Da Vinci designed a keyboard instrument

A friend of mine, Jeffrey Slezak, sent me this link to the article and video about Da Vinci's keyboard instrument - Viola Organista (thanks to Jeffrey for sharing this). It has features of the cello, harpsichord and organ - a keyboard, strings, four spinning wheels wrapped in horse-tail hair (like violin bows) and a pedal to turn them.

The sound is absolutely incredible - it's difficult to distinguish from cello. On top of that - it can play polyphony because of the keyboard.

Da Vinci never saw this instrument completed but after 500 year's of this invention Polish concert pianist Slawomir Zubrzycki made it himself. It took 5000 hours in 3 years for him to do it.

Read the article and see the video

You will never believe what you are hearing until you see it...