This article will talk about the how and why of tuning tangents as well as adjusting the nut and bridge. Tuning tangents without understand the physics of a vibrating string will lead you to more trouble than it is worth!

Before reading this guide, make sure you understand the various parts of the hurdy-gurdy. Especially the tangents, nut, and bridge.

If you are looking for how to tune each string, check out How to Tune a Hurdy-gurdy – Traditional Tuning Guide.

Changing notes on a string

The pitch a string vibrates at has to do with the gauge (aka thickness) of the string, the tension of the string, and the vibrating length of the string. Once you have a specific gauge string tuned up to a specific tension, changing the note it rings out comes down to changing only the vibrating length of the string.

String instrument (violin, guitar, etc) work off this same concept. They each use some mechanic to alter the vibrating length of the instrument. As the string gets shorter, the note gets higher. On the violin, when the player presses their finger against a string onto the fretboard, the finger is acting to stop the string from vibrating past that point. A guitar works similarly, only the finger presses the string into a fret, and the fret itself stops the string from vibrating past that point. Both of these ideas are used to shorten the vibrating length of the strings.

A hurdy-gurdy works the exact same way, only your fingers press a key instead of the string itself. The tangent(s) on that key hit the string, stopping the string from vibrating past that point. This shortens the string, creating a higher pitch!

Each luthier must do careful math to decide where to put each key, otherwise the tangent will not hit at the correct spot, and the instrument will be out of tune.

Changing the scale length

Most quality hurdy-gurdies have an adjustable nut, bridge, and tangents to fine tune your instrument. When you change the position on the nut or bridge, you are altering the scale length. This is important, as if your scale length is off – it will be very difficult to tune all your tangents to the proper spot. Sometimes it is impossible, as the higher keys are closer together, giving you less room to move the tangents.

More on where to position the nut and bridge later.

Moving the nut:

1. De-tune the string a generous amount.
2. If there is a screw, loosen the screw just a half-turn or so.
3. Move the nut a few mm or less.
4. Tighten, but don’t over tighten the screw.
5. Re-tune the string.

Moving the bridge:

1. De-tune the string a generous amount.
2. Move the bridge to the proper place, if need be measure distance between bridge and wheel to check distance.
   • If moving the bridge towards the wheel, loosen the screw on the end of the bridge tie first.
     • If the bridge uses a wire, unwind the wire slightly to make it looser.
3. Tighten the wire or screw on the bridge tie while holding the bridge in place.
4. Re-tune the string.

Understanding octaves

One of the most important things for adjusting the scale length of a hurdy-gurdy is understanding the physics of how octaves work.

If a 400mm scale length melody string is tuned to G3, the octave note will ring out when the vibrating length is cut directly in half. So if you reduce the vibrating length to 200mm, the gurdy will produce the G4 note. Then, if you cut that vibrating length in half to 100mm, it will produce the next octave note – G5. Cut that in half again to 50mm, and it will produce the next octave, a G6. So on so forth until the octaves become so close together it is impossible to be precise enough to actually play a specific note.

This is the reason why hurdy-gurdy keys get smaller as they get higher pitched. Since the first octave takes up 200mm of the scale length, but the 2nd octave only takes up 100mm of scale length in the above example. Every note gets closer and closer to each other.

You see this on guitars as well – the frets get close and closer as they go up the neck, towards the body of the guitar. Violin players have to move their fingers a smaller amount to reach the next note on their instrument as well.

These physics mean the octave key (7th key on the bottom row) should be the halfway point of the scale length. Another way to put it is that the distance from the nut to the octave key should be exactly the same as the distance from the octave key to the bridge. Keep this idea in mind as you follow the below instructions for adjusting scale length.

See this diagram for the scale length, shrinking octaves, and the 7th key:

How to set the proper scale length

It is important to properly apply cotton, rosin, and adjust the string pressure before this process. If you have an improperly setup instrument, the intonation will be off, and the gurdy will be out of tune. If you begin adjusting the scale length without a proper setup, you will likely be making the tuning of the instrument worse, not better!

1. Apply proper cotton, rosin, and adjust string pressure.
2. Start with 1 string. Use the string you play on most commonly.
3. Tune the string to the correct note with your tuner.
4. Set the octave key (7th key bottom row) to straight up and down, do not angle it left or right.
5. Press the octave key with normal pressure and the wheel turning at a normal rate.
   • People tend to press less hard and crank slower while tuning, do a bit of music ending on this note to feel how you normally play it.
6. Check the octave key against a tuner, it should be perfectly in tune, just like the open note.
7. If the octave key is flat, the nut needs to be moved away from the wheel. If the octave key is sharp, the nut needs to be moved towards the wheel.
   • Continue to check the open note and the octave note, they should both be perfectly in tune.
   • Do not move on until this step is perfect.
8. Tune all of the tangents based on this scale length (see next section)
   • You can tune by tuner, if you want to play with other instruments – but it will not sound as pretty against the drone.
   • You can tune by ear against a drone, but it will not play well with other instruments.
9. If you notice all the tangents sound best pointed inwards towards the octave key, move the bridge away from the wheel.
   • This means that the scale length is too short.
10. If you notice all the tangents sound best pointed outwards away from the octave key, move the bridge towards the wheel.
    • This means that the scale length is too long.
11. If you had to move the bridge, the string pressure is likely off, and you need go back to step 1 and start over again.
12. Once everything is setup correctly, do the same process for the 2nd melody string, but tune the tangents against the 1st melody string (if they are the same note).
    • If the 2nd or 3rd melody string is a different pitch, it will need to restart the process from the start – but do not move the bridge as it will mess with the original melody string
    • If all the melody strings share a nut, you may need to find a compromise between them, and adjust tangents to make up for it.

And that’s it! It may take you a while to do this, but do it properly once and you’ll be set for a long time.

A shortcut is to ask your luthier what the proper distance between the bridge and wheel are, and use a micrometer or caliper to measure that distance. Bridge to wheel distance is important for intonation, so it may be best to just set the bridge in place and then adjust the nut until the octave key is tuned properly. Or just measure the bridge distance to the octave key, and then measure the octave key to the nut and make sure they are the same distances.

Tuning the Tangents

Tuning the tangents is the longest part of this whole process. There is no shortcut, but it is the most important part to having an in-tune hurdy-gurdy.

Tuning tangents should be done as a part of setting the scale length. If you tune all your tangents before setting the scale length, you will just have to re-do the whole process later.

Most important thing is to make sure the open note is tuned exactly right. If you start off wrong, you will only make it worse!

Tune the drone to the melody string by ear. If you have more than 1 drone, pick your favorite! You will know the drone is in tune when they sound perfectly pure together, with no “waviness”.

Once the drone and melody string are perfectly in tune, start working on 1 tangent at a time. I like to do the bottom row of keys first. When tuning tangents, make sure you are cranking at a normal speed and using proper finger pressure. Most people tend to crank slower and press less hard when tuning – avoid this.

Here is an example of tuning a wooden tangent:

Different types of tangents

Wooden tangents

Wooden tangents are nice because you can crank with your right hand while you twist the tangent with your left hand. Make sure you do not push the tangent too hard into the string, check for proper finger pressure by playing normally, and emulate that while pushing the tangent into the string.

Friction Fit tangents

Friction fit tangents are easy to move, you should be able to change their position by twisting them left or right with your fingers (similar to above example video).

If the tangent is too tight and does not move easily, use pliers to gently twist back and forth, or twist in place to the proper position. Be careful not to snap the tangent off from the stem! If your tangents are tight, it may be too humid in your room.

Screw on tangents

Screw on tangents are easy to move, but require a basic tool like a screw driver or Allen wrench (see above video).

1. Unscrew the screw slightly, maybe 1/4 of a turn.
2. Use you fingers to twist the tangent into the proper position.
3. Push down on the tangent to hold it into place.
4. Tighten the screw firmly, but do not over tighten.

The tangent may want to twist as you tighten the screw, make sure you do not let it move out of position or you will have to re-do the process.

Metal tangents

Metal tangents are a bit tricker, you cannot change the position easily while cranking, and you have to make sure all the tangents on 1 key hit the string at the exact same time.

1. Unscrew the screw slightly, maybe 1/4 of a turn.
2. Use you fingers to twist the tangent into the proper position – consider the left and right angle as well as forward and backwards positioning. Try to emulate the original distance from the string.
3. Hold the tangent in place with one hand.
4. Tighten the screw firmly, but do not over tighten.
5. Repeat until it is properly tuned.

Conclusion

Tuning a hurdy-gurdy is a long process, but it is worth it when your gurdy sounds better than it ever has. It is important to be detail oriented the first time. Set aside a few hours, and take breaks as needed to reset your ears!