Fans of Nintendo’s beloved Legend of Zelda series may already be familiar with the ocarina, an instrument that protagonist Link uses to make music throughout the many games in its universe.
An ancient wind instrument dating back more than 12,000 years, there are many iterations from across the world, including the most common Transverse (or ‘Sweet Potato’ ocarina), English/Peruvian Pendant, Inline and multi chambered variants.
Most commonly, they are enclosed spaces with between four and twelve finger holes and a singular mouthpiece extending from the body. Traditionally, they are crafted from ceramic or clay, but they have also been made with wood, glass, and plastic.
Preparing To Play - Where Do Your Hands Go?
With one hole for each of your fingers, as well as both thumbs, it can be tricky to get the hang of playing the ocarina, especially given that there’s an additional hole at the bottom - but this one is where the sound comes from, so definitely don’t cover it!
Sometimes, there are extra holes: don’t freak out. Known as a sub or split hole, you can cover these smaller ones using the pad of your finger if you want to hit specific notes, but they aren’t a common inclusion.
Your right hand should curve to mimic a backward c, holding your thumb and fingers horizontally as much as you possibly can. Face the mouthpiece toward you, and your four fingers will cover those holes up top.
The thumb on your right hand then covers the large hole you’ll find to the right at the bottom of your ocarina - be sure to use the full pad, and never just the tip. Your thumb is best held at a slight angle for optimum positioning.
Keep in mind that your hold should be gentle - it’s not necessary to cling to your instrument for dear life! This will actually impair the sounds you can produce; instead, you want to balance the ocarina on your right thumb.
For the best possible results, keep your fingers as straight as you possibly can, following the natural curve of the instrument and your hand. Sometimes a finger or two might ‘overhang’ so that you can reach the other holes naturally.
This is fine, as long as you aren’t trying to play a sub hole! To do so, you need to slide your relevant finger(s) forward to cover multiple holes at once, so that you can hit notes that are “below the tonic”.
If you’re a left handed player, your hand’s positioning is a little bit different and will actually vary depending on the ocarina you have. Don’t be alarmed - we’ll go through everything you need to know!
Learning For Lefties
As a general rule, the pinky hole on left-handed ocarinas is usually positioned on the side of the instrument, to make hitting those higher notes easier and put less strain on your dexterous digits, so your palm needs to take a more vertical position.
Please do note that, for some ocarinas, the left pinky hole is instead positioned on the very top of the chamber, so you’ll need to use the same configuration as a right handed player. This limits other playing techniques a little!
Your pinky finger should be resting at a 45 degree angle, which makes it a lot easier to hold your instrument, as well as supporting you through D and E notes. As with right handers, southpaws should cover all of the holes on the top of the ocarina.
When the pinky hole is on the side of the chamber, your left thumb will usually sit in the same place as a right handed player; to ensure your palm stays vertical, you should use the tip of your thumb pad to cover the hole in this case.
If you’re having trouble figuring out the positioning based on our descriptions, fret not! Get yourself in front of a mirror and try out the different note configurations, as it will be a whole lot easier to work it out if you can actually see what you’re doing!
Tips And Tricks For General Play
- Position yourself as straight as is possible, with your elbows and your wrists loose and neutral, as opposed to crossed or bent at an angle.
- As is the case for most other wind instruments, you need to create enough chest space for all the air you’ll be puffing out - therefore, playing in a standing position is your best bet. For those who can’t or prefer to sit, using a cushion or solid block to improve your posture will help.
- Getting used to the positioning of any new instrument is tricky business, and you might find that you’re a little achy after. If this persists for more than a few days, your posture is likely to blame and you should try and position yourself differently next time you practice.
- Though we all have hands of varied shapes and sizes, issuing a straightforward playing position is difficult, but you’ll find they are more flexible than you first thought. Experiment with different configurations and find one that works for you - as long as you’re comfortable and successfully playing your ocarina, it doesn’t matter if you look a little strange!
- One top tip relating to the forearm is that the angle you hold your arm at will influence the way your fingers can move and cover holes - if you’re positioned at an odd angle, your fingers will be too! Try to be as neutral as you can.
- Again, ocarinas are versatile! If you find one iteration especially difficult to play or get to grips with (literally) then give a different instrument with fewer or more holes a try, and see if it’s any easier!
- You might notice that the way you hold your ocarina evolves over time, so don’t be alarmed! As you grow and progress as a musician, your posture, positioning and playing abilities will also evolve naturally, even if you don’t intend them to! Remember: the most important thing is that you have fun.
