Bullroarer

The Schwirrgerät, also Schwirrholz, English Bullroarer, is one of the oldest musical instruments or handpieces for tones. It belongs to the vortex aerophones.

Tone

The Schwirrgerät is a flat, usually oval piece of wood or bone from 15 to 50 cm in length with rounded edges, which is swinging at a about 1 to 2.5 meters long string in a circle. In this case, the wood is offset by itself in rotation and the cord twisted. This creates vortices and the pressure variation of the vortex creates a deep, on rising and falling tone, which merges with an increase in speed in a hum or buzzing. Both the vortex and oscillation of the timber caused the sounds. Its sound is similar to any other musical instrument, and is dependent on the shape of the device and the rotational speed. By even in windy widely audible sound can communicate over long distances away with this instrument. The typical frequency of the whirling boards is around 80 Hz

Use

The Schwirrgerät has already been used in the Upper Paleolithic, where there are findings in Jerichow in Saxony- Anhalt, in Stellmoor from the Ahrensburg culture in Schleswig -Holstein and in the Grotte de la Roche, Lalinde in the Dordogne from the Magdalenian in France in Central Europe.

The Schwirrgerät came in diverse cultures of Africa ( South Africa) across Asia and Papua New Guinea to Australia for use. Today, it is among the Aborigines of Australia and some Indian peoples of North America in use, the call Bullroarer.

The Aborigines use their often richly painted and provided with carvings, Bora-Bora to initiate said Schwirrgeräte also for ritual communication with their ancestors and to their ceremonies. As one of the most famous political Australian rock band, Midnight Oil, in their song Bullroarer ( the CD Diesel And Dust, 1987) grossed tones of Schwirrgeräts, they were criticized for violently by the Aborigines, because these sounds are part of sacred rituals and they are not in songs may be played.

The Schwirrgerät occurs in the Dreamtime Aboriginal history Byamee and the Bullroarer. The Byamee is a dream time being, which gives the Schwirrgerät his, only his own sounds.

An application example is in the movie Crocodile Dundee II (1988 ) are shown. Here the Schwirrgerät is used by the protagonists as a communication tool.

Gow wants to identify the Greek Iynx ( ἴυγξ ) or the Roman rhombus as Schwirrgerät. It may be also be a magical instrument that is rotated between two cords in place and serves as a symbol of Eros, as depicted on Greek vases. Hoepfner identified it as a roundabout, however.

Bullroarer the Diné ( groanings stick )

Bullroarers of the Gros Ventre ( making cold)

Bullroarer from the British Isles (56 cm long)