Okarina is a unique wind instrument, with various shapes and sizes. If you're a fan of Zelda games on Nintendo devices, you're probably familiar with this musical instrument. Both the ocarina and the recorder flute produce a similar sound, although their physical form is different. Playing notes with the ocarina is an easy and fun activity.
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Method 1 of 3: Buying Okarina For Beginners
Step 1. Look for shops that sell ocarinas on the internet
Okarina is a musical instrument that is rare enough that it is not easy to find it in an instrument store. Do a search about selling ocarinas on the internet. You'll find quite a number of shops selling ocarinas on the internet, from Amazon to shops specializing in high-quality ocarinas.
- If you're just starting to learn ocarinas, you don't have to spend a lot of money on ocarinas. There are many ocarinas for sale in the price range between Rp. 200,000 to Rp. 600,000.
- If you end up liking ocarinas as your hobby and want to buy a better musical instrument, you can buy a high-quality ocarine which sells for around Rp. 5,000,000.
Step 2. Select the tone range you want
Unlike the piano, the ocarina has a limited range of notes, so it's important that you choose an ocarine that fits into your desired range. In order of the high-to-low range ocarines, you can choose the soprano, alto, tenor, and bass ocarine.
Keep in mind that the higher the pitch, the smaller the ocarina will be
Step 3. Choose the type of ocarine that suits your level of proficiency
Four- or six-hole ocarinas are a great choice for beginners because they are light in weight, reasonably priced, and can produce a wide range of notes with very few fingering patterns.
- Okarina with four holes can produce a basic scale of 8 notes.
- Okarina with six holes can produce basic scales with semitones (half-tune notes).
Step 4. It is not recommended to buy Peruvian or plastic ocarinas
Peruvian ocarinas are designed with beautiful details to catch your eye. However, the raw materials used are generally of low quality so that the sound produced is not satisfactory. Therefore, the Peruvian ocarina is more suitable to be purchased as a decoration. Meanwhile, even though they are cheap, plastic ocarinas are often not well tuned.
Method 2 of 3: Playing the Four Hole Okarina
Step 1. Read the user manual
Usually, in the ocarine purchase package, there is a manual that explains the ocarine tone scheme or ways to play the ocarina. If your ocarina package includes a manual, study the tone scheme to find out which holes you need to close in order to get certain notes out.
If your okarina purchase package does not include a manual, please follow the instructions in the next step
Step 2. Label and memorize the ocarina pits
You can produce various notes by combining the opening and closing of the four ocarina holes with your fingers. Make sure you use a labeling system that can help you remember opening and closing combinations to produce specific notes.
- Position the mouth of the ocarine between your lips as if you were going to play it, then note the positions of the holes on the ocarine from this point of view.
- Imagine each hole has a label or number, for example the hole in the top left is labeled “1”, the top right is labeled “2”, the bottom left is labeled “3”, and the bottom right is labeled “4.”
- Memorize the positions of the holes so that later it will be easier for you when practicing the scales.
- The "X" label is used to mark open holes, which means you can't close the holes with your finger.
- For example, a middle C note has a 1 2 3 4 hole pattern. This means that to play a middle C note, you have to cover the entire ocarine hole using both your index and middle fingers while blowing on the ocarine.
- Another example when you want to produce a D note, the hole pattern you have to remember is 1 X 3 4. This means that you have to cover all of the ocarine holes except for hole number 2 (the hole on the top right).
Step 3. Try playing a basic scale
Play at a slow tempo first and memorize the required fingering patterns in note order. You don't have to worry about playing speed for now because the most important thing is that you remember how to play the scales. Use the fingering patterns below to play the scales:
- Middle C: 1 2 3 4
- D: 1 X 3 4
- E: 1 2 3 X
- F: 1 X 3 X
- F# (Gb): X 2 3 4
- G: X X 3 4
- G# (Ab): X 2 3 X
- A: X X 3 X
- A# (Bb): X X X 4
- B: X 2 X X
- C: XXXX
Step 4. Keep practicing the scales
The best thing you can do to become a good ocarina player is to be able to play the scales up and down. There are two things you need to focus on in your practice: 1) memorizing fingering patterns for certain notes and 2) speed. Once you've mastered these two things, you'll enjoy playing your ocarina more.
- The order of the C scales is as follows: C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C.
- Practice playing the ascending and descending scales as these are the basis of the songs you can later play.
Step 5. Begin to familiarize yourself with musical notation
People know what musical notation looks like, but not everyone can translate the notes. While many professional teachers can give you lessons in musical notation, you can find free sites that offer lessons in musical notation. If you are able to read musical notation, you can play your favorite songs with your ocarina.
You can find the musical notes of your favorite songs by buying a music notation book or by searching the internet
Method 3 of 3: Playing the Six Hole Okarina
Step 1. Read the manual on your ocarina purchase package
Again, keep in mind that it is important to read the instructions in the manual so that you have a better understanding of how to play the ocarina. Study the tone scheme to find out how to produce certain notes
Step 2. Label or number and memorize the holes
As with the four-hole ocarine, in order to be successful at playing the ocarine you need to memorize the ways to produce certain notes. The labeling system you use will vary slightly as this ocarina has six holes.
- Position the mouth of the ocarine between your lips and from this point of view, note the position of the holes in the ocarine.
- Label or number each hole. For example, the holes on the top left are labeled “1,” on the top right “2,” on the bottom left “3,” and on the bottom right “4.”
- There are two holes in the bottom of the ocarina that you can either close with your thumbs. Label or number “5” on the hole on the left and “6” on the hole on the right.
- Memorize the positions of the holes to make it easier for you when you play the scales.
- The "X" label is used to mark the open hole pattern, which means you can't close the hole with your finger.
Step 3. Try practicing the basic scales
The six-hole ocarina works the same way as the four-hole ocarina although the six-hole ocarina has two additional holes on the back. The difference is in the way to produce the tones. In a six-hole ocarine, to produce a tone through the four holes on the top you have to cover the two holes on the bottom while still following the tone patterns on the four holes. Memorize the order of the scales and do it at a slow tempo first until you are quite familiar with the notes. You can follow the note patterns below to practice the scales:
- Middle C: 1 2 3 4 5 6
- D: 1 X 3 4 5 6
- E: 1 2 3 X 5 6
- F: 1 X 3 X 5 6
- F# (Gb): X 2 3 4 5 6
- G: X X 3 4 5 6
- G# (Ab): X 2 3 X 5 6
- A: X X 3 X 5 6
- A# (Bb): X X X 4 5 6
- B: X 2 X X 5 6
- C: XXXX 5 6
Step 4. Learn how to use the two holes on the bottom
These holes serve to raise a half-tune (semi-tone) or one-tune. To raise a half-tune, use a tone pattern on all four main holes (such as a C note), then close hole 5 and leave hole 6 open. If you want to raise the pitch by one tuning, you only need to cover hole 5 and hole 6.
- Semitone means that a note is raised half a tuning on a chromatic scale. For example: C→C#, Ab→A, E→F.
- One note means a note raised one note on the same scale. For example: C→D, Ab→Bb, E→F#.
- To play a half-tune up (e.g. C#), use the pattern of holes 1-4 to play the note of C (XXXX), then step up the half-tune by closing hole number 5 so that the pattern looks like this: X X X X 5 X
- To move from C to D without having to change your entire fingering pattern, try playing the C note pattern (X X X X 5 6), then move up one tuning by covering only hole 6 (X X X X X 6).
- Moving from C to D by just closing hole 6 (X X X X 5 6 becomes X X X X X 6) will be easier to do than you have to play a D pattern like this: X X X X 5 6 becomes 1 X 3 4 5 6
Step 5. Keep practicing the scales
The best thing you can do to become a good ocarina player is to be able to play the scales up and down. There are two things you need to focus on in your practice: 1) memorizing fingering patterns for certain notes and 2) speed. Once you've mastered these two things, you'll enjoy playing your ocarina more.
- The order of the scales C: C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C
- Practice playing the ascending and descending scales as these are the basis of the songs you can later play.
Step 6. Again, start to familiarize yourself with the musical notation
People know what musical notation looks like, but not everyone can translate the notes. While many professional teachers can give you lessons in musical notation, you can find free sites that offer lessons in musical notation. If you are able to read musical notation, you can play your favorite songs with your ocarina.
You can get the musical notes of your favorite songs by buying a music notation book or by searching online
Tips
- Use tabs to help you learn songs. The tablature includes a series of illustrated finger patterns that you can follow to play certain songs.
- Store ocarinas in a place at room temperature. Air temperatures that are too cold or too hot can affect the sound output or even damage the wood/plastic of the ocarina.
- Clean the air funnel after you are done playing. Use a piece of newsprint and fold it until it is small enough to fit into the ocarina's mouth. Insert the folded newspaper so that the moisture in the funnel is absorbed.
- Don't blow too hard! Many beginners blow the ocarina too loudly and the sound is too loud to be pleasant to hear.
- Articulate each note by saying “tu” or “du” at the beginning of each note.
- Occasionally clean the surface of your ocarina using a soft cloth or cloth to make it look shiny.
- Remember this proverb: "God is possible because it is ordinary." If you're having trouble learning the ocarina, keep trying until you become good at it. Don't get frustrated right away. If you feel tired, stop exercising for about a week and then return to training.
- If you buy an ocarine to play with, it's best not to buy a Peruvian ocarine. Peruvian ocarinas are usually handmade in Peru on the back and are often not tone-tuned. On the front there are painting designs and the quality of the clay raw materials used is not good so that some beginner ocarina players often feel disappointed and hesitate to play again when they hear the sound output. But if you're buying Peruvian ocarines just for decoration, they'll make a beautiful garnish.
- Start playing at a slower pace as you'll enjoy the process more and find it easier to learn the basics of the ocarine. Don't force yourself to learn it.
- Keep your head down when you play high notes for a better sound.
