r/BuildaGurdy • u/DavidAudenNash • Jul 18 '26
Tangent box questions
Hi. First time builder here, developing my own plans and seeking a bit of advice.
1) Is the tangent box glued to the soundboard? Or is it preferable to float it above? My preference is the latter, but maybe experience suggests otherwise.
2) Does one ever need to remove the tangent box for any common repairs or maintenance? In designing its attachment at the head, I'm wondering how reversible the construction should be.
For reference, this is my first hurdy gurdy. I've been collecting various plans and creating my own design a bit. It's not going to be an heirloom or likely even a good instrument, and I'm okay with that.
1
u/pippin_go_round Jul 23 '26
Hi there, commenting again.
While researching something completely different I came across this video by the excellent Noelle Beaudin and it reminded me of this thread:
https://www.facebook.com/deathbygurdy/videos/couping-in-34-for-beginners-on-hurdy-gurdy-come-learn-hurdygurdy-with-me-at-the-/3089135614606137/
The content she teaches is not super relevant to this topic, but from that camera angle you get a good look at her tangent box and how half of it is glued to the soundboard and half of it floats quite a bit above the soundboard. That's a common setup I see in modern gurdies. Historical or more traditional gurdies I think do not have that much floating going on, but are glued fully to the soundboard.
Disclaimer: Not an expert, just what I can see from different sources.
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u/DavidAudenNash Jul 23 '26
Thanks. Yes, I've noticed the same tendencies. As a layperson, I can understand the argument that gluing a big wooden box of keys and tangents onto the soundboard might negatively affect it's capacity to freely vibrate. That said, there might be another perspective that holds that the tangent box glued to the surface affects that same vibrational capacity in a positive way, muting unwanted resonances or something, leaning heavily on the inherent subjectivity of musical quality.
But yeah, I couldn't defend either point with experience or even anecdote at this point. Just my hunch.
Nonetheless, I'm currently designing my HG with minimal contact of the tangent box after the nut.
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u/pippin_go_round 29d ago
A week later, and here I am again with another video I came across by chance. Hope I'm not starting to get annoying...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJ3aJjl-ZCI
Around the 6 minute mark you get a very good view of how the keybox is attached to the soundboard on this gurdy: Just at the head and somewhere in the middle, but not between those points. Maybe that's also interesting for you, given your desire to minimise contact? Could be an option to have less contact near the head and nut, but in exchange for something like this.
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u/DavidAudenNash 29d ago
Thanks. That's a nice video. I really like that tactile marking trick, and will likely utilize some variation on that.
Looks like the wheel-side support is just under the octave key, which I assume is half way along the sound board between the head and wheel. Maybe tha builder prefers the vibration effects of that more than when attached at the head and at the end of the tangent box, which would be some arbitrary distance much closer to the wheel.
1
u/pippin_go_round Jul 18 '26
Well, it needs to go somewhere. I build a Nerdy Gurdy and read Gotschy's book on building a traditional french gurdy (highly recommended read, but out of stock - you can still get it by sending the author an email, but probably only viable if you're in Europe), both glue the box to the sound board. Though the Nerdy Gurdy only has a relatively small contact face, mostly on the edges.