Bullroarer

The bullroarer is a member of the free reeds and interruptive aerophones (Hornbostel–Sachs 412.22). Learn how it makes its sound and explore related instruments.

How the bullroarer makes its sound

In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the bullroarer belongs to the free reeds and interruptive aerophones: air is periodically interrupted by a vibrating reed or blade – the accordion, harmonica, sheng and bullroarer.

More broadly it is one of the aerophones (wind instruments), where sound comes from vibrating air.

Its timbre – the colour that lets you tell it apart from other instruments playing the same note – comes from the mix of overtones its body and resonator emphasise.

From Wikipedia

The bullroarer, rhombus, or turndun is an ancient ritual musical instrument and a device historically used for communicating over great distances. It consists of a piece of wood attached to a string, which when swung in a large circle produces a roaring vibration sound.

It dates to the Paleolithic period, examples dating from 18,000 BC having been found in Ukraine. Anthropologist Michael Boyd, a bullroarer expert, documents a number found in Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Australia. In Ancient Greece, it was a sacred instrument used in the Dionysian Mysteries and is still used in rituals worldwide. It was a prominent musical technology among the Australian Aboriginal people, used in ceremonies and to communicate with different people groups across the continent.