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Thread: How to blow a shankha?

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    How to blow a shankha?

    Namaste!

    I got one... and have no idea how to do it.... does anyone have any tips on how to blow a shankh? I watched a few instructional videos but i don't really understand them............

    Thank you anyone for your help!

    Jai Ganesha!

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    Re: How to blow a shankha?

    Quote Originally Posted by catnip View Post
    Namaste!

    I got one... and have no idea how to do it.... does anyone have any tips on how to blow a shankh? I watched a few instructional videos but i don't really understand them............

    Thank you anyone for your help!

    Jai Ganesha!
    Vannakkam: You have to purse your lips and make them vibrate as in a trumpet or trombone player would. It does take some practice. I used to be able to make an awkward sound, but its been awhile. Good luck with learning.

    Aum Namasivaya

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    Re: How to blow a shankha?

    Namaste!

    thank you i will try

    Jai Ganesha!

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    Re: How to blow a shankha?

    Namaskar,

    How goes your efforts, Catnipji?

    I was a woodwind player rather than brass, but did learn some trumpet from my Dad. Both disciplines have a specific way of holding the mouth, called Embouchure. EMji is right, this is key to blowing a Conch, or Shankh. It's not just how you purse the lips, but how you hold them stiffly together and against the teeth. This braces the buzz you need to create for brass instruments and Shankhs, and also reinforces the air from the lungs. Think of it like the sound comes from your heart or the diaphragm, not from the Instrument. In one long stream, as if you are singing a loud sustained note, blow from the diaphragm, not from higher up in the chest or throat like when you speak.

    The note and tone are expressed and modulated by the shape of your lips and how they vibrate together. Changing their shape, thus their vibration, will change the note. You can practice without the Conch, hold your lips tight in one place but not so tight you can't blow through them and make them buzz, hold your chin flat, and hold your cheeks in - do not let them puff out. You should be able to feel the corners of your mouth. Take a deep breath and let your lips buzz together, kind of like when you give a raspberry to a baby only harder.

    Change the shape of your embouchure by pulling back the corners of your lips to make them more of a straight line, or pursing to make less of one, and the tone of the buzz you make gets higher or lower respectively - this is part of how Brass players change Register when they play, and it also applies to woodwinds to a lesser extent.

    Enjoy your Shankh, and do let us know how you get on.

    Pranams
    ~~~~~
    What has Learning profited a man, if it has not led him to worship the good feet of Him who is pure knowledge itself?
    They alone dispel the mind's distress, who take refuge at the feet of the incomparable one.
    ~~Tirukural 2, 7

    Anbe Sivamayam, Satyame Parasivam

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    Re: How to blow a shankha?

    Quote Originally Posted by Aanandinii View Post

    I was a woodwind player rather than brass,
    Vannakkam: Yay, a musician! You'd probably enjoy the nadaswaram then.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpRKWPqY2Hc

    Aum Namasivaya

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    Re: How to blow a shankha?

    Quote Originally Posted by Eastern Mind View Post
    You'd probably enjoy the nadaswaram then.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpRKWPqY2Hc
    Namaskar EMji,

    Yay! Oh, I love the double-reeds, all of them! Especially the ones traditionally played with an accompanying drone. There's something in their timbre that just grabs me somewhere deep.

    Thank you so much for the link! =D

    Pranams
    ~~~~~
    What has Learning profited a man, if it has not led him to worship the good feet of Him who is pure knowledge itself?
    They alone dispel the mind's distress, who take refuge at the feet of the incomparable one.
    ~~Tirukural 2, 7

    Anbe Sivamayam, Satyame Parasivam

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    Re: How to blow a shankha?

    Quote Originally Posted by Aanandinii View Post
    Namaskar EMji,

    Yay! Oh, I love the double-reeds, all of them! Especially the ones traditionally played with an accompanying drone. There's something in their timbre that just grabs me somewhere deep.

    Thank you so much for the link! =D

    Pranams
    Vannakkam: I didn't even know nadaswaram is a double reed I know so little. Each summer for our local temple festival we get a thavil and nadaswaram player from Toronto for the 11 days straight. It's like a free concert for 5 hours a day. (morning and night). They have incredible endurance also. But it's really loud inside, especially if you sit close.

    Aum Namasivaya

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    Re: How to blow a shankha?

    Quote Originally Posted by Eastern Mind View Post
    ...Each summer for our local temple festival we get a thavil and nadaswaram player from Toronto for the 11 days straight. It's like a free concert for 5 hours a day. (morning and night). They have incredible endurance also. But it's really loud inside, especially if you sit close.

    Aum Namasivaya
    Namaskar,

    I think I will always be that kid at the front of the concert pit or standing as close to the speaker as possible.
    Goodness, they surely must have some amazing endurance! Double-reeds are notoriously demanding to play, and for so long! It takes someone who is devoted to music to do that. It must be beautiful! Must think about going around your way some summer...

    Pranams
    ~~~~~
    What has Learning profited a man, if it has not led him to worship the good feet of Him who is pure knowledge itself?
    They alone dispel the mind's distress, who take refuge at the feet of the incomparable one.
    ~~Tirukural 2, 7

    Anbe Sivamayam, Satyame Parasivam

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    Re: How to blow a shankha?

    Quote Originally Posted by Aanandinii View Post
    Namaskar,

    I think I will always be that kid at the front of the concert pit or standing as close to the speaker as possible.
    Goodness, they surely must have some amazing endurance! Double-reeds are notoriously demanding to play, and for so long! It takes someone who is devoted to music to do that. It must be beautiful! Must think about going around your way some summer...

    Pranams
    Vannakkam: Toronto Sri Lankan temples all have similar festivals. The musicians come from India on 2 year stints, and work for a company (booking agent), then work in pairs for all the various temples, weddings etc. So Toronto would be closer. This http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxSkQocYXK8 is in Toronto.

    Aum Namasivaya

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