Hurdy-gurdy Hurdy-gurdy The hurdy-gurdy is a stringed instrument that produces sound by a hand crank-turned, rosined wheel rubbing against the strings. The wheel functions much like a violin bow, and single notes played on the instrument sound similar to those of a violin. Melodies are played on a keyboard that presses "tangents"—small wedges, typically made of wood—against one or more of the strings to change their pitch. Like most other acoustic stringed instruments, it has a sound board and hollow cavity to make the vibration of the strings audible. Most hurdy-gurdies have multiple drone strings, which give a constant pitch accompaniment
Hurdy Gurdy (film) term 'Hurdy Gurdy' is a "barrel organ". The film is recorded on Western Electric apparatus, which was an early sound-on-film recording system. This same system was also used on another Oswald short film entitled "Permanent Wave", which was released in the same year. Copyrighted on 3 January 1930, but released the year prior, the film was released by Universal Pictures. Thus, the film is part of the Universal series of Oswald The Lucky Rabbit films. The film opens with a bear (who is the street performer) using a barrel organ, and a monkey dancing to the music made by it.