The Hebrew words nefesh, neshamah and ruach all have dual meanings. It requires all the breath I can muster. When channeled through a small opening, this breath produces a vibration throughout the horn. The sound reaches back down into my body, and causes my soul to stir in sympathetic vibration. A silent inner movement of the lungs sets off a loud noise, which in turn sets off a silent inner movement of the soul.
Percussionists know that gongs are slow starters.
With most musical instruments, a physical action immediately creates a sound. But the big flat Chinese-style gongs are different. You do this by repeatedly tapping it with the mallet. Each tap reinforces the vibrations already in motion. To the listeners it sounds as though the whole ocean crashed over us at once, but the truth is that the wave spent a long time gathering strength out at sea before it broke upon the beach.