A Conch Shell Horn

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With summer upon us it is a good time to step back and switch things up with something different.

Conch-1Often horn players make use of the conch shell horn in a presentation on the history of the horn. I have never had one but a couple weeks ago stumbled across this example at a garage sale. It has a couple spots super glued back on, but for $2 I could not pass it up.

The sound is surprisingly powerful on the fundamental it sounds, which for horn in F would be a written E on the top space. The harmonic series offers other pitches as well but they do not sound as powerfully.

The mouthpiece end was simply made by opening up the end of the shell. The other two photos below give views of the rest of the shell.

The seller said he bought it in Hawaii on vacation. It is a neat item that will find a place in my office.

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