View Full Version : Ocarina. Does anyone know anything about this instrument?


liam_s1
10-12-2008, 16:58
I could not find music sheet wrapping paper for my sister's Christmas present anywhere in Sheffield and I ordered some online.
It was £3.99 and I needed another £1.01 to qualify for free delivery, otherwise delivery would have been almost as much as the paper. Yes I am beginning to be practical with money!

I found a pair of castanets for £1.99 and decided to throw them in. It would be cheaper than paying for postage and she could always use them in class. She is a music teacher.
Then I find a rainstick. It seemed very cheap to be of any good quality. I always thought rainsticks were made of wood and when I picked any up at the markets in town I soon put them back down because they seemed light and cheap. They are actually made from cacti.
Anyway I swapped this for the castanets in my shopping basked and decided to risk it for a biscuit. I forget how much it was but it was below a tenner and I was not expecting anything amazing. I could always hand it to my sister and tell her I found it cheap and while it is nothing special she could find a use for it in class.

It arrived today. It is out of this world. It seems a really good quality (and heavier than anything I have seen in town.) Nice sound. Nice craftsmanship. It is Fair Trade. I am really pleased.

This sister is really difficult to shop for so I decided to go back to the site and bookmark the castanets and a digeridoo I saw. There were many more instruments, Fair Trade like the rainstick and excellent value for money. Most were percussion instruments and nice to look at and interesting to read about but they would have little use to me.
Then I saw an ocarina. I never heard of this before. This particular one was cheap and painted bright colours. I fell in love with the sound immediately on YouTube.

I researched more. It turns out the cheap ones are not tuned. I will get one anyway and start from there. There seems to be more elaborate ones but what is really turning me on here is the small ocarina with so few holes and able to produce amazing sounds. I play flute. It would be cool to have something so small that would produce a nice sound.
I have found videos on YouTube recommending some types and some sites but better models are not too expensive at all.

Does anyone here play the ocarina or have any advice for me?

One point to note is I will never be playing the ocarina in a band so I do not need it to be tuned. A cheap one will be fine to learn on! The cheap ones are often handmade in South America and painted bright colours so they would even make nice ornaments for my sister. She has other instruments I found her as ornaments.

One a side note I found a video talking about playing the rainstick so I have that played for her. I did some quick research on the digeridoo and the one that site sells is perfect for a beginner.

ladyacademic
10-12-2008, 17:01
I have a gorgeous ceramic one which I bought some years ago from http://www.ocarina.co.uk/ourocs.htm

The lower ones make a lovely mellow sound.

medusa
10-12-2008, 17:02
If you play the flute already then you'll pick it up in no time- it's just a matter of getting your head around the finger pattern. I've played the odd tune on an ocarina, but not studied it or learned new tunes on it (just repeating tunes I already knew on recorder, clarinet or any of the brass or string instruments).

liam_s1
10-12-2008, 17:07
I have a gorgeous ceramic one which I bought some years ago from http://www.ocarina.co.uk/ourocs.htm

The lower ones make a lovely mellow sound.

Thank you for the link!

liam_s1
10-12-2008, 17:08
If you play the flute already then you'll pick it up in no time- it's just a matter of getting your head around the finger pattern. I've played the odd tune on an ocarina, but not studied it or learned new tunes on it (just repeating tunes I already knew on recorder, clarinet or any of the brass or string instruments).

Well, I think, how many phones have I owned in the last few years and I got used to the finger pattern of those? I am very excited about my new discovery. Thank you for your reply medusa!

liam_s1
10-12-2008, 17:09
Aren't these pretty?
http://www.stlocarina.com/fconewpr.html

splodgeyAl
10-12-2008, 17:11
Can you post a link to the site you talked about in the OP, please?

liam_s1
10-12-2008, 17:14
http://www.musicroom.com/imagezoom.aspx?product_id=332781

I originally went there to find crackers. Each cracker has a bell of a different note. I thought my sister could use these in class too.

splodgeyAl
10-12-2008, 17:17
Cheers pal :thumbsup:

liam_s1
10-12-2008, 17:25
Hey what key should I start with?

Norbert
10-12-2008, 20:51
A bit of classic Ocarina:

Herbie Hancock - Watermelon Man
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=jo5GcYeh7XA

Halibut
10-12-2008, 21:04
My eldest has had an Ocarina for a few years now and can produce a few tunes - my favourite is 'The Good, The Bad and The Ugly', which works beautifully with the sound of the instrument.