks and underwear when traveling, and he showed it to his wife. “Look baby, that’s what they call a guitar! It makes noise when you scratch over the strings!” “Hah! Good one! What an awful long neck — you can wave that thing like a tennis racket. Why that strange corpus-form like an ‘8’? It cost eight bucks, eh?” Imagine! Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of our premium web content offered to Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. Members also receive 4 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. If you are already a member, login for access or contact us to setup your account.
