Ocarinas

Songbird Ocarina is a fantastic ocarina company

So, you've played Zelda Ocarina Of Time. You've memorized every note on every song by heart.

Heck, you've played every Zelda game ever made, and were annoyed when the instrument used to be called "Flute"

Did you know, it's a real instrument? And not just one for children!



Have you ever wanted to have a high quality replica of your own? Ive been playing about 2 years myself. Here's the blurb.

Here at Techderp, we're going to take you way back, to early technology.

The ocarina is a 10 to 14 thousand year old musical instrument that is in the same general category as the recorder, or flute.  It typically has 4 to 12 holes, but you can find multi chambered ocarinas with more.

Surprisingly, the more holes it has, the easier it is to play (up to 12). This is because you need less and less complex combinations of fingerings to get the same notes.

Personally, I own 2 12 hole ocarinas, and I find anything less than 10 to be frustrating.

There are several really good brands out there, but the 2 I'm most familiar with are Focalink and STL.

I'm not really a fan of the STL ocarinas I've tried. I own a plastic STL, and I've played a replica of the Zelda Ocarina, also by STL. Once in a while, STL goes to conventions, which is where I discovered that I can play an ocarina, about 2 years ago.

The Plastic STL is incredibly hard to play the 2 highest notes, while the Zelda replica got whispy a bit, but not so much it couldn't be compensated for.

I personally own a Songbird sold 12 Hole Focalink Style B Strawfire Ocarina, which is a nice ceramic ocarina. This particular ocarina has a bit of a smaller dynamic range than other ocarinas, but it is easier to play.

In all the forum lurking, review seeking times I've spent, I keep hearing time and time again, Focalink ocarinas are the best to learn on, and I can tell you for sure, it's definitely true. They don't hold you back, but they make the higher notes easier to play.

Speaking of learning how to play, many interested would be players might like that Songbird has some songbooks that you can play with tabs. I own 3 of these books, and while I am pretty bad at reading music, I can play quite a few things just fine. Do note, playing from tabs, do you have to be familiar with how the song sounds, otherwise it'll be terrible. Youtube the audio or something.

Ocarinas are pretty simple to learn, hard to master, and a whole boat load of fun to play.

So, do any of you have any questions about Ocarinas?

Leave them in the comments, and I'll do my best to answer

For additional fun, check out: Omo Cat