What is a barrel organ?
Q: What is a barrel organ?
A: A barrel organ is a musical instrument that uses a barrel with pins to select notes and open valves to let air play the pipes.
Q: How does a barrel organ work?
A: The pins on the barrel lift "keys" that open valves and let air from the bellows play the pipes, creating music.
Q: What is the difference between a barrel organ and a music box?
A: A barrel organ is similar to a music box, but it uses pins to pluck a metal harp and opens valves to play pipes, while a music box uses pins to strike metal tines.
Q: What is a hurdy gurdy and how is it related to a barrel organ?
A: A hurdy gurdy is a string instrument that is sometimes wrongly called a barrel organ. While both instruments create music, they are very different in design and operation.
Q: What are the different sizes of barrel organs?
A: Barrel organs come in many different sizes, from hand carried organs to large ones carried on wagons or trailers.
Q: How do you change the tune on a barrel organ?
A: Each barrel on a barrel organ usually has a number of tunes on it, and the tune can be changed by lifting an indexing pin and sliding the barrel to the next index position.
Q: What were some of the uses of barrel organs?
A: Barrel organs were used as both portable instruments that could play six to eight tunes and as stationary instruments built into large houses or churches, where they could accompany singing or play longer, more serious music. Some barrel organs had revolving barrel changers and did not require an organist to play them.
