Almost everyone who cannot get a sound out of a shofar is making the same mistake. It takes about an hour to fix.
How do you blow a shofar?
Buzz your lips like a trumpet, pressed to one side of the mouthpiece rather than centred. Keep the corners of your mouth firm. Do not blow harder — blow tighter. Most people who get no sound are using too much air and too little lip.
The one mistake nearly everyone makes
People treat a shofar like a whistle and blow into it. It is not a whistle. It is a lip-reed instrument, like a trumpet or a bugle, and the sound is made by your lips vibrating — the horn only amplifies and shapes what your mouth is already doing.
So the first thing to practise is not on the horn at all. Press your lips together, tense them slightly, and blow until they buzz. That buzz is the entire sound. Once you can make it reliably without the shofar, the shofar is easy.
Step by step
1. Find the buzz
Lips together, corners firm, a small opening in the centre. Blow steadily until they vibrate. It should sound rude. If your lips are loose and flapping, tighten. If nothing moves at all, loosen slightly.
2. Put it to one side of your mouth
Not the centre. Place the mouthpiece against the corner of your mouth, roughly where a smile ends. Almost every beginner centres it, and centring is what makes it fight you.
3. Seal, then buzz
Press the mouthpiece firmly enough that no air escapes around it, then make the same buzz. Not a new action — the same one, into the horn.
4. If nothing happens, tighten, do not push
The instinct is to blow harder. Harder makes it worse. Firm the corners of your mouth and narrow the opening. The note appears suddenly rather than gradually, and once you have found it your body remembers.
5. Then work on length
Breathe from the diaphragm, not the chest. A long tekiah is a breath-control exercise, and it improves within days of practising.
The traditional blasts
- Tekiah — one long, unbroken note.
- Shevarim — three medium broken notes, like sighing.
- Teruah — nine short staccato blasts, an alarm.
- Tekiah gedolah — the great tekiah. One long note held as long as breath allows, which closes the sequence.
“How to Blow a Shofar: The Three Main Blasts” · My Jewish Learning — mainstream Jewish, non-denominational. A clear demonstration with no theology attached.
The tekiah on its own, slowly. Useful if you have the buzz but not the note.
Which shofar is easiest for a beginner?
A short ram's horn, 12–14 inches. Less air required, easier to seal, speaks faster. A 34–40 inch kudu looks magnificent and will defeat most first-timers on the night it matters.
Full buying guidance is at Choosing a Shofar — including the coating problem that quietly disqualifies a great many horns sold online as “kosher.”
Common questions
Why can't I get any sound at all?
Nine times in ten: the mouthpiece is centred instead of at the corner of your mouth, or your lips are loose rather than firm. Practise the buzz away from the horn until it is reliable, then return.
How long does it take to learn?
Most adults get a note within an hour and a usable tekiah within a week of short daily practice. Children often get it faster than adults, because they do not overthink it.
Does it matter that my shofar smells?
It is keratin, like a fingernail, and moisture trapped inside is what causes odour. Let it drain mouthpiece-down after blowing, store it in a cloth bag rather than sealed plastic, and keep it away from heat. The smell fades.
Can women blow the shofar?
Practice varies by community. Many Messianic and Hebrew Roots households have no restriction; some more traditional congregations do. Ask where you gather rather than assuming either way.
When do I blow it?
Yom Teruah, which begins at sunset on 11 September 2026, is the commanded day. It is also traditionally sounded through the month of Elul beforehand, and once at the close of Yom Kippur. See our Yom Teruah page.
Judaica lands shortly. In the meantime our standard for what we will and will not call kosher is published at How We Label Kosher.