[Trombone-l] Conch shell on Reveultas

[David Goldfarb]

Another place to find them is from the shell dealers on the North Shore of
O'ahu in Hawai'i.  The shells that are played traditionally in the islands
are the Horned Helmet (Cassis cornuta) and the Triton (Charonia tritonis),
and the shell dealers usually have some that are cleaned up and roughly
prepared for blowing, so you can test them out and see if they have a good
sound and what the fundamental pitch is.  Then when you get it home, you can
improve the mouthpiece hole by filing it out, sanding and polishing it.  I
have one that plays about an Ab.

If you look at the prices from international wholesale shell dealers on the
internet, the prices on O'ahu are significantly higher, but being able to
test them out and knowing whether they are playable is worth something of a
premium in my opinion.

David A. Goldfarb

On 8/15/07, Jeff Albert <jeffalbert.smb at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> On 8/14/07, Raymond Horton <rayhorton at insightbb.com> wrote:
>
> >
> > Are these conch shells available anywhere?  I wonder if I could find one
> > that: (1) is pitched in E; or (2) has a larger aperture;, or both.
> >
>
>
> I don't know the piece, but I do have a playable conch shell.  They
> aren't widely available, at least not easily.  I got mine in
> Guadeloupe.  I saw a guy selling shells for tourists downtown and told
> him I was looking for one I could play.  He said to come back the next
> day, and he had a couple that he had cut for playing.  I picked one (I
> was fairly broke at the time).
>
> You can shape and size the rim to some extent.  I have read Turre's
> accounts of making some of his shells, or at least shaping the rims,
> so it can be done I am just not sure how easily.
>
> As for the pitch, I find I can get about a minor third, or maybe a
> fourth out of each partial by changing my hand placement in the
> opening.  The farther in you put your hand, the lower the pitch goes,
> so if it makes an F#, getting an E out should be doable.
>
> To hear a lot of shell playing, check out Steve Turre's album
> "Sanctified Shells."  It probably doesn't have much to do with the
> piece you have to play, but it's pretty cool.
>
> Jeff
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-- 
David A. Goldfarb
http://www.echonyc.com/~goldfarb