The ergonomics of transverse ocarinas
For an ocarina to be playable, simply sounding good is not enough. The instrument needs to feel comfortable, and be designed in a way that does not hinder your ability to play it. We call these factors 'ergonomics'.
Because everyone's hands are different, ocarina ergonomics is not 'one size fits all'. If an ocarina is ergonomic for one person, it does not mean that it will be ergonomic for you.
First we will discuss the ergonomics of single chamber ocarinas, and then add a few additional details concerning multichamber ocarinas.
Single chamber ocarinas
Body shape
The first thing impacting the ergonomics of a transverse ocarina is its external shape. Consider a straight ocarina vs one that is 'egg shaped' for instance:
The shape of the body matters because we need some way to support the instrument while playing the high notes. We commonly do this by placing the right pinky finger and left index finger besides their holes, as is demonstrated in the pictures below.
In an ergonomic ocarina, the body is shaped to facilitate this. Notice how both the right and left-hand sections are pretty straight? This is so that the fingers can rest securely when they are supporting the instrument. Ocarinas that are strongly curved on the ends encourage fingers to slide off the instrument.
Another thing that makers often do to facilitate ergonomics is to introduce flat areas for the fingers to rest on around finger holes. Doing so makes the instrument feel more secure in the hand, as if the instrument's surface is rounded, it will tend to feel unstable in the hand.
I'd recommend looking out for these features when choosing an ocarina.
Ergonomic differences between Italian and Asian transverse ocarinas
There are notable differences in the ergonomic design of Italian and Asian ocarinas, despite them having a common history. Italian ocarinas have points at both ends of the body, while Asian ocarinas are rounded on the left and have a longer tail.
The design difference comes from the technique players use to hold the instrument while playing the high notes:
- Italian players use the left-hand point (cappello) to support the instrument on the high notes, in a technique called the three point grip. The ocarina is balanced between the left index finger, right pinky and right thumb.
- Asian players use a different technique where the narrow end of the chamber is gripped with the ring and pinky finger of the right hand, and the tail is longer to allow this.
The two techniques are addressed on the page Playing the high notes of single chambered ocarinas. The different design could be explained by the fact that when the ocarina came to Asia, the playing techniques of Italian players did not.
The additional support point for the left index finger is useful for leaping between the high and low notes. Also, I think that the Asian technique is problematic because it puts the entire weight on one hand, immobilises that hand, and is not ergonomic for large heavy ocarinas.
How the ocarina is balanced
The physical balance of an ocarina is a large part of ergonomics, as a poorly balanced ocarina will be difficult to play and can feel a lot heavier than a well-balanced one—at best, making your job harder and, at worst, causing hand or wrist pain.
The most important aspect of an ocarina's balance is the the primary balance plane, which runs between the right thumb hole and the tail of the ocarina. It allows you to support the instrument using only the right thumb and pinky when held parallel to the ground.
Most of the notes can be played using only the support provided by this plain, and is top priority when evaluating the ergonomics of an ocarina. If you hold the ocarina as shown, it should balance when roughly parallel to the ground and not place an excessive weight on your thumb or pinky.
Ocarinas also have a secondary balance plane that runs between the left pinky hole and the mouthpiece. It is less important, being used in combination with the primary and rarely, if ever, by itself. Note that this plane can only be used when the pinky hole is placed on the side of the instrument.
If you hold an ocarina between the right thumb and pinky as shown, it should feel comfortable to hold:
- If you feel a lot of pressure on your pinky or thumb, that means that the right thumb hole has been positioned too far to the right. The farther right the thumb hole is, the heavier the ocarina will feel.
- If the ocarina falls away from the pinky, the right thumb hole is positioned too far to the left. This is never desirable and means the ocarina is bad.
- Front to back, the ocarina should either have a slight tendency to roll towards the mouthpiece, or be perfectly balanced. If it rolls away from you, the high notes will be more difficult to play.
Balance can be challenging to judge without being able to hold the ocarina, but it can be estimated with a bit of experience. The material that makes up the instrument's body has weight, and where this material is determines the balance of an instrument.
As you play more ocarinas, look at the instrument's shape, then hold it and determine where it balances. If you do this with a selection of different ocarinas, you'll start to develop an intuition for how the two relate to each other.
Mouthpiece angle
The angle of the mouthpiece in relation to the body of the instrument is another ergonomic consideration. Ocarinas can be found with their mouthpiece ranging anywhere between 90 degrees to the body, to completely inline.
The angle of the mouthpiece impacts how your wrists lie in relation to the instrument, and an ocarina with a slightly angled mouthpiece can improve ergonomics. Angling the mouthpiece also leaves more space between your right hand and face, which may be more comfortable if you have larger hands.
You may find ocarinas that have a fully inline design easier to play if you have arthritis, but it is worth noting that this does greatly change how the instrument feels to play. Inline ocarinas can feel less stable because all of their weight is in a single line.
Changing the angle of the mouthpiece does change the acoustics of the instrument. At small angles I have not found this to cause issues given my experience in making these instruments.
I have found ocarinas that are fully inline to be much more prone to screeching on the high notes, and if possible, I'd recommend thoroughly evaluating one by blowing all of the notes at a range of pressures before buying.
Hole placement
Ocarinas allow for a great deal of freedom in the placement of finger holes because the pitch is controlled by the size of the holes far more than where they are. With regard to ergonomics, this is a great thing, as everyone's hands are different.
Try to find an ocarina that feels comfortable to you. The main point to note is that an ocarina's hole placement should allow you to hold the instrument comfortably, with straight wrists and gently curved fingers.
Folding your wrists hard in either direction can cause wrist pain because the fingers are controlled by muscles in the forearm through a number of long tendons. These run through a small channel in the wrist, and folding the wrist compresses it.
It is also desirable to have the spacing between the holes large enough that your fingers don't touch each other.
For my own hands, keeping my wrists straight entails having my fingertips directly above my thumb, evident from the pictures. But as everyone's hands are different, this may or may not work for you.
You can get an idea of the relative lengths of your fingers if you hold your hand like in the pictures, with the wrist straight and your thumb as horizontal as possible. Keep a slight curl along your fingers and note where the fingertips are relative to your thumb.
While ocarina makers rarely document the hole alignment of their instrument, you can learn to recognise it from photographs. For example, a design which places the right hand finger holes very close to the edge of the chamber would work if you happen to have a long thumb relative to your fingers. But if you don't, such a design would force the wrist to fold.
Surface finish
The surface finish of an ocarina may initially seem inconsequential to its ergonomics, but it actually matters quite a lot.
While playing an ocarina, it is quite common that you will need to slide fingers over the surface of the instrument, such as to cover or uncover a subhole, or support the instrument while leaping between a high and a low note. Surface finish has a considerable effect on how easy or hard it is to do so.
Against intuition, rougher surfaces are easier to slide fingers over. Very smooth and shiny finishes like gloss glazes trap finger moisture and cause your skin to cling to the surface. To get an idea of how that feels, try sliding the pads of your fingers over a drinking glass.
Some examples of rougher finishes include
- Matte glazes.
- Shellac
- Plain, unfinished ceramic
Ergonomics and visual design
Ocarinas, even ones intended as serious instruments, frequently include sculptural visual features. If you are considering getting one of these instruments, it is important to be aware of how they can impact playability:
- Sculptural ocarinas often position holes for aesthetics, not the player. This often forces the hands to make awkward compensations like folding the wrists back and may cause hand pain as a result.
- Visual features can get in the way. For example, a visual feature on the inside of the tail may look good, but can get in the way. If you play the high notes using the palm grip, the protrusion will dig into your hand.
- Changing the shape of the body can have various side effects. Curved bloodies, for example, can look good, but it's important to consider the impact on the balance of the instrument, as well as hand position.
If the body is curved as shown, the left hand would need to turn inwards more than normal to counteract the curve. The overlaid lines show the average angles of the two hands.
The opposite, with the chamber curling toward the player, would leave your right hand very close to your face.
When considering the impact of any visual change, consider how it impacts the ocarina's primary balance. For instance, unless designed with a very heavy mouthpiece, a curved body is going to tend to be front-heavy.
Imagine a line between the right thumb hole and the tail of the ocarina, and consider how much material is on either side of it to estimate how the ocarina will balance.
Multichambered ocarinas
Most multichambered ocarinas are a direct extension of the single chambered transverse design. The ergonomic considerations with multichamber ocarinas are mostly the same as with single chambers, but the following should be noted:
Physical balance
Like a single chamber, how a multichamber balances has a big impact on its playability. I'd recommend finding multichambers that can balance between your right thumb and pinky.
Most multichambered ocarinas do not have a right thumb hole, and thus having the ocarina balanced like this enables the right thumb to exclusively support the instrument. It makes the ocarina effortless to hold.
Not all multichambers can balance like this, however, as adding additional chambers tends to shift the centre of balance away from the player. Making them balance well requires using the mouthpiece and higher chambers as a counterweight.
It is hard to say if any given ocarina can balance like this without being able to hold it, unless you can find someone who already has one.
The shape of the mouthpiece
Each chamber of a multichambered ocarina has its own windway, and typically, only one is blown at a time. The air is directed into the desired windway by forming an aperture between your lips.
Look for ocarinas with a rounded mouthpiece, complementary to the rounded shape of the lips. Ocarinas with a hard-edged mouthpiece are common but not very ergonomic, as the edge will dig into your lips.
