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$2,495.00
Price
Balladeer Model Hurdy-Gurdy, Renaissance style
Susato Balladeer Hurdy-Gurdies
$980.00
$145.00
$28.00
Price
Minnesinger Model Hurdy-Gurdy, Medieval Style
Hard-Case for Minnesinger Model Hurdy-Gurdy, Medieval Style
Set of three strings for the Minnesinger Model Hurdy-Gurdy, -Bb- to -C- Tuning
Set of three strings for the Minnesinger Model Hurdy-Gurdy, -D- to -Eb- Tuning
$28.00
Susato Minnesinger Hurdy-Gurdies
$28.00
$12.50
$14.50
Set of three strings for the Minnesinger Model Hurdy-Gurdy, -G- to -A- Tuning
Adjustable Shoulderstrap for any Minnesinger Model Hurdy-Gurdy
A very high quality rosin for any bowed instrument!

Hurdy-Gurdies
Susato Minnesinger Hurdy-Gurdies
Susato Balladeer Hurdy-Gurdies
Based on 13th century designs, with one melody and two drone strings. The Minnesinger sounds beautiful at various tunings and is suitable for solo or ensemble use. The diatonic keyboard has programmable tangents. It features a steel shaft, precision gold-plated gear-tuners, trued wheel, brass bearings and built in cotton & rosin containers. The keyboard shafts, tangents, keyshaft-guides, keyboard buttons and shoulder strap buttons are precision molded. The Minnesinger body is made of beautiful Appalachian hardwoods and/or Rosewood. All models have a Sitka Spruce sounding board.
Then
From the manuscript“Cantigas de Santa Maria”
Spanish, 13th century
Now
From “Kelischek Living Room”
Brasstown, NC, 21th century
(Nena DuPree and Bruce Savage)



While basically a diatonic instrument, any tangent can be rotated up to a semi-tone to the left or right for playing in different modes. (Major, minor, or modal, as the need may be.) To facilitate playing, Do-Fa-Do (3rd, 6th, & 10th) Key-Buttons and Tangents are identified with contrasting colors and tactile feed-back. When playing, a slightly downward tilted instrument allows keys to fall back to root position by gravity.
Depending on the string gauges chosen, the Minnesinger Hurdy-Gurdy can be tuned from -D- to -Eb-, -Bb- to -C-, or -G- to -A-. Please state your choice! If not specified, strings for playing in -D- to -Eb- will be shipped. A shoulderstrap is included.
Walnut Minnesinger with Five Rosewood Rosettes
Walnut Minnesinger Hurdy-Gurdies in Production


Our Balladeer model Hurdy-Gurdy is based on a still extant late15th century instrument owned by a German friend. The original was found in Lithuania shortly after world war two. It is a robust “Bauern Leier” (peasant hurdy-gurdy) with three strings, diatonic key-board and large sounding board, producing a rich, full sound when strung for -G- or -A- tunings. The sounding board is Sitka spruce, the body can be cherry, walnut, or maple-wood.The tangents are fully programmable, allowing each one to be focused up to a semitone higher or lower, as needed for playing in different modes. Two small containers for powdered rosin and a small ball of cotton are built into the inside of the keyboard box.
Balladeer Hurdy-Gurdy

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