Len Zon: The Longest Note

(graphic whooshes) (typewriter clacking) (gentle music) - When I was in college, everybody had to take a religion class.

Being a trumpet player, I started reading extensively about the rams horn, or the shofar.

These are both shofars.

This is the classical shofar and these are the shofars that we use most of the time in the synagogue.

(shofar playing) About five years ago I happened to see my canter and I just mentioned to him that I played shofar and he says I want you to come up to my office and try out.

And I said, you know, if you're really good you can play any note on the horn and you can play songs.

So I start playing When the Saints Go Marching In on the shofar.

(shofar playing) His eyes just were so big.

And that started my career in my synagogue as one of the shofar players on the high holidays.

Doing the high holidays is a very positive thing.

It makes you part of the ceremony.

It's also very anxiety provoking.

The big pressure is at the very end you have to hit a note called (Hebrew words), or is a big (Hebrew word).

The longer you can hold the note the more happiness the entire audience will have for their year.

So it's been very important to play as long as you possibly can.

I've been up to about 30 seconds I can hold the note, which is a pretty long time for your typical shofar player.

(shofar playing)