How To Blow a Shofar
- September 17, 2009
- 7,043 Views
from
Dynamic Content Productions
(and 1 other) Subscribe
- Actor Rabbi David M. Posner
Master the art of coaxing music from a shofar, or ram’s horn, an instrument played on certain Jewish holy days.
You Will Need
- A shofar
- Practice
Step 1: Wet your lips and blow
Moisten your lips and position the mouthpiece at the right corner of your lips. With your lips tightly pursed, vibrate them in the same way you would to blow a raspberry.
If no sound comes out, practice with your lips against the palm of your hand, or try holding the shofar against a different part of your lips.
Step 2: Learn the four sounds
Learn the four distinct sounds made with the shofar at various points in Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services.
There are many variations of each of the four sounds.
Step 3: Blow a tekiah
Practice how to blow a tekiah, a three-second sustained blast that ends abruptly on a high note.
Step 4: Blow a shevarim
Now learn the shevarim, three one-second notes that rise in tone that each end on a higher note.
Step 5: Blow a teruah
Train yourself to blow 13 short, staccato sounds that resemble an alarm, known as a teruah.
Step 6: End with tekiah gdolah
Learn how to do the tekiah gdolah, a final blast that lasts at least 10 seconds.
Used in biblical times to proclaim the anointing of a new king, the shofar is now played on certain holy days to symbolize the prophet Hosea’s call to “blow the shofar in Zion” and return to God.
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Comments (9)
beautiful location and nicely shot but probably would have been nice to put a kippah on the guy considering where he was standing and what he was doing.
over 2 years ago by dogtide
waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaw
over 2 years ago by Hamma_Khannous
Possibly Classical Reform. Great video, beautiful shul and shofars.
over 2 years ago by MKF
Thank you Rabbi Posner for helping us out with this video!
over 2 years ago by BCipolla
Way to go Rabbi Posner !!! Great video :)
over 2 years ago by Darlene212
Great video. I am starting to get it. I have to try wetting my lips.
over 2 years ago by lauvredis
Great video. I am starting to get it. I have to try wetting my lips.
over 2 years ago by lauvredis
Excellent teaching on the Shhofar! I felt I was back in the Old Testament Times...when the walls of Jericho fell......................Praise God the Father
about 1 year ago by Elizabeth_Marie_Clayton
poor poor animal so ver mean, heartless
about 1 year ago by jancat
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