That’s my cousin, Mitch, and his son, Max!

Josh Dorf

______________________________________

So Bob,
L’shana Tova U’Metukah. The newsletter is always great. Read it this morning.

The shofar blowing you referenced are my husband and son.

Here is the link to a story about them and their 11 years of blowing shofar at WBT and why in the most recent Jewish Journal.

Enjoy the read, we sure enjoy reading you!

jewishjournal.com/news/los_angeles/community/304893/the-family-that-plays-shofar-together/
Lynda Dorf
Communications-Marketing-Strategy

______________________________________

Happy New Year Bob,

My wife Lynda just responded to you about the shofar blowers you referenced in last night’s news letter. I believe she sent you this weeks JJ article about our story:

jewishjournal.com/news/los_angeles/community/304893/the-family-that-plays-shofar-together/

Btw, we used to be Sunset Park Neighbors.

Monday was my son Max’s and my 11th out of the past 12 years blowing shofar together at WBT. Musically, here’s what’s happening when we play and why and how it sounds that way. It’s a bit technical but so incredible that these two instruments purchased 6 years and 6,000 miles apart from each other are naturally almost perfectly in tune with each other.

Both shofars can play the root - 5th - and octave of a major chord. My shofar’s natural root is an Eb. For the calls TE'KI'AH, SH’VA'RIM, TE'RU'AH and TE'KI'AH GE'DO'LAH, I play the root (Eb) - 5th (Bb) - and octave (Eb) producing the basis of an Eb major chord Eb - Bb – Eb.

Max’s shofar’s root is a G and can play the 5th above that (D) and octave (G). So he can make the foundation of a G Major chord G – D – G

Separate, they make two distinct chords, Mitch’s Eb Major and Max's G Major. Now this is all due to the natural size and shape of the shofar as well as which of the three natural pitches we play.

However, when we blow in combination together for the first and last sections of the shofar service Malchiyot (G-d is the incomparable King of The Universe) and Shofarot (Blasts of the Shofar), I play the root - 5th - Octave (Eb - Bb - Eb) and Max just plays his root (G) in tempo. Here we make a G Maj chord Eb – G – Bb – Eb, which sounds triumphant and exhilarating and brings up emotions of happiness, cheerfulness, confidence, brightness and satisfaction. His G is about 5 cents flat of a perfect 3rd from my Eb so there’s a bit of dissonance, which makes it sound even more interesting.

Another really cool thing happens during the middle section of the Shofar service is called Zichronot, which is about remembrance. This is the section you referenced. For those 30 blasts, we invert the horns where Max plays his root - 5th and octave (G – D – G) and I just play my 5th (Bb) in tempo with him. That becomes a Minor 3rd above his root (G). So, now we create a G minor chord. Minor chords are considered to be somewhat sad, reflective or more serious and may even create an emotion of mystery, which is exactly Zichronot!

Yesterday we blew at 5 services.

If you go to your link (www.wbtla.org/live) and choose the 8:45am service then go to 2:14:00 you’ll hear a TE'KI'AH GE'DO'LAH for the ages.

Shana Tovah,

Mitch Dorf

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