My newer Hurdy Gurdy, purchased September 2010; made by Claire Dugue, Ramsgate.
The recordings which appear lower down in this column were made quite a while ago now, on my older, Sam Palmer instrument.
Here are some more recent efforts, recorded on my upgraded Dugue hurdy gurdy: same basic arrangement, just even more capos, and a jack plug enabling connection to amps and other electrical goods...
1. This one is called "Kolomtanz", or simply "Kolom." Its from Belgium, and was recorded by my friends Blowzabella, a l-o-n-g time ago, with some embellishments and variations. That is the version I play here. A simpler version of the tune appears in Mart Heijmans "Pijpersboek" - my very battered copy was the first book of tunes I ever bought. Kolom was the first complete tune I ever learned.
2. This one is a couple of 3 time bourrees - its a rhythm and dance type that I really love - full of energy and lilting sparkle. The first tune, Wheelybin Wiggle, is one I wrote myself. The name arises because the opening bars of the tune popped into my head late one night as I was putting out the wheelybins for the refuse operatives to empty the following morning. Strange... I have paired it with "Crocodile" by Maxou Heintzen.
3. Here we have an old English dance, which dates from the early 16th century. I often play it at our sessions at The George Inn most of which dates from the same time, and wonder how many times the walls have heard the tune...
I love the fact that it has alternating tunes in different rhythms. Its basically a circle dance: during the faster tune you amble round one way, and then unwind [to prevent dizziness?] by ambling round the other way during the slow part. Groovy.
My Bagpipes. Scots lowland [hot wind] pipes, by Kintail of Glasgow.
My piano, rescued - in a very sorry state - from a church hall many years ago.
My Hurdy Gurdy and I...
There I was, walking through Covent Garden in central London, and there he was - playing a hurdy gurdy. I knew about them (heaven knows where from) but had never seen one. Not the sort of instrument you find in the window display of yer average High Street music shop...
I stopped and listened. After a while, he stopped...we talked. That's how I met Cliff Stapleton of Blowzabella fame. That's how, six months later, I had my own instrument, made by the other Blowzabella gurdyman, Sam Palmer.
It was like taming a wild beast at first. Playing tunes was not too bad - I had reached grade 6 piano some years ago, so the concept of a keyboard was not a new one. It was just all the rest.
Well...that was all back in 1980, and there have been many bridges and much water since then.
My instrument set me back £800, quite a lot, back then. It is a guitar shaped, six string gurdy, with a single trompette. The finish / decoration is very basic - no inlaying, carved head...) It is, however beautifully made, as you would expect from Sam. It is tuned to the keys of C / G, the Auvergne / Limousin tuning, and has a rather forward, outdoor sort of sound to it.
In October 2010, I received my new instrument from Claire Dugue of Ramsgate. Details are as follows:
- Luteback
- tuning C /G
- 3 chanterelles: D / G / G (the two Gs tuned in octaves, not unison)
- 2 trompettes: G and C/D (capo)
Older recordings of various tunes, played on my
Palmer hurdy gurdy:
