What is the difference between a 12-hole and a 10-hole ocarina?
The difference between a 10-hole and 12-hole ocarina on the surface is minor. 10-hole ocarinas have ten finger holes, eight on the top for the fingers and two thumb holes on the bottom. They play chromatically over a range of an octave and a fourth (like from C to F) and look similar to the ones in the following picture:
A 12-hole ocarina shares the same design, the only difference being the addition of two subholes. These holes extend the range downwards by three semitones. Thus, a 12-hole C ocarina would have a playing range from A to F.
The fingering system of 10- and 12-hole ocarinas is almost identical, and if you learn either, you will be able to play the other kind with only minor adjustments.
However, there are notable differences between 10- and 12-hole ocarinas when considering their playing characteristics.
Playing characteristics of 10-hole ocarinas
Due to the physics of the instrument, having a smaller range means there is a lot of freedom to craft the playing characteristics of a 10-hole ocarina. They may:
- Play at low breath pressure, with a balanced volume through the whole playing range.
- Play at high pressure, with the instrument sounding very loud throughout the entire range.
- Play with increasing breath pressure, resulting in quiet low notes and loud high notes.
These ocarinas typically have a strong tone on every note and can also be designed to have a range of timbres from 'pure' to 'reedy'. These factors are set when the instrument is made and can't be changed.
Playing characteristics of 12-hole ocarinas
The extended range of a 12-hole ocarina puts far more constraints on instrument design, leaving significantly less scope for variation between them:
- 12-hole ocarinas play with a steep pressure curve, having quiet low notes and loud high notes.
- They often have an imbalanced timbre over their range, with airy-sounding high notes and weak low notes.
It is worth noting, however, that ocarinas do not scale linearly. A 12-hole soprano C can easily play cleanly over its entire range, while an alto usually exhibits some of the issues noted above. With 12-hole bass ocarinas, it is even more challenging to achieve a balanced range. See How ocarinas work for more.
The 11-hole ocarina
A middle ground exists in the 11-hole ocarina, representing a compromise between the 10-hole and 12-hole designs. These ocarinas have one subhole, which can be placed near one of the finger holes of either the left or right hand.
By eliminating one of the subholes, 11-hole ocarinas retain most of the design flexibility of a 10-hole ocarina. They don't suffer from the issues of weak high notes often seen in 12-hole ocarinas. But providing one subhole allows a semitone below the instrument's base note to be played, which is helpful in many musical contexts.
