What are ocarinas capable of?

To understand what ocarinas are capable of, it is essential to take the right point of view. The ocarina is a limited instrument which works brilliantly in some situations. However, all instruments have their strengths and weaknesses, and much of the skill involved in creating a musical performance is knowing the situations where a given instrument can hold its own.

Ocarinas can play a wide range of music, from lyrical melodies to more upbeat tunes like Scottish dance music. Their musical function is similar to the tin whistle, Scottish smallpipe, and cornemuse du centre. But it is worth noting that how ocarinas feel to play is quite different to other wind instruments.

Ocarinas have been played in a wide range of scenarios, including:

• Solo,
• In ensemble with other ocarinas,
• And with other instruments.

The ocarina is an instrument that demands a creative approach from players, as it does not have an established role in any genre of music at the time of writing. Ocarinas are primarily lead melody instruments, as their tone is very prominent. They work well for playing interludes in a song, but I would not advise playing over a singer.

I have played solo as well as with guitar accompaniment and have found ocarinas very effective as a lead instrument in live performances. The pure tone always rises to the top of a mix and easily cuts through a raucous crowd. They have proven very effective at getting people's attention and often silenced the audience at open mics.

The Budrio Ocarina Group (Gruppo Ocarinistico Budriese, GOB) have played with a local orchestra at the Budrio Ocarina Festival, which was very effective.

Technical capabilities

Articulation

Articulation refers to how the notes in a performance are separated, and ocarinas can articulate notes in several ways:

• Using the tongue. Notes can be articulated using the tongue to start and stop the instrument's sound.
• Changing the pitch. Multiple notes can be slurred together in a continuous breath, separated by moving from one note to another.
• Using the fingers. Notes can be separated by sounding a higher or lower pitch so briefly it is perceived as an atonal blip or click. These may be used in much the same way as tonguing.

Ornamentation

Ocarinas can perform a wide range of ornamentation, including:

• Breath and finger slides
• Vibrato
• Trills
• Turns
• Mordents
• Grace notes

Celtic ornaments, including rolls, cranns, and strike cranns, may also be used.

Timbre

Ocarinas can be designed to produce quite a diverse range of timbres, from extremely pure to noticeably 'buzzy'. These differences are created by changing the size and shape of the sound hole and are 'set in stone' when the instrument is made.

• Italian-made ocarinas tend to have a more textured sound,
• Asian ocarinas are generally more pure-sounding.

Changing the timbre and other playing characteristics is attained by changing to a different ocarina, but there are a few ways of influencing the timbre of an ocarina while playing:

• By humming or singing while blowing.
• By changing one's fingering and blowing harder or softer.
• By varying the initial blowing pressure. Starting a note with an abrupt pressure spike can cause it to begin with a brief squeak, creating a percussive effect.

Volume dynamics

Volume dynamics (playing louder or softer) are used on many instruments to create emphasis. Doing this is possible on the ocarina but is somewhat challenging.

Because the pitch of the instrument varies significantly with blowing pressure, each fingered note on the instrument will only sound in tune when blown at precisely the right pressure. Thus, creating volume dynamics requires changing both fingering and pressure at the same time.

• To increase the volume, you must cover or part-close a hole and blow harder to maintain the same pitch.
• Decreasing the volume involves doing the opposite, opening or part-opening a hole and blowing more softly.

Microtones

Microtones are notes whose pitch falls between the 12 tones per octave standard in Western music. Creating them on the ocarina is effortless because of the instrument's unstable pitch.

Sounding a microtone is just a matter of choosing a fingering that gives a pitch close to the desired one, then increasing or decreasing blowing pressure to attain the desired pitch.

Achieving this reliably requires good ear training, accurate finger placement, and developed breath control.

Creating expression

Given that their pitch changes with blowing pressure, ocarinas only sound in tune at one pressure for a given fingering. Creating volume dynamics is technically possible, but in practice, expression is mainly achieved using varied articulation and ornamentation.

Making use of the innate volume dynamic

First, ocarinas have a natural volume dynamic, whereby the high notes are considerably louder than the low notes. If you are composing your own music, this can be kept in mind. You can also look for existing music where the strong notes are always higher notes.

Varying articulation

Notes can be emphasised by beginning them with a different articulation or ornamentation. They can be de-emphasised by reducing their duration. Short staccato notes create an impression of lower volume.

Sliding into or out of a note with the breath can give an impression of volume dynamics, but must be done with care. One needs to ensure that a pitch slide begins or ends in tune.

Varying pitch

The instrument's unstable pitch is also an effective expressive tool. Vibrato, a subtle rhythmic variation of pitch, can be used to draw attention to notes. Deliberately playing some notes 'off-key' can be used expressively, much like 'blue notes' in blues and jazz music.

Things that ocarinas aren't good at

Like all instruments, there are several things that ocarinas are naturally poor at:

Accompanying singers

To my ear, ocarinas don't work that well for accompanying singers. Their tone is very 'cutty' and tends to rise to the top of a mix, stealing focus from the lead. That being said, they can be effective at playing interludes.

Music that demands precise control of volume dynamics

As noted previously, ocarinas have an innate volume dynamic, leaving the high notes much louder. Consequently, they work well in some pieces of music, but terribly if the situation calls for a loud low note.

Music requiring an extensive range

Lastly, ocarinas have a limited sounding range, meaning that there is a lot of music they cannot play.

Multichambers address this limitation effectively, but that doesn't mean that all music will be technically possible to play. Some note transitions are technically difficult, and music selection remains important.

Closing

People often consider instruments as having built-in capabilities. For example, the recorder is typically dismissed as a child's instrument, whereas the violin and piano are considered 'real' instruments to which skilled musicians will aspire. However, if you take the time to examine this assumption, you will see that it is flawed. The recorder, violin, and piano are all inanimate objects. All they can do by themselves is gather dust.

Due to their cultural significance, violins and pianos have numerous virtuoso players, people who have put in the effort to create truly moving performances. As people typically look down on the recorder, few discover its full potential, but if you look into it, you'll find that recorder virtuosos do exist. They produce truly excellent music with their seemingly simple and limited instruments.

Visually simple instruments often hide their potential underneath their appearances, and the ocarina is no exception. If you explore its potential, you'll find that the ocarina is more capable than you think.