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Haw to play Ogawa Ocarina


Please use, although it is under edit.(It is Japanese.)

The Principles of the Ocarina

In order to make or play the ocarina, you have to understand its principles with both your brain and body. I'm afraid that many makers or players don't understand the principles.

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An ocarina is a closed-pipe instrument?


It is often said that an Ocairina is a closed-pipe intsrument. But I think it is more natural to categorize it as unique kind of musical instrument as suggested by Suimin . When you study about the instrument, you have to know how an Ocarina is differnet from a recorder (or a flute).

The mechanisms for making sounds are the same. The difference is whether it is the volume of the instrument or the length of the instrument that determines the wavelengths (the height of the tone). With an ocarina, "the ratio of the total area of the opening (opened tone holes and the sound hole, also see below) to the whole volume of the instrument" determines the tone whereas with a recorder / flute,@the length from the mouth plays a major role in determining the tone. (Please note that it's not the width but the length of the pipe. If you think that a wider pipe makes a lower tone, you're probably confusing the principle of the flute with that of the ocarina. The timbre is a different issue here.)

In other words, the positions of the tone holes are important factors in determining the tone of a recorder / flute. On the other hand, you can place the tone holes anywhere you want on an ocarina. You can design an ocarina that will fit the size and shape of your hands or fingers.

Harmonic overtones

I wanted to give some explanation of harmonic overtones to those who don't know about them, but because I found it too cumbersome, I'll tell you a fact instead. Although a flute covers a range of three octaves, basic tones cover only about an octave. The second and the third octaves are generated by harmonic overtones. Unfortunately, an ocarina generally can't utilize harmonic overtones. This doesn't mean it can't use harmonic overtones at all. Some piccolo ocarinas can make a "g" sound, which is a whole tone higher than "f" - the highest tone of the ocarina.

What is the opening?

The opening includes not only the tone holes but also the sound hole. (The sound hole is the hole you find on the backside of the instrument and this is where the sound of an ocarina is created.) The lowest tone is generated when all the tone holes but the sound hole are closed. The tones become higher as you open the holes one by one. The highest tone is achieved when all the holes are open, leaving enough volume for the instrument to resound using the sound hole and the resonating part. (The interval between the lowest and the highest tone is roughly determined by how you make the sound hole. Naturally, there is a limit in adjusting the sound hole. If your ocarina doesn't play from the lowest tone "La" to the highest tone "Fa", that would be due to the maker's laziness of or to your lack of technique.)

Uniqueness of ocarina fingering

You can freely design the fingering for the movement from Do to Re. However, that would confuse everyone, including the makers themselves. Setting up a general fingering would be safer. There are a lot of possible alternative fingerings and you can make an ocarina freely combining various fingerings. (You could even make an ocarina designed for a particular song or an ocarina with an unusual key.)

The real tone (the tone actually played by the instrument, as opposed to the written notes)



The ocarina in C generates one-octave higher tones than written notes. The piccolo C ocarina does two octaves higher. You didn't know that? Don't worry, I know a famous professional who didn't know this. You can confirm this by comparing with the piano sounds.

Pitch

The pitch of an ocarina is very unstable. When you blow with the fingering for 'So', you have to expect you will play a tone AROUND 'So', not exactly 'So'. It is easy to change the pitch by a half tone by controlling the blowing speed. (That's why the ocarina is so difficult.) You have to adjust the final pitch after you do the test play. So please adjust the ocarina you bought according to this site.

The effect of the temperature

Question: Why does the ocarina's pitch become higher as the temperature increases? I thought the pitch would become lower because the ocarina expands as the temperature goes up.



You haven't noticed such a thing? Haven't you noticed in winter, that the pitch becomes higher a while after you start playing?
Answer: The expansion coefficient of air is greater than that of an ocarina, giving the same effect as if the ocarina shrinks.

(That's what I heard. There is another opinion though. When the temperature is higher, the sound travels faster. That's why the pitch becomes higher. No matter what the reason is, it is a fact that the pitch becomes higher. I would like to hear what physics specialists have to say. July 21, 1999) )

To my great disappointment, quite a few people have recently quoted what is written in this ocarina site without letting me know. It would be no problem as long as you use this site for your own private use. However, I believe it to be common sense that you should give the source of your quotation when you publish it in any form. The information written here would be enough for general learners though I have a lot more to say about the ocarina. I would like to refrain from writing any more because there are many plagiarizers. (This reminded me of the editor's advice; "you shouldn't share everything you know" when I published a book on the ocarina.) I don't mean that I'd like to keep my knowledge secret. I'm willing to answer questions from people who make ocarinas or who have specific questions.
Amended on October 21, 1998
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