A hurdy gurdy is a stringed musical instrument played by a rosin-covered wheel . The instrument came into a new public consciousness when Donovan released his hit rock song , Hurdy Gurdy Man , in 1968 . Although the song did n't feature an actual hurdy gurdy in the mix ( but did feature three members of the later rock group Led Zeppelin ) , the repeated reference to the Hurdy Gurdy in the song 's lyrics sparked a new curiosity and interest about the instrument by the youth at the time , eventually resulting in an annual hurdy gurdy music festival in the Olympic Peninsula area of the state of Washington each September .