Drone Capos (pronounced 'kay-poe') on a Hurdy Gurdy are mechanisms that attach to the drone strings. Much like a capo on a guitar, these change the 'key' of the instrument. 

They attach to each drone string individually, and with the 'flip of the lever' they instantly raise the pitch of the string by a whole step. For example- a drone string tuned to 'c' can be changed to 'd'.

Our 'Aquitaine' model with a drone capo on the trompette string.

Why would you need these?  
After all, the keychest is chromatic- so no trouble there.  When you change musical keys on a Hurdy gurdies, the player will selectively engage / disengage various drone strings to keep up with the song (don't worry, our lesson book covers this).  If you want to play in a key that your drones don't quite work with, you usually have to start retuning .

Drone capos are a better alternative to this, they give you more flexibility without having to retune. You literally change the key of the instrument with the 'flip of a switch'. 
 ​

We realize this is sort of an advanced topic.  If you're a beginner and wondering if this option is right for you, contact and we'll offer as much information as you like to help decide what's best for your needs.

​How many do I need?
Generally speaking we can add one capo per each drone string. An instrument with four drones (like our 'Moncur' model) can have up to four capos added.  

As we celebrate our 11th generation of instruments, Capos are now included as a standard part of all our models!

Here's a better view of the capo mechanism.

NOW AVAILABLE FOR OUR SYMPHONIE MODEL!
​After much experimentation, we have come up with a design that integrates well with our Symphonie model (the 'Madeline') '. 
These are quite easy to use- just flip the tab and the drone string raises pitch by a whole step. The simpler 'flip tab' capos are included as a standard item on this model.