Musicaliy of a Shofar

Arthur L. Finkle

Like the trumpet, a shofar has a mouthpiece that is shaped interest is in the quality of the tone and the when the horn is soft. (It is boiled first to extract the inside tissue) however; again there is none of the mathematical precision that is found in the trumpet. To find a shofar that has a nearly perfect relationship sheer luck (Albert Kramer, Secrets of a Shofar Blower, Washington, DC: Gasilla’s Press, 1971, pp. 3-12).

In selecting a shofar, it is critical to sound all the shofars that are available because the easier the relationship of your to the uniqueness of the shofar, the better. The primary interest is in the quality of the tone and the ease with which it is achieved. Almost any hollow tube can be made to produce a sound. But the sound desired is the true tone unique to the shofar. A perfect one cannot really be found because it rough method of construction results in many flaws.

Even with a shofar that seems to be satisfactory, the chances are that after it is blown for a moderate length of time, the warmth of the breath will warp it somewhat. The hope is that a shofar will expand and contract reasonably evenly in all directions with changes in temperature so as not to throw it out of tune. Of course, this is nothing new with musical instruments, whose pitch is always subject to correction. Since the custom is to conceal the shofar before it is played, what better method of concealment than to keep it near the body between the armpit and the chest and underneath the jacket, thereby concealing the shofar and keeping it at body temperature.

The care of the shofar is important for both assuring tonality and preserving the instrument itself. The shofar is conventionally cleansed with vinegar. But this is unsatisfactory. Although our ancestors probably thought that vinegar was a good antiseptic, it is not. Vinegar is a dilute solution of acetic acid. It is 95% water. Water has a hydration effect on the inside wall of the shofar. The hard material of a shofar is made essentially of a hard, globular keratin protein (related to hoof, hair, skin, claws, and fingernails). A manicurist, for example, softens fingernails by placing them in a dish of water. A similar softening effect takes place on the inside wall when vinegar is put into the shofar, and the soft horn walls deaden the sound.

The horn of the animal is made hollow by cleaning out the marrow, blood, and cords. It is usually not possible to clean it out completely. The stringy parts left behind throw off an offensive odor when the parts come into contact with vinegar. A much superior way of keeping the shofar clean is by the use of alcohol. Ordinary rubbing alcohol, either ethyl or isopropyl is satisfactory. Both are highly antiseptic and have the further advantage of drying quickly and completely which vinegar does not. You can obtain a very quick drying by placing the shofar, after running alcohol through it, over the outlet grille of a room air-conditioning unit.

To produce a sound on the shofar, it is necessary to vibrate the air inside of it by placing the horn against the corner of the mouth and by vibrating the lips, which induces vibrations of the air.

Air is an elastic medium in which waves can be reproduced by alternately compressing and rarefying it. Each lip should cover a part, preferably half, of the opening. If the lips are relaxed, they will vibrate and produce sound as the air passes through the horn. A minimum of 16 vibrations per second is necessary to produce sound audible to the human ear. The tauter the lips, the higher the sound pitch.

Contrary to popular belief, it is not a strain to blow the shofar. The effort required is relatively slight in vibrating the lips. In fact, perfecting a decent sound from a French horn or trumpet is much more difficult. In addition, there are no fingering techniques to learn. A shofar is like a primitive bugle.