Ocarinas.Org

If you are a music lover and you love the sound created by flutes, you will find it really astonishing to try out an Ocarina. This kind of music instrument is an ancient flute-like wind instrument that produces a sound almost similar to a traditional flute. You may expect that since it is a flute-like instrument, it plays the same as a traditional flute. Unlike other vessel flutes, Ocarinas do not rely on the length of the pipes to produce a tone. The tone that this kind of instrument produces depends on the ratio between the total cubic volume of the instrument and the total surface of opened holes.

This instrument also contains various styles depending on the shape and the number of holes as well.

First is transverse or Sweet Potato. It is one of the most popular types of Ocarina that has a rounded shape. This kind of Ocarina often has 10 to 12 holes.

Second is the Pendant. It actually has two types – English Pendant and Peruvian Pendant. English pendants are small in size and they are portable since they only have 4 to 6 holes. In contrast, Peruvian pendant is a larger version with 8 to 9 holes. It is often used for rituals, ceremonies and festivals.

Third is Inline. This is also a famous kind of Ocarina since it is the combination of the Transverse and Pendant type. It is smaller in size but contains more holes than pendant. It has inherited the size of the Pendant and the number of holes found on Transverse.

Fourth is multi chambered ocarina. This kind exists together with the three broader types of Ocarina. It is known as “Triple” and “Double”. There are Transverse Double and Triple Ocarina. There are also Double Ocarinas for Pendant and Inline.

If you want to learn how to play an Ocarina, it is like simply playing an ordinary flute. However, there is a unique way of using them. They look complicated at first but you can easily learn how to play them.

Also, there are some things that you need to consider before you even try to buy or play an Ocarina.

If you are a type of person who wants to play simple and slow melodies, then any type of Ocarina will work for you. If you want to play fast or rock music, then it can be very difficult. Before you buy, you also need to know the style of the Ocarina that you want. There are a couple of designs of Ocarina that you can choose from. You also need to know if you like the way it sounds. Like what is said earlier, it is a bit different on the sound produced by a traditional flute.

Nowadays there are so any different styles of Ocarinas that is can sometimes seem a little bit crazy. But if you think about it, these pieces are pure works of art that are fully functional, and that makes them simply amazing. There are many different styles of ocarinas varying in shape and the number of holes. Here are some of the basic styles that I hope with help lead you to the right direction in getting your first of many Ocarinas:

Transverse (Sweet potato) - This is the best known style of ocarina. It has a rounded shape and is held with two hands horizontally. Depending on the number of holes, one just needs to open one more hole than the previous in order to ascend in pitch. The two most common Transverse ocarinas are the 10-holes (originated by Giuseppe Donati in Italy) and the 12-holes.

Pendants: There are two types:

• English Pendant – These are usually very small and very portable, and use an English fingering system (4–6 holes).

• Peruvian Pendant – Dating from the time of the Incas, used as instruments for festivals, rituals and ceremonies. They are (usually the area occupied by them) today with designs of animals or simply oval (8–9 holes).

Inline - These are often called a “fusion” of the Pendant and the Transverse. This style is known for being very small and compact, yet there are more holes than the pendant. This allows one to ascend in pitch with the linear finger pattern rather than finger combinations

Multi chambered ocarinas – Better known as “Double” and “Triple” ocarinas, this type exists within the three broad categories of ocarina. These ocarinas overcome the disadvantage of ocarinas of having a limited range of notes. A Transverse Double ocarina typically plays 2 octaves + 2 notes, and a Transverse Triple ocarina plays with a range about 2 octaves + 7 notes. Double ocarinas for Pendant and Inline ocarinas also exist. Double Inline ocarinas are specially designed to be able to play chords, for harmonic playing.

Ocarinas with keys have been produced by several makers, mostly experimentally, beginning in the late 19th century. Keys and slides may be added with the intention of either expanding the instrument’s range, or to enable the fingers to reach holes that are widely spaced.