[Avodah] Shofar Pitch

[D&E-H Bannett]

As the subject has been discussed only on Areivim I suppose the following
should also be on Areivim. Move or copy also to Avodah if you think
necessary


Re: <<A question for Avodah -- is the sound supposed to be level, or
are teqi'os and shevarim supposed to go up in pitch at the end?>>

Tekia is described as a kol pashut. Some would say that pitch changes
at beginning or end are posel and the tekia must be a single tone
from beginning to end. (See R' Moshe Sternbuch "Ha-tekiyot ka-halakha
uv'hiddur").

The word shever itself indicates that the sound is broken. A two-tone
shever is definitely broken. Some (that's me) blow tu-u (low-high)
Others blow tu-u tu (low-high low). The hyphen indicates a slide. The
"space t" indicates tonguing, a more significant separation.

As to the fear that length of a full three makes it a tekiya, the shever
proves that is not a tekiya as it is not a kol pashut. Those who blow a
single pitch shever probably keep the length under three and consider the
untongued gap in the single tone u-u (low-low or high-high) to be a break.

BTW, if the kol shofar is weeping ,the sound of the two-tone shever is
more appropriate than the single-tone type. Consider also that the Yekke
and Yemenite t'rua without tonguing between the notes is much more like
crying than the tongued type.

Untongued and separated in back of throat: 
u-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-u.
Tongued:  tu tu tu tu tu tu tu tu tu.

David