The Hurdy Gurdy today ....
Each is connected to the keyboard, complete with smaller black keys for sharp and flat notes. But unlike a piano, it has no hammered dulcimers. Instead, there are four spinning wheels wrapped in horse-tail hair, like violin bows.
To turn them, Zubrzycki pumps a pedal below the keyboard connected to a crankshaft. As he tinkles the keys, they press the strings down onto the wheels, emitting rich, sonorous tones reminiscent of a cello, an organ and even an accordion.
In operating principle, this instrument is nothing more than an oversized medieval Hurdy Gurdy coupled to a piano keyboard. However, design of the sound board determines the volume and tonality -- here it is much more refined and cello-like than the typical Hurdy Gurdy.