making of unari sound bow

The whirring bow (also known as a musical bow) is a further development of the flying kite bow from South-East Asia and East Asia, known in Japan as UNARI – a monophonic kite musical bow. It consists of a wooden slat across which a strip of material – the string – is stretched, and which is made to rotate around its own axis with the aid of a rope attached at the centre.

As it rotates, the string is set vibrating by the wind, producing a shrill, intense sound. The sound itself can be varied by adjusting the length of the bow, the type of string and the tension. The strip can be painted and decorated. Ornamental elements can be attached to the ends of the strip.

Participants make their own wind bow. Through making and using the wind bow, participants are introduced to sound production via vibrating columns of air – known as aerophones.