|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Are you an ocarina snob... I mean gourmet?
I was a self-proclaimed coffee snob... err... gourmet :) ![]() Those "in the know" about coffee know that we speak in terms of acidity, aroma, body, and flavor. And by having such defined characteristics it allows us to understand coffee and speak more intelligently... perhaps more snobily. When evaluating a bean... we know to ask ourselves: how acidic is it? What is the aroma like? How much body does it have? What does the flavor remind me of? Etc. When evaluating, rating and choosing ocarinas it is helpful to have a similar understanding of the basic characteristics of ocarinas. Most of us don't taste or smell ocarinas, but there are parallels. There are a number of features/characteristics/classifications that describe ocarinas. When you consider the combinations of these features there are hundreds of variations of ocarinas that can be made. You could have: A transverse, sweet potato, single-chamber, ceramic, 10 holed ocarina or A inline, single-chamber, hardwood, 10 holed ocarina You get the idea. There are hundreds of ways that ocarinas can be made. It can be confusing, especially for those new to ocarinas. To help me keep things straight in my own mind, I classify and evaluate ocarinas according to the following characteristics/features: 1. Holding/blowing style - in-line, transverse 2. Shape - sweet potato, pendant, zelda replicas, decorative shapes, etc. 3. Number of chambers 4. Number of finger holes - 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12 5. Note fingerings (the combination of holes to cover to get the different notes) 6. Material - ceramic, hardwood, plastic, polycarbonate, aluminum, alternate ivory, etc. 7. Tonal quality 8. Playing volume 9. Musical tonal range 10. Senility to squeak - how easy or not it squeaks 1. Holding/blowing style: how you hold and blow into the ocarina. There are 2 basic styles. In-line = your hands are held in-line with your breath. You blow down it like a recorder or clarinet. Transverse = your hands are held to the side of your mouth and perpendicular to your breath. It is held like a standard Boehm flute. 2. Shape: ocarinas are made in many different shapes. The most common shape today is the sweet potato shape. Others are shaped as pendants, zelda replicas, turtles, birds, etc. 3. Number of chambers: most ocarinas are single chambered. Some ocarinas are made with multiple chambers. A two chamber ocarina would basically be two ocarinas (chambers) that are put together to make one ocarina. The primary appeal of multi chamber ocarinas is that they have more tonal range. A double could have one chamber that plays a higher range and one that plays a lower range. I have even seen pictures of three chamber ocarinas that could reportedly play three octaves. Although the idea of more range in multi-chamber ocarinas is appealing... in practicality it is not as attractive as one would wish. It is not as fluid as we would hope to change blowing between chambers, and musical performance depends on fluidity of expression. 4. Number of finger holes: The number of finger holes (tone holes) that the ocarina has. Some common numbers of holes are 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12. 5. Note fingerings: the note fingerings or fingering patterns are the combinations of holes covered to play the different notes. Families of ocarinas will often have the same fingering patterns. For example, the Japanese 12-holed ocarinas finger the same. The Italian Budrio 10-holed ocarinas finger the same. It is important to note that not all 10 holed ocarinas have the same fingerings, nor 8 holed, nor 4. The things to look for in a fingering pattern are intuitiveness and fluidity. You want an intuitive pattern because it will be easier to learn. You want a fluid pattern because you will be able to fluidly change from note to note and thus play technically difficult music. Another consideration in fingerings is whether an ocarina has chromatic fingerings or not. Chromatic fingerings allow the ocarina to play the sharps and flats. Having the chromatics allows a much larger body of music to be played. 6. Material: ocarinas can, and have been, made of almost every hard substance. Some common materials today are clay (most popular), hardwood, plastic, and polycarbonate. In ancient cultures, more exotic materials were sometimes used like ivory, jade, quartz, bone, etc. The choice of material is important because it directly affects the beauty of the instrument. Another significant consequence of the choice of material is in the durability of the ocarina. A clay or glass ocarina will break if dropped on a concrete floor. A plastic or hardwood ocarina will not. 7. Tonal quality: different ocarinas have different tonal qualities/characteristics. When evaluating tonal quality keep in mind that for any given ocarina, tonal quality will increase the more familiar you are with that particular ocarina. In other words, you will sound better on a particular ocarina the longer you play it. It will be difficult to compare 2 ocarinas that you have never played by picking them up and trying to play them. When comparing ocarinas for tonal quality, listen to people who are skilled with each particular ocarina you are comparing. A player who is skilled with a given ocarina has already learned its nuances and how to bring out its richest tone. Comparison has become much easier because most ocarina makers will put up nice sound samples of their ocarinas on their websites. Compare sample to sample. 8. Playing volume: different ocarinas have different volumes that they play pleasantly at. Some ocarinas only sound good when played quietly. Some ocarinas sound good when played loud. Some sound nice played either quietly or loudly. 9. Musical tonal range: the range of notes the ocarina plays. Different ocarinas have different range. Most popular modern ocarinas play an octave... or a little bit more. Keep in mind that that "little bit" more actually makes quite a big difference in the range of music available to that ocarina. Every additional note in range opens up a world of additional music that particular ocarina can play. 10. Sensitivity to squeak: how easy or difficult an ocarina squeaks. Many flutes will make unpleasant squeaking noises if not blown on "just right." In many flutes, certain notes will be more sensitive to squeak than others. An ocarina's "squeak resistance" makes it easier to learn and progress. It also makes an ocarina more expressive. Next lesson: If your ocarina starts sounding bad, do this immediately
![]() |
|