Hmm, the sound sample at the Hackmann's site plays just fine for me. Maybe you should try it again, and not be too quick to write off the largest repository of hurdy-gurdy information on the web. Did you find the pages about building a hurdy-gurdy on their site? It lists lots of books and plans that are available.

My band's web site also has some sound samples if the other one still won't work for you.

I have to say that an attempt to build something as complicated as a hurdy-gurdy without ever having seen one seems doomed to failure. Maybe if you get on the HG email list and ask around there will be someone near you who would show one to you.

To answer your question, the keys are pressed upward at a slant toward your chest. The HG sits in your lap with the keys pointed down and slightly away from you. The return to their starting position with gravity, not springs. Dental floss will sound terrible, so if you are trying to let people know what a HG sounds like, you may want to consider using instrument strings of some kind. The fact that you are asking if the melody strings and drone strings both touch the wheel indicates that you don't even know how the thing makes noise, which makes me wonder how you think you can build one. The wheel spins and rubs the strings, like a violin bow. That's the only way the strings get sounded. If they aren't touching the wheel, they don't make noise. Most instruments have two notches on the bridges, one for the string to touch the wheel and sound, and one for the wheel to not touch the wheel and be silent. I encourage you to go back to the web sites you've been pointed at and do some research. The Hackmann's web site also includes links to just about every other HG web site on the web.

John Peekstok