Caroline Phillips: Hurdy-gurdy for beginners

Thanks for this. I'd often heard the term "hurdy-gurdy", but I never really knew what it meant until now.

I've been waiting for this since 1968, when I first heard Donovan's "Hurdy Gurdy Man". It's been 42 years. So? I'm a patient man.

Thank you for posting this; I've heard a fair amount of Basque music, but I don't think I've heard any on the hurdy-gurdy.

You can also hear a hurdy-gurdy in some of Loreena McKennitt's songs.

An unusual instrument, unique to Basque music, is the txalaparta. It's the thing that looks like a giant xylophone being played by two guys.

Another for hurdy gurdy fans:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04cKuOZo1jc

It starts off rather slowly, but then really demonstrates what the instrument is capable of. Unfortunately, the camera is in a fixed position.

I hope it is alright to promote also other less familiar but great sounding ancient instruments.

Here is a great piece of modern ethno/folk using hurdy gurdy from the Swedish band Hedningarna (pagans), a kind of modern samanistic experience:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzpOJiYR1tA&feature=related

The instrument in the left was a Swedish nyckelharpa (keyed violin). More on that from the Finnish folk/ethno/pop/jazz/whatever super group Värttinä, a nice nyckelharpa solo at the middle:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jCn8uswRXg&feature=related

Ok - now that you were also introduced to Finnish Kantele you want to hear more (I hope):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EdlF0GcGT8&feature=related

Back to a little older incarnation of Hedningarna, when the Swedish guys were accompanied by two Finnish ladies - and a really primitive violin like Finnish instrument Jouhikko, great sound:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2QaDFwEx9A