The Straight Dope

Go Back   Straight Dope Message Board > Main > General Questions

 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Prev Previous Post   Next Post Next
  #1  
Old 05-03-2012, 11:11 AM
Imago Imago is offline
Guest
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Do bowstrings actually make that sound?

In movies, every time someone fires a bow, there's that springy sound effect that's clearly intended to be the string straightening back out from the drawn position. Did real bows made of the wood, sinew, etc people had before modern materials ever actually sound like that? Did they have a sound at all?

I know that the bows people are typically shown using in movies are generally nothing like the ones they'd really be using. Usually they're either so thin and have such a recurve that I don't think the can even be fired at all, or a plain bow that's far too short to have the firing power they're depicted as having. But all the bows I've seen fired in person are your standard modern recreation types, made of completely different substances than the bows of fiction and history- so for all I know, that sound effect could be accurate.
Reply With Quote
 

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 05:15 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.7.3
Copyright ©2000 - 2013, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.

Send questions for Cecil Adams to: cecil@chicagoreader.com

Send comments about this website to: webmaster@straightdope.com

Terms of Use / Privacy Policy

Advertise on the Straight Dope!
(Your direct line to thousands of the smartest, hippest people on the planet, plus a few total dipsticks.)

Publishers - interested in subscribing to the Straight Dope?
Write to: sdsubscriptions@chicagoreader.com.

Copyright © 2013 Sun-Times Media, LLC.