The ocarina makes a fantastic first instrument because of how easy it is to learn the finger positions for the notes. It comes in three basic styles: Inline, Transverse, and Pendant, and a variety of materials, including plastic, ceramic (clay), and wood.
Prices vary from about US$10 to well into the thousands for a professional instrument. Selection can be overwhelming, especially for someone who is just starting out.
Ocarinas are beautiful. In many cases they are made to be visually appealing. This is one of the reasons that players are so apt to collect them (I own three and have two more in the mail right now).
The visual beauty of the instrument alone is enough reason to enjoy owning one, but the differences in sound mark a significant reason why so many people own more than two or three of these remarkable instruments.
Choosing your first might be nerve-wracking. Forums are full of people asking "which one should I buy first?" Depending on your history with music, the answer can be as simple as "Whichever one you want the most" or as complex as a list of the reasons not to jump off the deep end.
These are my tips for choosing your first ocarina, based on my experience with the instrument and the sellers mentioned in this post.
// Ocarina Style
Ocarinas come in three basic styles that you should consider when ordering your first ocarina: Pendant, Transverse*, and Inline.
The style you choose will depend largely on your budget. Pendant ocarinas are usually the least expensive and come in different materials and different pitch ranges. Their cost is significantly lower than the cost of a transverse ocarina in the same pitch range, but they may be more difficult to learn to play.
If you are looking for an ocarina for a child, I encourage you to consider the size of the child's hands when deciding which style to buy. Inline or pendant ocarinas are better for small hands than transverse ocarinas.
* Transverse ocarinas are sometimes called "sweet potato" ocarinas.
Pendant Ocarinas (Four and Six Holes)
Many people consider pendant ocarinas to be good ocarinas for beginners because of their low cost to buy. Some pendants cost as little as $10, and these inexpensive pendants can make good first instruments for children (who may later lose interest in playing).
Pendant ocarinas come in various sizes, from Soprano to Bass (with soprano instruments being small and bass instruments being quite large and requiring considerable breath to play properly). The of the air chamber (the body of the ocarina) determines the pitch of the notes.
Children can do well with a soprano or possibly an alto instrument. It's best to consider not only the size of the child's hands but also her ability to sustain breath for larger instruments.
These ocarinas are intended to be worn on a cord or chain that hands them around the neck like a piece of jewelry. They are convenient for this reason and can be carried with the player to be played at moments throughout the day. Pendant ocarinas are portable and convenient.
Like other ocarinas, they come primarily in two materials: Clay and Plastic. Wooden pendents are also available but significantly more expensive. Expensive instruments are not recommended for beginners who may lose interest, and for that reason I suggest a clay pendant ocarina such as the one shown above:
A Teardrop Ocarina from Focalink.
I feel strongly that at least one pendant ocarina belongs in every ocarina collection because of its on-the-go convenience and the fact that the more complicated fingerings expand the musical range of the player. They make a good starter ocarina for those who don't want to spend a lot (the one pictured costs US$19.95 on Amazon) and are convenient for traveling.
When looking at pendant-style ocarinas, I highly recommend purchasing from a
trusted seller. I like the selection at
Songbird Ocarinas and
Focalink.
Avoid Peruvian pendant-style ocarinas, as they are (almost) never in tune.
Transverse Ocarinas (Seven, Eight, Ten, and Twelve Holes)
Transverse, or Sweet Potato, ocarinas come with different numbers of holes, from seven to twelve (with eight and ten hole ocarinas in between). These ocarinas are generally more expensive (and if the price sounds too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true).
Soprano transverse ocarinas may be a good first ocarina for older elementary school children, and teens and adults should be perfectly comfortable starting out on an alto sweet potato ocarina. The holes on these should be small enough for young fingers to cover.
Sweet potato ocarinas come in various materials, all kinds of colors, every pitch range from Soprano to Bass. Their progressive fingering makes it easy to learn the notes of the major scale. A twelve-hole ocarina (the most common design) is fully chromatic.
Clay transverse ocarinas can be somewhat heavy, and so I suggest that beginners opt for a plastic ocarina to start out on. These are lighter in weight and less expensive for beginners on a budget. Many people have had luck with
Focalink's popular plastic ocarina (US$29.95 on Amazon).
I am personally a fan of the
Night by Noble ocarina, which can be purchased for US$35.98 on Amazon. This was the ocarina that I bought for my best girlfriend for her birthday and it has given us both a great deal of pleasure. Stay tuned for my upcoming review of the Night by Noble.
Avoid any obviously cheap transverse ocarinas. The least expensive transverse ocarina I trust is $25 for a domestic purchase of a Focalink plastic twelve-hole!
Inline Ocarinas (Six to Twelve Holes)
I have an unfortunate lack of experience with inline ocarinas. The ocarinas depicted above were uploaded to Flickr by
Mountain Ocarinas. It would thrill me to no end to have one of these ocarinas to test and review here on Peace Through Passion.
Most inline ocarinas are made from wood, though they also come in clay and plastic versions as well. Mountain Ocarinas is one of the most popular sellers of inline ocarinas. This is the company I would choose to purchase an inline ocarina from if I currently had the disposable income.
If you have any comments about inline ocarinas, I'd love to hear what you have to say in the comments!
// Ocarina Material
Ocarinas come in a variety of materials, including plastic resin, varying types of clay, wood, and even stone.
Some ocarinas are unique because they are produced from hollowed out stones or geodes. These are too complicated for beginner ocarinas and may be impractical. If you want to play your ocarina, you want to choose something that will play in tune.
If you're choosing for a child, I recommend a plastic ocarina from Focalink. These ocarinas are unlikely to split when they are dropped, have a good sound quality, and are relatively inexpensive. Parents or teachers of smaller children may wish to look at STL's plastic six-hole ocarina in their
education section. Both are affordable ocarinas.
Adult enthusiasts should consider a plastic
Night by Noble. These make a good choice because of their price (US$35.98) and because of their tone quality. Side by side, my Aria (from STL) sounds the same as my best friend's Night by Noble. The latter cost me half the price!
Until you are sure that the ocarina is the right instrument for you, I suggest starting out with something inexpensive that can handle a lot of wear. If you love it like I do, then get yourself an
Aria. Of the ocarinas that I currently own, this is the one that I love the most -- but it was also my first!
// How Many Holes?
Ocarinas have a varying number of holes, from four to twelve. (I'm intentionally not including multi-chambered ocarinas since we're talking about beginner ocarinas here!)
I learned to play on a twelve-hole ocarina. Ten holes plus two-sub holes create the range of thirteen notes. The scale is played by progressively lifting each of the fingers (and thumbs) until only the pinky of the left hand remains (and is then lifted to reach the highest note of the scale).
Four and Six hole ocarinas have a more complex fingering system that is easy enough to memorize, but which may be discouraging to those who are looking to get started quickly.
The beauty of a twelve-hole ocarina is that you don't have to play the sub-holes. If you don't, you have a ten-hole instrument with simple, progressive fingering.
My recommendation is a twelve-hole ocarina for older children and adults, with four or six-hole ocarinas being the recommendation for younger children (with small hands).
// Other Considerations
One thing I've learned over the past year is that if you don't love the ocarina you buy, you're not going to play it -- at least not at first. This is an easy instrument to learn, but a difficult instrument to master, and in order to reach the point of mastery, you'll want to spend a lot of time with your ocarina.
When I bought my first ocarina, I really wanted the Dragon Tooth from Songbird. It was more expensive than what I wanted to pay at the time and the good people at
The Ocarina Network talked me down.
I found the Aria difficult to play at first, and put it down for months before picking it up again. The Dragon Tooth is much easier to play, and I wish I'd bought it first.
(The Aria is still my favorite though!)
// Conclusions
The best ocarina for you is the one that you can comfortably hold in your hands, which has holes small enough for the size of the fingers that will be covering them, which plays in tune, and which has the visual appeal that you desire.
That's a lot to take in.
The most important thing is to spend within your budget and to choose an ocarina that will allow you to learn without overwhelming yourself.
Which ocarina did you choose as your first? If you're still considering a first ocarina, are there any questions you have about which ocarina to choose? I haven't tried them all, but I'd love to do what I can to help, and I invite more experienced ocarina players to participate as well!
If you liked this post, please don't forget to pin it!
