Digi-Nerdy-Gurdy

A few years ago I built a Nerdy Gurdy which is a hurdy gurdy made from laser cut panels and 3D printed parts. I then realised that an electronic MIDI keyboard emulating the keybox layout of a real HG would be useful for practice. I called it the DigiGurdy and that original version is on Thingiverse if you search for; DigiGurdy.

Since then the project has been through several design iterations. This new Digi-Nerdy-Gurdy version is made of laser cut ply panels and 3D printed parts, especially the keys. The keybox in particular has been designed in collaboration with Jaap Brand, designer of the Nerdy Gurdy, hence the change in name.

Short overview video:
https://youtu.be/I4CbSvEB2fY

Background:
The hurdy-gurdy is an ancient musical instrument (10th century) with drones and melody strings bowed by a rotating wheel, played by pressing keys which contact them at different points. It has in more recent times featured in TV series such as “Black Sails” and “Walking Dead”. A major b