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Don’t grip so hard. Tongue with Tu for each note. Ignore the highest and lowest 3 notes for now. Finger pads not tips. Practicing bad habits reinforce bad habits. A tuner can guide you but don’t watch it. Use it to adjust and check yourself. Learn to read music and practice with a metronome. Music takes practice - be patient. Open a door if you feel ear pressure and wear earplugs if it seems too loud (or play outside). Neck strap cords snag on things and break ocarinas far more often than drops.
To add, when you get to a point of playing a song and then moving on - and then learning another and another - it's time to start polishing. Pick a piece and work on it. Practice it and focus on trying to make it musical and something to play for others. It'll force you to learn skills and think about things in a different way. It's one thing to play notes on an instrument, its another to play those notes as music. When you get to that point were you can play the note (and fairly in tune) - polish something and then polish something else in a different style. When you start to focus on the musicality of playing, other questions will naturally appear (like hand transitions for higher notes on slow and fast passages) and how to practice staying in tune on long notes (playing the scale in long slow tones) or finding when to breathe and how it changes as you increase the tempo.
Finally, if you don't want to go at it alone, I recommend the Hal Leonard Ocarina Method.
Here's some advice I post here from time to time:
Don’t grip so hard. Tongue with Tu for each note. Ignore the highest and lowest 3 notes for now.Finger pads not tips. Practicing bad habits reinforce bad habits.A tuner can guide you but don’t watch it. Use it to adjust and check yourself. Read easy music to a metronome. Music takes practice - be patient. Open a door if you feel ear pressure. Earplugs if it seems too loud (or play outside). Neck strap cords snag on things and break ocarinas far more often than drops.
To add, when you get to a point of playing a song and then moving on - and then learning another and another - it's time to start polishing. Pick a piece and work on it. Practice it and focus on trying to make it musical and something to play for others. It'll force you to learn skills and think about things in a different way. It's one thing to play notes on an instrument, its another to play those notes as music. When you get to that point were you can play the note (and fairly in tune) - polish something and then polish something else in a different style. When you start to focus on the musicality of playing, other questions will naturally appear (like hand transitions for higher notes on slow and fast passages) and how to practice staying in tune on long notes (playing the scale in long slow tones) or finding when to breathe and how it changes as you increase the tempo.
Finally, if you don't want to go at it alone, I recommend the Hal Leonard Ocarina Method.
The Eagle bone flute says it's a pentatonic scale, but I'm not sure it plays the full 5 note scale. Did it not come with a fingering chart? Generally, consider it something for improvisation rather than playing specific music. It does have a nice sparkly kind of sound.
As far as the Nebula, I haven't heard anything bad about it. It should be fine. Looking closely at it, it seems to have a nice matte texture and the subholes look accessible with no blocking ridges, so it should be good.
If you've never played an instrument, you might want to consider learning to read sheet music. It'll open up a lot of options for your Nebula ocarina. There are lots of free resources to learn to read sheet music, but I like the Hal Leonard Ocarina Method - since it is a physical book and comes with online and downloadable videos. https://www.amazon.com/Leonard-Ocarina-Method-Cris-Gale/dp/1495025144
The Night by Noble is considered to be the best starting ocarina at $40. There are cheaper ones at 20 or so, but they come at a price of quality.
Good wooden ocarinas range from crap at $80 to masterworks at $400. Generally plastic is cheapest, followed by ceramic.
Tuning is mostly about preference, though roommates would probably prefer you take a lower pitched ocarina if possible.
The sweet, sweet motherload of ocarina basics (Youtube)
I'd strongly recommend getting a metronome/tuner to make sure you learn to play with proper intonation (pitch) and timing. Like this Korg Tuner (Amazon).
If you have any general music questions after, throw me a PM or reply and I'll try to answer everything I can.
I like this one: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.symbolic.pitchlab
And this one: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.cohortor.gstrings
I play French Horn so the top one isn't just for guitar :)
> Those books are good for beginners but require being able to read sheet music
I have this book here which I bought a few years ago to learn piano music. Do you think it covers enough to learn the basics of how to play ocrina? I understand how to read some staff/notes ect, but wouldn't say I'm fluent in it yet.
STL sells Zelda themed ones on Amazon. I don’t have one myself, but they are regarded as perfectly playable:
https://smile.amazon.com/Plastic-Tenor-Ocarina-Zelda-Songbook/dp/B006KSM7ZM/
https://smile.amazon.com/Hole-Ocarina-Legend-Zelda-STL/dp/B0018GR9VI/
Yes, though the difficulty of those sharps and flats relies on how many holes it has. A pendant ocarina requires half-holing, but a transverse ocarina with 11/12 holes is designed for playing sharps/flats.
And since you mentioned you're looking for a first ocarina. I'm obliged to suggest the Night by Noble if you want something well priced, durable, and high quality.
Ocarinawind has a reputation for being a little hit or miss. This one won't break so easily, and is highly recommended for an affordable option.
Can you read sheet music? Play by ear? This kind of governs what is available to you. You could try starting with a method book, or just use youtube to search for music you want to play.Everyone kind of takes a different path and there's no specific way that is "best" for everyone.
​
As for general improvements, just play and try to find music you want to play and not only learn the notes - but try to make it musical. It's a subtle thing, but makes a HUGE difference. Also, don't WATCH a tuner, but check yourself against a tuner from time to time to adjust your playing. That can make a big difference too. If you can't read sheet music, learn. It'll expand so much for you and help you when/if you take up other instruments. And don't forget to have fun!
I got a two for one deal on the Odami ocarina. I really love it, the tone is sweet and easier than the focalink bravura imo.
Welcome!
If you don't plan on wearing it as a necklace most of the time, I suggest removing the neck cord. Most of the "broken ocarina" stories I've read have been from the neck cord snagging on something, not of people dropping them.
For care, just wipe off any fingerprints with a dry cloth and practice good dental hygiene (don't eat before playing).
Chances are, you're probably gripping too tightly, so practice holding it over a soft surface at first and work on a relaxed but stable grip.
As for advice/learning materials, here's a comment I wrote a little while ago:
I suggest getting a structured guide on how to play the ocarina, like the [Hal Leonard Ocarina Method](https://www.amazon.com/Leonard-Ocarina-Method-Cris-Gale/dp/1495025144). It will teach you to play gradually more and more difficult music, while also learning to read sheet music. It also comes with videos for each lesson, which I find really helpful.
For practice, it’s good to start trying to practice a little every day at least for a few minutes. Build the habit of practicing and improvement comes naturally.
Oh and here’s a post of some beginner advice I often share: https://www.reddit.com/user/PM\_Me\_Your\_Ocarinas/comments/n3bphp/beginner\_ocarina\_advice/
Don’t grip so hard. Tongue with Tu for each note. Ignore the highest and lowest 3 notes for now. Finger pads not tips. Practicing bad habits reinforce bad habits. A tuner can guide you but don’t watch it. Use it to adjust and check yourself. Read easy music to a metronome. Music takes practice - be patient. Open a door if you feel ear pressure. Earplugs if it seems too loud (or play outside). Neck strap cords snag on things and break ocarinas far more often than drops.
To add, when you get to a point of playing a song and then moving on - and then learning another and another - it's time to start polishing. Pick a piece and work on it. Practice it and focus on trying to make it musical and something to play for others. It'll force you to learn skills and think about things in a different way. It's one thing to play notes on an instrument, it's another to play those notes as music. When you get to that point where you can play the note (and fairly in tune) - polish something and then polish something else in a different style. When you start to focus on the musicality of playing, other questions will naturally appear (like hand transitions for higher notes on slow and fast passages) and how to practice staying in tune on long notes (playing the scale in long slow tones) or finding when to breathe and how it changes as you increase the tempo.
Finally, if you don't want to go at it alone, I recommend the Hal Leonard Ocarina Method.
This is like to a focalink which is very similar to songbird in quality being made by the same person at one time. The official seller of focalink is Lin arts on Amazon. This one sounds just as good as my 185 dollar concerto ocorina.
I suggest getting a structured guide on how to play the ocarina, like the Hal Leonard Ocarina Method. It will teach you to play gradually more and more difficult music, while also learning to read sheet music. It also comes with videos for each lesson, which I find really helpful.
For practice, it’s good to start trying to practice a little every day at least for a few minutes. Build the habit of practicing and improvement comes naturally.
Oh and here’s a post of some beginner advice I often share: https://www.reddit.com/user/PM_Me_Your_Ocarinas/comments/n3bphp/beginner_ocarina_advice/
Night by Noble is an excellent beginner ocarina, but it's a bit over $30.
STL Ocarina has a plastic ocarina for $25 that should be decent.
That ocarina's gonna be pretty good, but I swear to you this one is just as good for half the price:
https://www.amazon.com/AKLOT-Beginner-Ocarina-Holes-Ceramic/dp/B07ZCS3CCV
I've bought around 20 of the brown strawfire finish Aklot ocarinas and they've all been perfectly tuned. I really like the size and shape of them, too, and I have fairly big hands/long fingers. I once ordered one of their crack glaze ones, but it was not the same size/shape, nor was it in tune. Sad. But the strawfire ones haven't missed!
Start with a night by noble. On Amazon. However later on with ceramics and higher end ocarinas thomann is great for UK ocarinas. Also Alto C ocarinas are the standard size of ocarina so start there (the night is an AC) https://www.amazon.co.uk/Night-By-Noble-N-%E3%83%97%E3%83%A9ACB-B008WYNVAW/dp/B008WYNVAW/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?adgrpid=61057033405&gclid=CjwKCAjw4ayUBhA4EiwATWyBrrDv6-YScA47g1xXRDTBcr_UZje4joNnaHb3T4_FCSj3M8KHjuvwexoC2-QQAvD_BwE&hvadid=3142813400... There's a link and sorry it's a complete mess of a link
The Night by Noble is definitely the most recommended for reasons I wouldn't argue against. But, if you want a surprisingly good and cheap ceramic 12-hole, this Aklot with the strawfire finish has been my main forever:
https://www.amazon.com/AKLOT-Beginner-Ocarina-Holes-Ceramic/dp/B07ZCS3CCV
I have accidentally broken I think 3 of them now. Not to say they're especially fragile, but rather they have been of such quality and consistency for a reasonable price that I've been happy to order them again and again.
It might be improperly tuned. Try this free pitch monitor app. It will show the pitch of the note you're actually playing. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tadaoyamaoka.vocalpitchmonitor&hl=en_US&gl=US
I suggest the Night by Noble plastic ocarina as a beginner instrument. There are others, but if you want one that's going to be similar to ones you'll get in the future- but also usable in the longterm, it's the one I like the most. It is a little more expensive than others, but I feel like the nice texture is worth it.
https://www.amazon.com/Night-Noble-Plastic-Ocarina-Black/dp/B008WYNVAW/
Congrats! Which ocarina did you get?
As for learning materials, I typically suggest the Hal Leonard Ocarina Method to beginners. There are a few free resources online but they're all incomplete in different ways and it's a hassle to piece together. I also like that it comes with videos that perfectly match the lessons.
Don’t grip so hard. Tongue with Tu for each note. Ignore the highest and lowest 3 notes for now.Finger pads not tips. Practicing bad habits reinforce bad habits.A tuner can guide you but don’t watch it. Use it to adjust and check yourself. Read easy music to a metronome. Music takes practice - be patient. Open a door if you feel ear pressure. Earplugs if it seems too loud (or play outside). Neck strap cords snag on things and break ocarinas far more often than drops.
Thomann.de or ocarinashop.com are both in Europe and sell very good ocarinas for reasonable prices. If you want to buy the Night by Noble I've found japanese Amazon to be the cheapest. Here's a link: https://www.amazon.co.jp/NIGHT-Noble-Plastic-Ocarina-AC/dp/B008WYNVAW/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=11WRSAS55V2Q2&keywords=night+by+noble%E3%82%AA%E3%82%AB%E3%83%AA%E3%83%8A&qid=1642925379&sprefix=night+by%2Caps%2C227&sr=8-1
I did get the Ocarina from Amazon, but it is the Forest whisper ocarina.
I was just thinking about this too. Before doing the titanium though, you would probably want to go with plastic just because you may have to reprint your model for several times to tune it and fix your 3d model til you get your final best working version.
Just like you said, I would target a well photographed model of an existing ocarina (front, back, sides), use the pictures as image planes in your 3d modeling program and model based on it exactly. Then guess the size/angle of the fipple and the thickness of the wall of the ocarina you are copying. I think that would be the safest bet. Make sure you do the fipple right, it has to be aligned (based on my minimal research on the Internet so far). Once you get that right you should at least have an ocarina that makes sounds.
There is one model on Thingiverse that looks like it kind of works. But I wouldn't call it pretty. http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1788
Edit: Just found this! http://www.thebigconsultant.com/products_musical.html Eh, too bad they didn't give out the actual model. But it gives you the basic idea.
Further notes: I managed to find "The Last Unicorn" (by America) written up on flat.io for the guitar. But it was the only version of the sheet music I could find that fell within the range of a 12 hole ocarina. Since it was written for guitar and I had to go through and pick out the primary notes for the melody based on my own familiarity with the song, there may be some parts that, to those with a better ear than mine, don't sound quite right. Apart from that, on the whole these tabs keep pretty true to the melody, with the rhythm based on the full lyrics (rather than just instrumentals).
If you have changes to suggest, please feel free to recommend. Otherwise, hope someone out there enjoys this!
Building off of what u/Bryplodocus said, it would help to know what your setup is (windows, mac, *nix; level of musical knowledge; budget; etc.
Garageband is a pretty quick starter and will come preloaded with a bunch of samples and some lessons, Audacity gets a lot of use by my friends that do music & podcasts, there are a few online offerings like https://musescore.org/en -- just depends on what you need/want.
So far I haven't found a fully free and complete resource for reading sheet music / learning the full range of a 12 hole ocarina. There's a patchwork of different things in different places and if you have the will - you can certainly learn on your own by pulling from various places. I think of how much time that takes and whether it's worth just buying a method book. This is why I recommend the Hal Leonard beginner ocarina book, since it'll teach you to play the scale, comes with videos for every lesson, and is enough to get you to where you could find and play other music too. For $15, it's worth it to not have to piece together my own learning from the various free sources. Finally, I wouldn't recommend tabs and if you look at any free resource, be sure to check where it starts and ends, so that you know how far it'll take you.
Welcome and congrats. Fellow ADHDer here. There are lots of learning materials online but I find that putting them together for a while learning experience takes time and hassle. If you can direct your hyperfocus it could work out - though chances are (if you're like me) you may make it about compiling information rather than actually learning. The video series linked - I suppose - if fine for a taste - but it isn't complete. Its basically a "here's a few and buy the rest."
For me, physical goods away from computers help me actually do what I want to do. This is part of the reason I like the Hal Leonard book. It's a physical book, it's all in one place. There are video lessons if you need them, but otherwise you don't have to go to a computer. The lessons are short and cumulative and the difficulty ramp is gradual. You don't have to sit and rewind a video - you just play the lesson and get that dopamine hit and move on. You're likely to get your momentum going and then will face that adhd precipice of whether you're going to settle for low or medium level proficiency or get obsessive about it. They physical book is good too because you can put it somewhere visible to remind you and tag the page where you are so that it's easy enough to pick back up... and you have a shorter _thought to action time. I keep my ocarina in a basket on my desk and typically have the sheet music I'm working on underneath it (until I get it memorized).
The one way that may be easier is an ocarina teacher, but that can be expensive and generally you're going to have the teacher walking you through the book plus adding supplemental information/fun/music. Oh yeah, and maybe consider a goal and a reward for the goal (like another ocarina).
Anyhow, welcome and good luck!
I suggest starting with a ocarina method book, since you're looking for a gradual increase in difficulty with music. It's good to start with simple music and work up to more complexity, while building skills. I recommend the Hal Leonard Ocarina Method, because it has a nice gradual learning curve, is inexpensive, and comes with videos that go with the lessons.
If you're looking for just one song, you'll likely repeat this process over and over and over. Sometimes people hire teachers to feed them new music that gradually gets hard and harder, but that can get expensive.
These are generic/unbranded ocarinas, which can variously be found on eBay, Amazon and AliExpress. Some of them have additional seller stamps, many don’t. An example of one with the same floral pattern:
https://www.amazon.com/Ocarina-Holes-Songbooks-Strap-porcelain/dp/B08L13N4BT/
Sorry that that happened. I had a very similar experience with the same product. If it helps, here is a much better, still inexpensive ocarina that you can get on Amazon: Brio 12 Hole Ocarina – Soprano C – Lizard Green Durable Plastic by Focalink https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E8KCFTW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_DQHYR3NYTVK1Y61ZMQ8Q
It is plastic but it sounds far better than those cheap Ohuhu ones.
Try The Ultimate Miniature Harmonica Tunebook by Pat Missin if you want a good variety. It's a collection of 365 pieces of music from around the world of a variety of genres and difficulty levels that all fit a single diatonic octave from C to C. I always recommend it to new ocarina players.
If sea shanties are your thing, try The Pocket Shantyman by Gary Coover. Sea shanties were worksongs and, in my experience, tend to be fairly easy because of that with easy intervals and small note ranges. They also often have a broken rhythm by design, so you can focus less on playing every note on beat and more on playing expressively and in tune.
Ok, firstly - that ocarina is likely bad. It looks like one of those cheapo $10-$30+ OoT replicas that many call the "ocarina of crap". Some are better than others and some can be just good enough to be frustrating and really discourage new players.
So I'd suggest picking up an Songbird or STL or Night by Noble plastic. The Night by Noble is more expensive, but it's my fave. Songbird and STL both have great plastic ocarinas too, though I like STL's as I like the size/shape and the tone is a bit more open.
For learning, the Hal Leonard Ocarina Method seems to be the best value. It'll teach you to read sheet music and has video lessons for every lesson in the book.
I think you're looking for a Mr. Mute: https://www.amazon.com/Mr-Mute-Basic-Package-World-first-controlling/dp/B07649DT2Q/
BTW: The ocarina isn't really all that loud of an instrument. There are LOTS of instruments that can and do get much louder.
If you're playing a 12 hole, there are lots of free resources scattered all over the web. 6 hole too, but far fewer. If you don't feel like compiling and stuff, just get the Hal Leonard Ocarina Method. It comes with video lessons and will get you well on your way.
Do you think this listing is the same thing (even stamp/logo is same), or is this one a counterfeit?
Here is one on Amazon. The price creeping up over the years kinda irks me but $40 is still a good value since it's a nice plastic. On Ebay they are going for even mroe - which is crazy... I don't know if it's a better deal now than Songbird/Focalink's and STL's $25.
The night by noble is the recommended one for beginners.
I'm in the UK, so this might not be a good link for you.
Here's an Amazon USA link.
Hopefully, one of those covers you.
If you want a cheap yet decent ocarina there are a few options. Most people would recommend the Night by Noble, I am partial to the Focalink AC (or the Osawa Focalink AC if your hands are small to medium size) Not as pretty, but they sound right and they're pretty much unbreakable. https://www.amazon.com/Osawa-12-Hole-Ocarina-Sunflower/dp/B074FKP7N7/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=focalink+ocarina+alto+c&qid=1609765419&sr=8-6
After a quick check, they seem to sell a hodgepodge of items. Generally, if you click on an ocarina's brand and it's a bunch of random stuff not related to music or anything - it's probably not a safe buy. I see they have some TNG ocarinas at a VERY high price.
If I were you, I'd go with this ocarina. Yeah, it's plastic but it's a very good soprano and after a quick look - probably the best option for Amazon.
​
--
Somehow, at some point, the ocarina community kinda fell into a certain kind of fanboyist behaviors like the whole XBox vs Playstation and for the ocarina community it was Focalink/Songbird vs TNG/STL. After much drama, most people moved on. Generally you're fine with STL and you're fine with Songbird. There are some.... odd design choices for some instruments from either distributor, but for the most part you'll be fine.
​
But being in AUS, you might consider ordering from Focalink directly or maybe even ocarina-house.com. International shipping from the US is expensive, though STL may have better rates now (it used to be overpriced with no tracking too). Generally - worldwide mail seems to be sucking now too, so keep that in mind with orders. You might try Taobao or even gmarket too. There's also a member here that might be able to hook you up, u/TimeDriver997 I think he has a shop somewhere on that half of the world and he carries a few different kinds. AND, most likely he can also advise better for that part of the world than I can.
It's awesome your brother is supporting your interest in music. Unfortunately, it's very likely this is a bad one - though it's hard to say categorically. If it came in a box from "Songbird Ocarina" or "STL Ocarina", it's fine. But if it came in a box with artwork that looks like this,it's gonna be bad. It may be just good enough to be REALLY frustrating, but those are bad.
As for learning, the best value I've found is theHal Leonard Ocarina Method. It's $13 and is not only a book but also has like 2 hours of video to go with it.
I looked through them and don't see any I'd trust. Dollar for dollar this might be your best bet. Not an OoT, but you'll get a real instrument that plays nicely. I normally recommend the Night by Noble, but the CA prices seem a little high.
Personally, I've got one of these on my Christmas list.
I bought this one awhile back from amazon that sounds and looks pretty nice for a friend who wanted to get into it and not spend a lot of money at first, it’s a pretty basic 12 hole ocarina, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MJLZIDW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Vi2QCbQ2KK3F6
Unfortunately quality control on Amazon is shotty at best, but if you’re cool with buying from other places online, stlocarina and songbird ocarina are great shops to buy from with a really big variety in a range of prices.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0148EQYA8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Best purchase i made on amazon
Just get a night by noble from Amazon UK. It's a great little ocarina for a good price.
​
"Joy of Wood Thrush" by Awef has 4.5 stars at Amazon. It's a quality Alto C ceramic for $19.95 currently. See https://www.amazon.com/Thrush-Ceramic-Ocarina-Exquisite-Craft/dp/B071XHJXZF/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=12+hole+ocarina&qid=1574060750&s=musical-instruments&sr=1-7
Peer pressure... ocarina addiction is real... be careful.
The one that says Osawa is a Focalink. It's kinda got a curvy end. It should look like this. (Note: Buy from Songbird unless Amazon has a color you want. The prices are the same and Bezos has enough money. If you want to buy a few ocarinas, then the Focalink website is the best place (when you account for shipping a few items instead of just one.) Generally you'll always get a better price from Focalink directly, but you need to buy a few things to absorb the shipping cost. It's definitely fun to browse the site too.
Oof I really hope you didn't actually pay 56 CAD for one of those shit ocarinas. Those usually cost 10-15 USD, and thats still overpriced for what you get. Try and get a refund if you can, it's only fair since the item is defective.
For the same price you should just get a Night By Noble. It's roughly the same price but it's a thousand times better
This is what you’re looking for. The book contains some information and instruction that could be considered “in dispute” but it will get you much closer to where you want to be. https://www.amazon.com/Art-Ocarina-Making-Robert-Hickman/dp/1105736458
Basically the scale of your ocarina without any accidentals. In this case - just the scale without any special fingerings. Start at C and go all the way up to high F (which will be the C diatonic scale).
As for recording ocarinas, the mystical epic sound is usually reverb, though a lot of other stuff too. I suggest focusing on fundamentals before going down that rabbit hole.
As for reading music, you can learn from all kinds of resources online, but if you want my recommendation for an ocarina specific one, I recommend Cris Gale's Hal Leonard Ocarina Method. STL and David Ramos have options too, but I think hers provides the best value and is more widely available.
I could find this one, what do you think?
This book has a section on Hemoltz Resonators including the math necessary to figure out the pitch based on the volume and finger hole sizes.
For earplugs, I have earasers and I love them (you can get them in different sizes to fit your ears).
Hm, I did a lot of research when I bought my first, and everyone recommended a Night by Noble. (Great instrument, btw!) I found it on Amazon. It cost $42 CAD in December. For some reason, the same instrument is now listed for over $70. Here's the link, but I definitely wouldn't spent that much on it. I wonder if the pandemic is affecting pricing. If you can find one cheaper, it's a great instrument!
I ordered this a few months ago and it went straight back to Amazon. It couldn't even play a basic scale on the low notes. That's bad.
OcarinaWind seems to sell instruments from different makers. Their Zelda ocs are pretty much garbage. Their regular ocarinas are decent, if not downright good. They're made by the same maker who makes this plastic: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SNQ28RZ/. I actually like this one better than the NbN and STL plastics. It reminds me of a Focalink but with a little more texture, and it's well tuned. I recently got the ceramic OcarinaWind model with the pink flowers on it. It's also decent, and almost identical in form to that plastic I linked, though the subholes aren't super effective. The plastic version has much more effective subholes for whatever reason.
I bought it on the german amazon, it looks like it’s a bit more expensive now though since I paid €43. It even had free shipping.
Have you ever heard about Mr Mute? It's a little device you can put on your ocarina to silence it.
I have one and it works, not quite perfect though: on my particular ocarina, sometimes when it's a bit moist it keeps slipping out. Still very useful though, here's the Amazon link:
https://www.amazon.com/Mr-Mute-Basic-Package-World-first-controlling/dp/B07649DT2Q
In general it seems that most people reccomend that one, I haven't played it though. I have however played another $30 ocarina on Amazon, OcarinaWind forest whisper clay 12 hole ocarina. It sounds great, and I can't tell a difference between it and my $100 Stlocarina 12 hole, except that the highest note, high f, is a little airy and tricky to hit. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MJLZIDW/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_apa_i_k6mfEbHVH1M80
I'd recommend the Night by Noble over almost anything else plastic I've tried. Good tone, even scale, good intonation, and virtually none of the condensations problems that are the bane of pretty much any other plastic ocarina.
I have the exactly same ocarina but in black, you can find it on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Woodi-Ocarina-Flute-WC-917WH-Holes/dp/B00HST2PCM/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1507756832&sr=8-5&keywords=woodi+ocarina)
I bought my first proper ocarina off Amazon, this one: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00ERTB8SI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_THJEzbFNVTE9Z
I've been very happy with it, the one I got was properly tuned and I still feel it's a quality instrument, but I can see this one has got a one-star review saying it's out of tune, so it might be hit or miss.
I must say that Night by Noble seems to be very interesting. I am reading about it and can only find positive comments. I will calm down before moving to more advanced stuff :p
Is there any site (except Amazon) where I can purchase it?
PS.: I am excluding Amazon because we have a weird tax policy here in Brazil. Taxes are huge but products below $100 are not taxed. Amazon always consider an importing fee even if the price is below $100.
For example, this ocarina:
Will cost for me $81.60 => 33.50+ 8.32(ship) + 39.72(estimated import fee)
Such a pain!
I recently bought my first ocarina as well, and I went with this one, costing $17 (for the red clay version). It's not suitable for performances, but it sounds pretty decent. The high notes can get airy but it's not terrible.
My recommendation is that you buy regular ocarinas, not replicas. Obviously an ocarina could be very well crafted and be a replica of the Zelda ocarina, but at $10-20, it is almost certainly going mainly for the looks, not the sound.
As to whether it's you or the instrument, ocarinas are very basic instruments to play, almost like a more fancy recorder. It is possible that one could be blowing air into the ocarina at an angle, instead of straight in, but I'm certain no non-beginner musician would not be able to figure out a fix by themselves. But, on higher notes you may need to blow more air to get the right tone. The Zelda ocarina probably sucks, though.
I actually got that same one as my first ocarina as well. It's… Not the best. It's a good replica, don't get me wrong, but it definitely isn't meant to be seriously played.
This is the one I have right now.
It sounds pretty great, and won't break the bank. I've been playing on this one for about two years and I'm only just now considering upgrading to a nicer one. I'd definitely recommend it.
Edit: If you really want a Zelda ocarina that also plays well, I've heard good things about STL Ocarina. I've never personally bought anything from them, so I can't tell you with 100% certainty if they're good, but I'm heavily considering them for the next one I get.
this one is pretty good. and as a general rule real tuners > tuner apps.
a majority of players just play a handful (get it...haa..) of Zelda songs over and over.
If you want to get serious, look into flute music. This book plus a fingering chart is what i used to learn to read music with ocarina.
My wife just released the Hal Leonard Ocarina Method. It's like $13 and comes with videos to walk you through the lessons.
I noticed on a few of the amazon ocarinas there's a guy that's posted mini-review videos in the comment sections. He really liked the Noble.. I'm just iffy about spending $30 on a piece of plastic (or 25 on the bravura). Did you look at the noble one too?
I've been looking into getting my first one. And the best option I've come to is Nigh by Noble. It's highly praised as the best plastic ocarina available. Unbreakable plastic with a sleek looking rubbery finish for easy grasp, easy to clean, and the sounds is suppose to rival clay ocarinas that can cost twice as much.
I don't trust amazon reviews of ocarinas. There are countless ocarinas on amazon that are very bad that have very high reviews. If you want a great ocarina at a good price, just go with a Night by Noble plastic.
Note: also, there are sellers on amazon that are selling knockoff instruments under trusted brand names. What this means is that you can think you're buying a good ocarina from a known brand on amazon, and not. So far it is done with just OoT replicas. Just be mindful when purchasing. For the Night by Noble, go with Ootsukagakki
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