Embachure

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. Sounds of the Shofar: Musical InterpretationBecause there was a dispute as to the actual sound of the teruah, the musical notes occur in sequence, in order to show this compromise. (Rosh Hashanah 4:9) There are also regional (Lithuanian, Hungarian, Sephardim, etc.) Differences regarding the exact notes sounded for the different sounds. The following section is based on the system I use.The tekiyah note starts out as a low note, near the fundamental tone of the Shofar; then it rises quickly about three notes in the diatonic scale.

 

Finally, it proceeds to a full octave above the first note. This may be diagrammed as follows:The higher notes are obtained by tightening the lips.The shevarim consists of the short blasts, each one-third the duration of the tekiyah.The teruah is simply nine staccato notes sounded in rapid succession. Again, the duration is one ninth that of the tekiyah. To correctly render the teruah, it is necessary to accent the last note. There is also another school that accents the last note and takes the note up a third. The teruah is a sound of nine staccato blasts. The tekiyah gedolah is an elongated tekiyah. Hold it as long as you are able. You should be able to hold it for 30-40 seconds with the proper breathing from the diaphragm and chest cavity, as any wind instrumentalist will tell you. When you have developed your embouchure sufficiently well, it is possible to elongate the third note as well as the second. This end flourish is dramatic. Which brings me to an often-asked question: "how long should you hold the last note (tekiah gedolah)?" Many people feel self-conscious about holding the note too long so as to seem to show off my answer is rooted in the Mishnah, Rosh Hashanah 3:3, which indicates that the duty of the day (Rosh Hashanah) falls on the Shofar. Therefore, Rosh Hashanah is associated with the Shofar. Thus, the more emphasis on the Shofar, the better. (Ramban, Mishneh Torah, Laws of Shofar 11)

 

Physics of Sound