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Conch Facts

Conch Facts
The conch is a musical instrument of the wind family. It is basically an instrument made from a seashell. Conches have existed since the Upper Paleolithic period, an example of which can be found at the Museum de Toulouse in France. Conches are made by cutting a hole in the shell's spire close to the oldest part of the shell (apex), or pointed tip. Sometimes a mouthpiece is added but not always. This is the hole where the conch player blows to produce sound. Various cultures around the world have used conches for centuries including those in India, the Caribbean, Malta, Korea, and Japan.
Interesting Conch Facts:
Conches are made from the shells of gastropods. Gastropods are most well known as sea snails and sea slugs. They can grow to be very large.
Some conch players prefer to use the spire to create the mouthpiece while others prefer to add a mouthpiece to the shell.
Conches are also referred to as shell trumpets, or seashell horns, as well as conques.
The species of conches most well-known include the shankha or chank, the Queen Conch, and triton's trumpet.
In India the conch hold religious importance in Buddhism and Hinduism. It has been used as a war trumpet and is still used in Hindi rituals today.
In Hinduism it is used as a symbol of water and fertility.
In India's state of Kerala the conch is the state emblem.
In the Caribbean the conch was and is still used as a trumpet. There it is referred to as the Queen Conch Strombus gigas.
In the Polynesian and Melanesian cultures the conch is known as Triton's trumpet.
The conch is referred to as a bronja in Malta, and was often used to let people on the islands know that the windmills were operating on a particular day - thanks to the wind. The wind was necessary to make the windmills mill wheat and grains. It is also referred to as a tronga in Malta.
Conch shells can be found most often in warm sea grass beds in tropical locations.
The Stombus gigas is on the endangered species list and trade is very restricted by law - making it less than ideal for moral and ethical reasons to use for creating a conch instrument. This is the species known as Queen Conch.
The conch has been approved by the US Coast Guard as a signalling device because of how loud it can be.
Larger conches produce a deeper pitch than smaller conches.
Aztec musicians played the conch. The larger conches were called quiquiztli.
More modern use of the conch has included using it as part of jazz bands.
The most famous conch player is the American jazz musician Steve Turre, but others around the world include it in their music as well - but it is not as common as the majority of other instruments and used for specific sounds.
The conch was used in the film Alien to create an eerie sound effect during parts of the film's score.


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