Ocarina

How much do you know about ocarinas?

Take this quiz to find out:

* What are the 4 most common materials that ocarinas are made out of?

* What are the plusses and minuses of the 2 basic styles of ocarina?

* What is the all-too-common ailment found among ocarina and other fipple flute players commonly known as MSP Syndrome?

* What are the 2 basic styles of ocarina?

* Why is clay the most popular material to make the ocarina out of?

* If you wanted to make your own ocarina, what material should you use?

For the answers and the rest of the quiz, go to: Ocarina Quiz

How did you get started making ocarinas as a business?

Well, let's see... Growing up, I wasn't familiar with ocarinas. In fact, until about 9 years ago, I'd never heard of one. I did love music, though, and as a kid I played the saxophone and a little blues harmonica. When I went away to college, my saxophone stayed behind, and I just never picked it up again.

As an adult, I started missing instrumental music, so over time I dabbled a bit in the tin whistle, the recorder, I played the harmonica kind of seriously for maybe a year or so. But, for whatever reason, I didn't stick with those instruments.

Then one day I was visiting Boston with my family -we had gone to the Children's Science Museum-- and on the way back to our car there was this, uh, street vendor, a Honduran guy, with his colorful blanket spread out on the sidewalk. So I stopped to talk to him, and he had these little clay things that I'd never seen before. He told me they were ocarinas, little flutes, and I was instantly smitten with the idea of a pocket-sized flute. I thought, "Wow! This is the instrument I've been looking for! A flute I can fit in my pocket and play anytime."

To me, it's kind of like with my Palm Pilot. I use it because I carry it with me, and I thought, "Wow, it'll be that same way with the ocarina." Well, sure enough, I really took to the ocarina even though that first one was so poorly made that I couldn't even play a scale on it. But it got me started searching for a really good ocarina, and I eventually found some nice ones. I guess my disappointment, though, with the best one's I could find was that they needed a little more range or a more fluid fingering pattern, and in general, they needed more sound because I wanted an instrument that I could play with other musicians.

Read the entire ocarina interview.

What is the ocarina be made out of? Virtually anything. Really. Ocarinas are made out of:

* Clay

* Wood

* Plastic

* Metal (and other specialty materials)

* Broccoli

Ocarina Material Comparison

Ocarinas are made in various materials. Here are some things to keep in mind when thinking about what you want your ocarina to be made out of.

more about ocarina materials