Acme siren

The Acme siren is a musical instrument used for funny sound effects. It was made by Acme Whistles in 1895 and makes the sound of a police siren. It is one of the few aerophones in the percussion section.

The instrument is made of metal and is shaped like a tube. Inside the tube is a fan that spins when the player blows into it, making the sound. Blowing harder makes the fan spin faster and creates a higher pitch. Blowing softer makes the pitch lower.

Iannis Xenakis used it in the 1960s in his works Oresteia, Terretektorh, and Persephassa. A siren was used in Bob Dylan's album, Highway 61 Revisited. It can also be heard in Stevie Wonder's song "Sir Duke" and in Supertramp's song "The Logical Song".