Here's Something You Don't See Everyday

In fact, you've likely never seen or heard it before: an instrument designed by Leonardo Da Vinci, constructed and played for the first time. It somehow combines the effects of a piano and a cello.

4 comments:

  1. Amazing! I would love to see the workings of that...Causes a bit of mental dissonance hearing the sound of bowed strings coming from what looks like a piano!.

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  2. Gringo2:54 PM

    It sounds to me like a combination of an organ and a harpsichord. Well worth the listen.

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  3. Very nice. Makes me want to explore the mechanism with my hands, to see how it works! Perhaps I'll search for blueprints.

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  4. I was wondering what our cellist would have to say.

    You can see the inner workings a bit in this video- appears to be that the foot pedal works a series of wheels, and the strings are bent by the keys to rub the wheel- very much like a Hurdy-Gurdy.

    I thought it was quite interesting, but seemed to lack some depth and finesse as compared to a cello- but perhaps that's made up for with the ability to play so many strings (and notes) at once?

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