Help me choose an Ocarina

[Ossian]

Hi folks!

After much listening, and much internet browsing, I decided I want to try and learn an instrument. Not aiming to be Orpheus, just to force myself to have a hobby which entails learning something.

So I went for Ocarina (does not seem to be too tough to get started, it is very small and easy to carry, sounds realy sweet!). I live in Berlin though and can't relly find a music store with people who could advise on ocarina. I read some on mountain ocarina and similar fora / website, so I think I am going for a 12 holes, tenor Ocarina.

The point is that the ones I found here have a "key of" and then a letter. I am do not know much about musical notation, so I am not sure what t go for. Here are the equivalents:

http://www.library.yale.edu/cataloging/music/keylang.htm

Could you help me decipher that code and what kind of sound it will give? Any other tips? It seems like I should go for "G", because it should have a deeper, lower sound. Is that the way too read that? Also, i am not sure what "fully chormatic" means, but I think it means it has all the notes available...

Thanks!!!

PS
No, I never played Legend of Zelda, but I do like the Apocalyptica version of Ocarina of Time :)

[TheThan]

Not an expert on the subject, and I know virtually nothing about the ocarina. I’ll see what I can do.
Music is divided up into octaves ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octave), keys ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_%28music%29) and Notes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Note_%28music%29).
Occarina (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocarina)

I hope those help out.

The little letter determines what key the instrument is in, for instance I have a harmonica in the Key of “C”, and one in the key of “G”. The one keyed in “G” plays higher pitched notes than the one in “C”.

Chromatic means it will play all the notes in the scale. For instance my “C and G” harmonicas are diatonic, they will only play “natural” notes, not sharps or flats, and however, I also have a Chromatic harmonica also in the key of “C”. That harmonica has a little button on the side that raises the pitch of every note by half a step (taking a “C” natural for instance, to a “C” sharp).

[Aedilred]

The point is that the ones I found here have a "key of" and then a letter. I am do not know much about musical notation, so I am not sure what t go for. Here are the equivalents:

http://www.library.yale.edu/cataloging/music/keylang.htm

Could you help me decipher that code and what kind of sound it will give? Any other tips? It seems like I should go for "G", because it should have a deeper, lower sound. Is that the way too read that? Also, i am not sure what "fully chormatic" means, but I think it means it has all the notes available...

The key of the ocarina will affect its range and natural pitch; it'll also change the fingerings that you'll need for a given note. Most instruments are only available in a couple of keys, and in many cases only one, depending on type and family. It is possible that there are ocarinas available in every key but it is likely that most of them are concentrated in one or two keys with the remainder being specialist or novelty instruments.

The scale is repeating, so there is no "deepest" note; the deepest note is just whichever one the instrument in your hand is capable of producing. Larger instruments tend to produce deeper notes, so a bass clarinet keyed to G will produce a lower note by default than a treble clarinet keyed to A, even though A is lower on the scale. Music afficionadoes claim that each key has its own character, but at a basic level it's really an issue of notation: you want to find a key that will match the notes required for your tune as closely as possible with minimal manual semitone adjustment. (However, minor keys are distinct from major ones, to all but the most tone deaf ears, but that's irrelevant for these purposes).

In essence then, selecting your instrument key is really a matter of personal preference. All instruments will have a bit of character of their own anyway, but the best way to work out what you want is just to play some and see which you think gives you the most attractive sound.

At this stage, however, I would be inclined to select an ocarina that's in the key most commonly available; the one that music is usually written for. If you have an instrument in the "wrong" key for the music you're playing from, you'll have to transpose, which is an added difficulty, especially when you're unfamiliar with notation systems. Once you're more familiar with the instrument and its capabilities, if you decide there are features of ocarinas in other keys that you like, you can add that as a specialism.

Your best bet is practical experience. If you can find somewhere that has a variety you can get a sense of what the variety available is and maybe play a few to see which ones you prefer. You'll get more value out of that experience if you already have an idea of what you're doing, though. Are you planning to teach yourself or take lessons? A teacher may well have a spare (or access to one) that you could borrow or rent, at least for a few weeks, which means that by the time you come to invest in one yourself you're more informed about the purchase. If you're planning to teach yourself, then you'll probably just have to bite the bullet.

[TheThan]

In addition to that, you want to play in a key that harmonizes with the other instruments you’re playing with, if you’re playing with other instruments. That’s one of the reasons why certain instruments are always grouped together and orchestras are arranged the way they are. (my harmonica is actually backwards, if you’re playing “cross harp” then you’re intentionally not harmonizing to create musical tension, that’s where the soulful bluesy sound comes from, most instruments don’t want to do that.)

And yes, find a teacher, even if he/she can’t help you with learning your actual Ocarina, you can at least learn music first, which will give you a mechanical understanding of what your trying to do.

[Ossian]

Right! Thanks folks. I had it backwards. So instead of G i will give it a shot at a lower key. I like the sound better. If I do find this talent in me, I might then invest in another Key.

For the 12 holes, I think I like it better than 8, it has a fuller range of notes. I recall from playing the recorder that you can cover more than one hole with a finger, so I wonder (me having only 10 fingers) if with the 12 hole ocarina it will be the same.

[inexorabletruth]

I tried learning the ocarina once. If you're finding fully chromatic ocarinas, then you're on the right track.

Most ocarinas are either not tuned at all or are pentatonic, which of means it only plays five notes, but those notes always sound good together.

Key of E would be the tuning you're looking for. The reason I say this is because a lot of other popular instruments seen around campfires (where the ocarina tends to get played) are also tuned to E (like guitars and basses. So it will be easier for you to play with others, and it's nice and throaty, which is what you seem to be looking for. However, if you plan on playing with other simple wind instruments and especially other kinds of flutes, C is much easier to learn and it's fairly easy to transpose to fit other keys in case you plan on mixing it up with brass groups.

If you just want to play by yourself, the key doesn't matter as much. In which case, I still recommend the key of C (for versatility), or a pentatonic ocarina (for simplicity).

[Tylorious]

Might be a little late for me to chime in here, but I will anyway. For beginners, the key of C is going to be your best bet as it has no sharps or flats to worry about.

[Ossian]

Might be a little late for me to chime in here, but I will anyway. For beginners, the key of C is going to be your best bet as it has no sharps or flats to worry about.

Hi! Thanks to you too. In fact, I like the idea of switching to a more complex Key (like "E") when and if I get good at this. For now, I am going to play 99.99% on my own (that is, alone, no audience, just for practice and relaxation).

So, for now "C" seems to be the safest bet (also based on what I have listened to)

cheers!

M.