How to play multichambered ocarinas

English

Playing multichambered ocarinas is much the same as playing single chambered instruments. The only real difference is the need to move one's blowing between multiple windways, and the right hand fingers between the holes of multiple chambers.

This article assumes familiarity with basic techniques like breath control and tongued articulation. If you have not done so, I'd recommend reading the article How to play the ocarina first.

Holding a multichamber ocarina

The posture for holding a multichamber ocarina is the same as for a single chamber. The right hand comes in from the rear with the mouthpiece facing toward you. The left hand comes in from the opposite side. A double is shown here, but the ideas are the same for ocarinas with more chambers.

The left hand comes onto the ocarina from the left side, with the right hand coming onto the instrument in the opposite direction. Both hands should cover their respective holes, and fingers should be relaxed with a gentle curve along their length

As their name implies, multichamber ocarinas have multiple chambers, each of which has its own windway, voicing, and finger holes.

The fingerings of the first chamber are largely the same as a single chambered ocarina, being fingered by both hands.
The higher chambers are played by the right hand only, and the four fingers must move to cover the holes on whichever chamber is being blown.

As was discussed in The fingering systems of multichamber ocarinas, chambers are additive. Each additional chamber adds range, but the fingerings of the second chamber on both a double ocarina, and triple ocarina, are the same.

Multichambered transverse ocarinas may be found with as many as four chambers, and the following diagram shows roughly how the holes on the right hand connect to the chambers. The holes within the area marked '1' are connected to the first chamber; those shown in '2' are for the second chamber, and so on.

If you are playing a double ocarina, the chambers marked 3 and 4 can be ignored. Likewise on a triple ocarina, chanber 4 can be ignored.

The physical layout of a multichamber ocarina. The first chamber is almost identical to a single chamber ocarina, with holes for the left and right hand positioned opposite each other. Additional chambers are added to the right hand, which extend the range upwards, usually having about 4 holes per chamber. Up to 3 additional chambers can be added. These chambers are additive, meaning that the second chamber on a triple ocarina is the same as the second chamber on a double, although exact fingerings do vary between makers

The positioning of the left hand on a multichamber ocarina is identical to that of a single chamber: it only has to cover a single set of holes. As with singles, you should keep your fingers gently curved along their length. Joints with sharp angles usually indicate a poorly placed finger or poor hand posture. See 'How to hold an ocarina' for more.

The right hand's position is also similar to on a single chambered ocarina, but these fingers are responsible for covering the holes of two or more chambers. Typically, the fingers move together, covering the holes of a single chamber at a time.

When playing the second chamber of a double ocarina, the fingers of the right hand should be more curled

When playing the first chamber of a double ocarina, the fingers of the right hand should be fully extended and relatively straight

The right thumb needs to be positioned to allow the fingers to move as needed to cover the holes of the various chambers. If the ocarina has a right thumb hole, this will guide the placement of the thumb. Otherwise, the thumb should be positioned approximately in the middle of the two rows of holes above. On a triple, the thumb should rest roughly opposite the finger holes of the second chamber.

If you are able to bend your thumbs backwards, I strongly advise intentionally holding your right thumb straight, as having it forced back by the weight of the ocarina can be painful. Some ocarinas have a ramp for the thumb, which allows it to better support the instrument and also stops it from bending backwards.

Side Note

As it is difficult to see what your fingers are doing in normal playing position, I recommend using a mirror to check your hand posture. You can also bend your elbows to move the ocarina into a position that allows you to see your fingers, without influencing finger placement.

Blowing a multichamber ocarina

The main difference in blowing multichambered ocarinas vs blowing single chambered ocarinas, is that each chamber has its own windway and voicing. It is essential to constrain your air to a single windway, but at the same time, you also need to be able to switch which windway you're blowing into rapidly.

Multichamber ocarinas have a mouthpiece featuring multiple windways and voicings, the air channel that you blow into controls which chamber sounds. Some ocarinas allow multiple chambers to be blown to create harmonies, but most are not tuned to do so

Constraining the air to a single windway is done by forming an aperture with the lips, similar to the posture you'd use to pronounce the 'oo' syllable. This aperture should be moderately sized as it will create a noisy tone if too restricted.

Lightly touch the mouthpiece of the ocarina against the aperture, in line with the desired windway, using just enough pressure to create a seal. The ocarina should not be in your mouth at all, just resting against the outside of the lips.

The best posture for the lips when playing an ocarina is slightly parted and a little puckered. Create an aperture between the lips to direct air into the windway. This is essential technique for multichambers, so you can direct air into the correct windway

Correct lip posture for a multichamber ocarina. The lips are slightly puckered with a small aperture between them, and the ocarina lightly touching the outside of the lips. The mouthpiece of A multichamber should never be put a long way into the mouth, as this will make chamber switching very difficult

As when playing a single chamber, you should angle the ocarina so you are blowing directly down the windway. Tilting it sharply up or down kinks the air passage and can create a noisy tone.

Ocarina being blown correctly, creating a smooth air passage from the mouth into the instrument. The ocarina is held parallel with the ground, with the head in a normal upright position

A diagram showing an ocarina being blown at a poor angle, with the ocarina angled sharply down. This will increase turbulence and result in a worse tone

Basic chamber switching

When you want to play a note on a different chamber, you have to both move your fingers to the other chamber, and move the instrument so that you're blowing into the correct windway. This is called chamber switching.

The action of moving the fingers between the chambers comes partly from the wrist and partly from bending the fingers. The thumb normally remains stationary. Please see the video below..

The exact fingerings of the higher chambers does vary between ocarinas, and some of these common variants are covered on the page The fingering systems of multichamber ocarinas. Checking a fingering chart for your instrument is recommended though.