Q & A
Pitch Control
Although everyone plays the ocarina as if it's very easy thing to do, isn't it very difficult to control the pitch?
anonymous question
I assume you have good ears for music. A lot of people don't realize how difficult it is.
As I mentioned in "The Principles of the ocarina", the major factor that determines the pitch of the ocarina is the size of the openings compared to the whole volume. (Other main factors are the temperature and the air speed against the edge.)
Put the complicated theory aside, how can you control the pitch in practice? Imagine, in your head, the pitch of the sound you are going to play (the tone should be sounding in your head) and then blow the instrument. That way, you will have the ideal pitch naturally. Please also see "Performance Advice - sing before you play".
What you actually do is, 1)play a tone, 2)judge the tone, and 3)adjust the difference in pitches.
1)Play a tone...Imagine the air speed for the tone you are going to play.
2)Judge the tone...Compare the pitches of the tone you played and the tone that was in your head.
3)Adjust the difference in pitches...Control the air speed or control the tone holes.
A series of tasks including these processes is called "to sing".
(Was it a difficult explanation?)
[Pitch control 2]
There are three ways in controling the pitch in one scale.
Equal tempered pitch
This pitch is made by dividing one octave into 12 parts evenly. It doesn't sound strange when the key is changed. However, it doesn't sound so beautiful.
Harmonic pitch
This came from what is called pure tempered tuning. There is no howling. The harmony sounds beautiful.
Melodeous pitch
Some tones such as leading tones become a little higher based on the direction of the music or the scale.
I am talking about the pitch, not the a couple of different scales you might have learned in high school.
Isn't your brain rejecting to understand when you have come as far as here? Don't worry, I'll explain in other words.
Most people who play the ocarina do, without noticing, what I explained above.
Here's an example. There was an ocarina that only played a semi-tone lower octave, from Do to Si, when I tested it. The owner of the ocarina, however, was able to play an octave with the same instrument by controlling the blowing speed. (Yes! It is the nature of humankind that we go to the good direction.)
This is the rough summary of the answer.