Editing Conch (section)

==Musical instruments==
{{main article|Conch (instrument)}}
Conch shells can be used as [[wind instrument]]s. They are prepared by cutting a hole in the [[spire (mollusc)|spire]] of the shell near the [[apex (mollusc)|apex]] and then blowing into the shell as if it were a trumpet, as a [[blowing horn]]. Sometimes a mouthpiece is used, but some shell trumpets are blown without one. Pitch is adjusted by moving one's hand in and out of the aperture; the deeper the hand, the lower the note.

Various species of large marine [[gastropod shell]]s can be turned into blowing shells, but some of the best-known species used are the sacred chank or ''shankha'' ''Turbinella pyrum'', the Triton's trumpet ''[[Charonia tritonis]]'', and the queen conch ''[[Strombus gigas]]''.

One of the most famous musical instruments was found in the [[Marsoulas Cave|Marsoulas cave]] in the [[Pyrenees|Pyrenees Mountains]], in [[France]], in 1932. CT scans showed how ancient humans adapted the Concho to make it a musical instrument, such as creating a mouthpiece that was held together by an organic matter like [[clay]] or [[wax]]. Researchers from the [[University of Paris|Sorbonne]], together with a professional horn player, were able to use it again as a musical instrument and play it.

Examples of this practice in the Americas can be seen in the form of historical artifacts at the [[Museo Larco]] in [[Lima]], [[Peru]], and [[Museo Nacional de Antropología]] in [[Mexico City]], [[Mexico]].