Ocavis, online pitch graph and intonation visualiser
A pitch graph or intonation visualiser is similar to a chromatic tuner, but enables you to see how your pitch changes over time. The notes of the chromatic scale are displayed as horizontal lines, and the history of the notes you've played is plotted over the top.
When you play a note on your ocarina in tune, the drawn line will match the corresponding note line. If you are sharp or flat, the graph will fall between two lines.
If you want to open this page directly, it can be accessed at the following URL in any web browser:
https://pureocarinas.com/intonation-pitch-graph
How to use a pitch graph in your ocarina practice
A pitch graph tuner can be used for several things:
- You can play long tones and visualise how stable your blowing pressure is between the start, body, and end of the note.
- You can visualise the consistency of your vibrato.
- If you play music normally, you will clearly see if any of your notes are consistently flat or sharp. For example, if you have a piece of music that leaps repeatedly to a lower or higher note, you may see that the pitch is flatter or sharper than it should be.
- You can identify if the pressure curve you are using is correct for your instrument (see below).
- You can identify poorly tuned ocarinas.
Matching your breath curve to your ocarina
A pitch graph is handy for checking that the breath curve you are using is correct for your ocarina. Simply play a scale slowly from the lowest to the highest note and look at how the notes fall on the graph.
You should see something like the following, where the lines drawn from your playing have the same spacing as the lines in the background.
If you don't increase your pressure enough between notes, the distance between the pitches of your notes shown in the graph will be closer together than the background lines.
If you increase your pressure too much between notes, your pitches will be further apart than the background lines.
Irregular breath curves
You may find that the pitches shown by Ocavis are correct for most of the range, but that the high notes of single chambered ocarinas are flat. This may be because your ocarina requires a non-linear pressure curve. Many 12-hole ocarinas, for example, require an exponential pressure spike on the highest three notes for them to play in tune.
Poorly tuned ocarinas
If you play a simple scale like this and your pitches appear random, it's likely because you're changing your blowing pressure irregularly or the ocarina you have is poorly tuned.
Other tools
You may also find these tools useful: