My ElectroGurdy

My latest project is an "ElectroGurdy." I decided to take what I learned from my first hurdy gurdy project (https://xerocraft.org/projects/160-dans-dulcy-gurdy) and apply it to an electronic instrument.

I used an Arduino Mega, orchestrated by a C++ sketch (mostly written in collaboration with the Deepseek AI applying the “MozziGuts” sound synthesis library). It manipulates oscillators tailored to mimic the traditional hurdy gurdy sound. Musical notes are produced by twelve buttons, assigned like the frets on a dulcimer, to play a diatonic scale (D) scale. A rotating wheel with attached magnets coupled with a Hall effect sensor allow me to manipulate the instrument's volume in real-time, mimicking the control of a traditional hurdy gurdy's wheel.

Short video at: 
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gk42gM8t73zgrVkew6YVpOr4nUF8MEwJ/view?usp=drive_link
 

I intend to extend the range of the instrument by adding via a rotary switch to select additional tuning modes. Also, I need to practice, practice, practice!!!

Dan Davidson,
dan@dantastic.us
April 14, 2025