Is the ocarina easy to play?
The ocarina is easy to play in the sense that:
- It is easy to make sound on an ocarina.
- The fingering system is logical.
- Having a small range with only a small number of notes is easy to think about as a beginner.
However, making a sound is not the same thing as sounding musical.
Music is in some sense a language, and knowledge of an instrument's fingering system is not enough to play interesting music. Learning to be expressive with rhythm and pitch comes from listening to good performers, and takes time to develop.
The fact of the matter is that all instruments are challenging in their own ways, and I think that 'Does the ocarina inspire you?' is a more valuable thing to be asking than 'is the ocarina easy to play?'.
If you've chosen the ocarina because you enjoy its sound, and you're determined to play it yourself, you've chosen it for the right reasons. The same goes for any instrument: play it not because it looks easy or difficult, but because you enjoy it.
Take care
Given that ocarinas are simple, you don't need a structured learning method or deliberate practice to learn to play it, right?
It is easy to make this assumption, but following such an approach mostly leads to years of time being lost, with very little to show for it. Playing the ocarina well requires a deliberate practice approach like any instrument.
Ocarina tabs especially are a double-edged sword; while they can help you to get started, continuing to use them will quickly hold you back.
Not all the playing techniques are intuitive. I recommend reading How to play the ocarina, which covers all the critical techniques of playing the instrument.
