The hurdy gurdy
has existed in one form or other for at least a thousand
years. It has two or three melody strings and four or
more drone strings.All the strings are played by a wheel,
which is turned by a handle on the end of the instrument.
Some hurdy gurdies also have sympathetic strings. As with
the nyckelharpa, the melody strings are stopped by
tangents, which press against the strings to change their
pitch.The drones are tuned in fourths and fifths and one
of the drone strings, the trompette, runs across a tiny
loose bridge which buzzes when the player provides a
rhythmic impulse to the wheel.