@AccordionBruce @paul_ipv6 @skyfire747 @mykie

I think the hurdy gurdy is a masterpiece. And I mean that literally. If you encounter odd medieval or renaissance instruments, there is usually a clear objective which seems technical rather than musical. Like the rackett, the krummhorn and the tromba marina. I cannot prove this theory, but I gave a talk about it at @why2025camp . You can see the talk at https://media.ccc.de/v/why2025-18-reinventing-woodwind-instuments .

When I look at a hurdy gurdy, I see a master giving the assignment of creating a stringed version of a bagpipe, like the tromba marina is a stringed version of a trumpet. That is also why they share details. The "buzzing foot" of the hurdy gurdy drone strings is there to mimic the reed of the bagpipe drone. In bagpipes, the reed is clearly audible because of the low tuning of them. In both cases it also allows silencing: you can pop the single tube reed to silence a drone and use the buzzing foot to keep the string away from the disk.

For the chanter (the melody pipe), the notes are higher and a bow will suffice, and the wooden disk is a bow which mimics the continuous airflow made possible by the bag.

In other words: the hurdy gurdy is a great exam piece. It is also easier to tune and maintain, and does not smell. And it is easier to make and cheaper than a portative organ. I think those are the reasons the hurdy gurdy survived as an instrument after the first instrument builder graduated on it.