Griffis
Well-known member
Anyone here play one? I've messed with them a bit and like them. My daughter, 16, wants to take it up. I plan to order one for her tomorrow. Anyone here have any experience with the "sweet potato?"
ocarinas?
- Thread starter Griffis
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Futurethink
Well-known member
Check with Sam who is on here with the handle Kissing. He is (or at least was) very involved in the Ocarina Network Forum.
bnolsen
Well-known member
Sam knows the most. I have multiple ocarinas. In fact ocarinas introduced me to sam which got me into ukuleles. They are seriously good instruments for learning to play by ear.
The transverse or "sweet potato" is the most playable ocarina. A very good choice.
Which type did you order? There are many to avoid and a few which are excellent.
My biggest complaint about most ocarinas are that they have a very pure and piercing tone which may hurt your hearing. I prefer the more heavily textured ocarinas or better yet, playing a larger "bass" ocarina which is much quieter and has a very interesting tone.
The transverse or "sweet potato" is the most playable ocarina. A very good choice.
Which type did you order? There are many to avoid and a few which are excellent.
My biggest complaint about most ocarinas are that they have a very pure and piercing tone which may hurt your hearing. I prefer the more heavily textured ocarinas or better yet, playing a larger "bass" ocarina which is much quieter and has a very interesting tone.
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OP
OP
Griffis
Well-known member
Well, I hope this isn't one to avoid, because it's the one I ordered:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B008WYNVAW/
...I let her research around and pick her own. She watched posts of YouTube clips, read reviews, pros and cons of this material vs that...this one seemed like a good compromise between potentially breakable ceramic and typically more expensive wooden ones. It's not the prettiest but we thought it might be good for a starter. We both like the more bass-voiced ones too, from the samples we've heard. If she takes to it, this may well end up only being her first. It was really well reviewed.
Looking forward to trying out some father-daughter ukulele-ocarina duets! It should arrive in a week or so...
I think you're in good shape; it's one that bnolsen recommended to me about three years ago.
I'm surprised that fellow UU member kissing has not been on this thread yet.
He plays ocarina in many of his videos and has several reviews of various units on his youtube channel.
Maybe send him a PM? He seems to know a lot about ocarinas.
He plays ocarina in many of his videos and has several reviews of various units on his youtube channel.
Maybe send him a PM? He seems to know a lot about ocarinas.
bnolsen
Well-known member
oh yeah that's still the best plastic transverse you can buy, better than most ceramics. It unfortunately has a pure somewhat piercing sound so earplugs might be in order. ocarinas can be as addictive as ukes since they are so inexpensive and small!
Multichamber and bass ocrinas might soon be on her list...a triple will let you play some flute pieces, although even more ear piercing with the higher range.
pointpergame
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I feel compelled to add: The marketing copy for that ocarina is almost poetry in it's off-English.
kissing
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Thanks for the PM Booli, this certainly is a thread not to be missed by me.
The ocarina is a great instrument for anyone to learn really. It's unique and capable of so much without being large - a bit like the ukulele in a way.
I was a bit worried when I saw that the link to the one that your daughter ordered was to "Amazon", which is where most of the bad quality cheapo ocarinas come from. After clicking the link, I was pleased to see that it is the Night by Noble ocarina - widely regarded to be the best quality plastic ocarina and the best value for money. In fact, I own one myself, though I haven't featured it in a song yet... maybe I'll do it in my next video alongside the ukulele in an instrument cover of Brother Iz's Over the Rainbow
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me via PM, or look for "The Ocarina Network" group on Facebook.
We do also have a forum, but it doesn't get as much attention as the Facebook group, so it might take a bit longer to get an answer.
Meanwhile, here is the kind of videos I do on my free time (or lack thereof...)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJZ7pVWWo3s
The ocarina is a great instrument for anyone to learn really. It's unique and capable of so much without being large - a bit like the ukulele in a way.
I was a bit worried when I saw that the link to the one that your daughter ordered was to "Amazon", which is where most of the bad quality cheapo ocarinas come from. After clicking the link, I was pleased to see that it is the Night by Noble ocarina - widely regarded to be the best quality plastic ocarina and the best value for money. In fact, I own one myself, though I haven't featured it in a song yet... maybe I'll do it in my next video alongside the ukulele in an instrument cover of Brother Iz's Over the Rainbow
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me via PM, or look for "The Ocarina Network" group on Facebook.
We do also have a forum, but it doesn't get as much attention as the Facebook group, so it might take a bit longer to get an answer.
Meanwhile, here is the kind of videos I do on my free time (or lack thereof...)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJZ7pVWWo3s
bnolsen
Well-known member
transverses are nice but i really have to say that the 'g' inline ocarina from mountain ocarinas is really very good, and very small. I'm not sure why their stock is low as they seem to only have the very good polycarbonate model available.
http://www.mountainsocarina.com/b/products/
http://www.mountainsocarina.com/b/products/
Jim Hanks
Well-known member
Aaaaaaaaaag! I hate you people! Now I need an ocarina.
I don't think I could stand the G but I like the sound of the C Mountain Ocarina. Is this the same range as uke or an octave higher? I might have to look for an even lower tuned one. Bb jazz ocarina anyone?
I don't think I could stand the G but I like the sound of the C Mountain Ocarina. Is this the same range as uke or an octave higher? I might have to look for an even lower tuned one. Bb jazz ocarina anyone?
acmespaceship
Well-known member
+1 for the Mountain Ocarina G polycarbonate. Nice sound, plays easily, pretty near indestructible. Now if only I could remember where I put mine...
bnolsen
Well-known member
I bought the g/c poly pair, then bought used another pair with different color liners, then a used corian G, gave away the original poly G. The G plays pretty much the same regardless of material, you can overblow the upper notes to get an 11 note range. Apparently the non poly C can be overblown, but the low notes are much trickier.
The more textured sound of the C is less ear piercing than most transverses. But a transverse C is generally easier to play with more range (11 notes effective), playing a sharp or flat means just covering the same hole across most of the range.
A tin whistle or recorder can be almost as much fun to play. The ease of getting accidentals out of a transverse plus having the note below the scale (low-b or the very weak low-a) is a big advantage for playing vocal range pieces.
Of course if you want a different sound and don't mind the work there's the xaphoon...won't hurt you ears but might offend the geese...
Jim Hanks
Well-known member
I can see we think alike, bnolsen. I was into recorders for a while and had a fairly decent soprano, alto, and tenor - sold all but the alto. Also tried a xaphoon but I couldn't get enough lip pressure on the reed without shredding my lower lip. If the C Mountain Oc was available, I'd probably order one today. I also like the look of the Hind inlines.
Edit: I had to say it, didn't I: http://www.mountainsocarina.com/ocarinas
Poly C has been ordered. :smileybounce:
Edit: I had to say it, didn't I: http://www.mountainsocarina.com/ocarinas
Poly C has been ordered. :smileybounce:
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bnolsen
Well-known member
they sell the poly c and g together as a discounted pair...well worth it if you can change the order!
Jim Hanks
Well-known member
Yeah, I saw that, but heard enough samples to think the G would be too shrill for my liking. Hind has an F "tenor" that looks interesting but figured I'd start cheap.
OP
OP
Griffis
Well-known member
I wish there was a way to play ocarina hands-free. I'd like to have a secondary, accompaniment instrument to play along with the uke, as in a neck rack.
I'm not a great whistler, kazoo is cool for some numbers, but I only like to use it sparingly. I like harmonicas and have a few, but need a lot more work to play them well enough to feel comfortable with them.
I have considered quills, similar to or perhaps the same thing as pan flute or pan pipes. May look more into that.
The rural bluesman Henry Thomas used quills in a neck rack on some of his 1930s recordings:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aSBkcBpLnzY
(This melody might seem familiar to fans of 60s music...Canned Heat nicked it for their biggest hit.)
My daughter has taken well tk the ocarina, and the one we got seems like a good quality instrument, especially for someone starting out. We've had so much going on we haven't learned a duet yet though.
I'm not a great whistler, kazoo is cool for some numbers, but I only like to use it sparingly. I like harmonicas and have a few, but need a lot more work to play them well enough to feel comfortable with them.
I have considered quills, similar to or perhaps the same thing as pan flute or pan pipes. May look more into that.
The rural bluesman Henry Thomas used quills in a neck rack on some of his 1930s recordings:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aSBkcBpLnzY
(This melody might seem familiar to fans of 60s music...Canned Heat nicked it for their biggest hit.)
My daughter has taken well tk the ocarina, and the one we got seems like a good quality instrument, especially for someone starting out. We've had so much going on we haven't learned a duet yet though.
bnolsen
Well-known member
Aaaaaaaaaag! I hate you people! Now I need an ocarina.
I don't think I could stand the G but I like the sound of the C Mountain Ocarina. Is this the same range as uke or an octave higher? I might have to look for an even lower tuned one. Bb jazz ocarina anyone?
you want a Bb ocarina? check out this beauty!
https://www.etsy.com/listing/280644610/ocarina-12-holes-alto-bb-zelda-song-of?ref=shop_home_active_1
i have this gorgeous AC from him, scroll down to see the pics:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/106653733/ocarina-ac
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Jim Hanks
Well-known member
Ooh, nice find! I'm going to start with inline though as the fingering looks closer to recorder and EWI that I used to.
coolkayaker1
Well-known member
Serious question: does an ocarina make one's fingertips stink?
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