Hebrew samples

[tunesmith]

Looking for sample library with Hebrew or mid-eastern samples. Working on Christmas music and need as original to the region as possible,
Thanks

[XanaX]

Are you looking for Hebrew language vocal samples or instruments? There aren\'t really that many instruments specifically \"Hebrew,\" aside from the shofar (ram\'s horn). Any library containing Middle Eastern samples such as ney flute, kanoun, santur, darbukas and dumbeks should capture the mood you\'re looking for (which I\'m assuming is something along the lines of \"Judea in the time of Jesus\' birth\"). A couple good older Akais are Mediterranean Instruments and Mediterranean Atmospheres. images/icons/smile.gif

[tunesmith]

Thanks for the reply, yes I am looking for instruments. I will follow up on your suggestions.

Thanks again

[mschiff]

I have several shofarim if you need samples of them. You can hear one of them in my song \"Tekiah\" at www.mp3.com/starbirth. (\"http://www.mp3.com/starbirth.\")

-- Martin

[J. Whaley]

Tunesmith, I\'ve done my fair share of Chrismas music myself. A couple years ago I bought the Ethno World Collection from Sounds Online (I think) and it has served me well. Particularly percussion wise. It also has some cool wind instruments. Some of the tuning is non-western though and hard to work with (IMO). Also the collection Deepest India seems to really have some cool stuff on it. I\'ve been thinking I might get that next time I get some Christmas projects!

I\'ve found the best success for wind instruments is to use traditional winds, particularly double reeds, and focus more on Middle Eastern implied modes. If you\'re writing for a western audience this seems to connect better then potentially genuine eastern instruments.

Also realize, if you\'re writing for other characters in the story (ie wise men and kings from other lands!) you can easily jump the hebrew ship and pull in other instruments images/icons/smile.gif

[tunesmith]

Martin,
they sound great, how do I go about getting them??

Jim

[zquarles]

I would be very interested in finding a Shofar sound as well...it just so happens I need one in my current project (that I just found out about today).

[mschiff]

I will try and put some shofar samples together tomorrow and post them for download. Anything in particular that you are looking for? The traditional calls on the shofar are only two different pitches in several different patterns.

You can hear one of the patterns called Tekiah (which means blast) in my song of that name mentioned above. The other calls are Teruah (a trumpet sound with multiple stacatto tones) and Shevarim (a wailing sound). The final one is Tekiah Gedolah which is a VERY long Tekiah (the great tekiah). I have several shofars. One is a large (about 3 feet long) twisted kudo horn, and the others are traditional rams horns.

The shofar is traditionally blown on Rosh Hashana (Jewish new year) and Yom Kippur (day of atonement). I don\'t think it they would have any meaning at all in a Christmas song, but feel free to use them as you wish.

-- Martin

[Bruce A. Richardson]

I\'m still pondering the oxymoron of Hebrew Christmas music. images/icons/tongue.gif

[zquarles]

Well, for my project, I just need a Shofar call on a D#.

[tunesmith]

I\'m still pondering the oxymoron of Hebrew Christmas music

Lets see oxymoron?

The events took place in Israel, a Jewish mother gives birth to a Jewish baby who is the Jewish Messiah. All this told in a Jewish book written by Jews for Jews. The first Christians were Jewish, the ancient has become the contemporary. Hebrew Christmas Music - it\'s about time isn\'t it?

[J. Whaley]

Yea I can bite that one.... can we hear it!?

[mschiff]

Check out the \"Free shofar sample\" thread for...you guessed it. A free shofar sample.

Zack, Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but shofars are not tuned. If you want d#, you will have to use autotune more than likely. I didn\'t even check to see what the pitch was. The other two shofars are pitched differently, but the likelihood that they are on concert pitch (whaddaya think, they breed rams with pitched horns? images/icons/smile.gif )is small. It just happens that the one I used in Tekiah was pretty close to concert pitch (I think the low note was C), but it was not a D#. I will post it soon.

-- Martin

[XanaX]

Let\'s see---I\'ve been able to get 3 tones (major triad) out of my father-in-law\'s shofar (3 foot Yemenite---the shofar, not my father-in-law). But since I\'m a sax player my embochure isn\'t really up to the task. Martin---didn\'t you say somewhere that your son plays trumpet? With trumpet chops, he should be able to coax 4 or 5 notes out of it---maybe more? Statistically, there\'s a good chance one of your shofars will produce a D#. images/icons/wink.gif

[mschiff]

Xanax,

Yes, I can get more than 2 pitches out of it, but the sound does not meet your tag line criterion images/icons/wink.gif . Actually, I\'m a trombone player, and though my embouchure is not what it used to be, I can do better than my son on the shofar since I played it for over 20 years in the temple. I did actually have him try it to see if he could do better when my lip started to get tired, and he was unsuccessful. He wanted to put his trumpet mouthpiece in it images/icons/wink.gif .

This one is a Yemenite shofar as well.

-- Martin

[zquarles]

Martin-
Excellent!
I\'m downloading it now.
You can actually get different pitches out of the shofar, but as you know, it is a permanant solution. You must SAW THE BADBOY DOWN! The more you physically saw off of the horn, the higher the pitch...at least that\'s the theory.

I, on the other hand, will saw it down...in Sound Forge. images/icons/smile.gif

Thanks so much for the gift Martin, I greatly appreciate it!