The Ocarina

I’ve grown up surrounded by music all my life, but I don’t think I ever heard nor found such a simple yet beautiful instrument in all my life. It’s called the ocarina.

Most of you who owned a Nintendo 64 (or knew someone who did) are familiar with the hit video game Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time, which featured this simple instrument. I’ve known a few people to say, “Wow, it’s a real instrument?” Yes, it is.

I’ve only recently fallen in love with ocarinas. I never played the Zelda game, but I recently acquired a MIDI keyboard, which is now in my basement. I love a keyboard where you can hit the same key and get whatever sound you want out of it. I would play the keyboard regularly, in hopes of rekindling the love I once had for the piano. However, one synthesized soundset from the keyboard really caught my attention. The LCD display read “OCARINA.” I had to know more.

The ocarina is a small woodwind instrument which is best described as a flute’s stubby older brother. I say “older” because its origins are said to date back to ancient Chinese flutes from over 12,000 years ago. In Western countries, the ocarina was once a mere toy that played few notes, but became a more professional instrument in the 19^th century. I would delve more into the history, but I want you to keep reading!

SOUND

The sound of an ocarina is like a combination of a piccolo and a recorder. The manufacturer of the ocarina I use calls the instrument’s sound “hauntingly beautiful.”

The sound is somewhat dependent on the material from which it’s made. Most are ceramic and wood, but some are made of high-quality plastics. Mine is a polycarbonate plastic designed to withstand lots of damage (not that I drop it or anything). Generally, a well-made ocarina will sound decent no matter what the material. Of course, practice makes perfect!

APPEARANCE

Ocarinas are beautiful pieces of art. Aside from manufactured plastic ones, the ocarinas made of more fragile material are all hand-made and often adorned with extraordinary paintwork. Of course, the most beautiful ones are as expensive as they look. I would also be a little nervous about carrying around a piece of art everywhere I go, since portability is one of the great features of the instrument. If my $100 ocarina broke, I’d be pretty mad.

I’ve seen videos on YouTube of people who play an ocarina that looks identical to Link’s ocarina in the Legend of Zelda game. There are other flute-like ocarinas designed in that “sweet potato” style, and there are also “inline” ocarinas that are held more like a clarinet.

PROBLEMS

One hindrance I’ve found is that most ocarinas are designed differently, and thus require the player to learn a new fingering style for every ocarina he or she plays. As a musician, I’ve been able to learn to play my ocarina (acquired from mountainsocarina.com with extra learning materials) in a matter of weeks. The instrument is designed so people who can’t play any instrument could get the hang of it. I do know, however, that it’s not so easy for some.

Also, because the instrument is so small, it lacks the range of a more versatile woodwind. Most ocarinas will only cover a bit more than a chromatic octave. For me, that’s more than enough. There are also “double ocarinas” available, with twice as many holes and twice the size, but twice the range.

Ocarinas are also often designed for a specific key. Mine is in G, but I can play a number of songs in other keys as well, providing the range is suitable. For those who are looking to develop a large repertoire, one might need several different ocarinas.

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I encourage you to take a look at some of these YouTube videos, which show just how versatile and beautiful the sound really is:

Song of Time on Ocarina

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nad5AJaIcBI

Ave Maria on ocarina

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msbu20M4tKI

Super Mario Brothers Underwater Theme on ocarina

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VX8Gs-2ssus