Serious Ocarina Player - The Fundamentals of Excellent Performance

Book excerpt: Is the ocarina easy to play? Why does my ocarina sound out of tune? Why does my ocarina have airy high notes? If you've asked yourself these questions about playing the transverse ocarina, or want to learn more about the instrument then look no further than Serious Ocarina Player. The ocarina is a wind instrument most notable for its pure ethereal tone. Quality transverse ocarinas are capable of creating everything from mournful slow melodies to highly ornamented tunes. They have a straightforward fingering system similar to a flute or tin whistle, and are fully chromatic. Most ocarinas are small, easily slipped into pocket or bag, and played whenever it takes your fancy. Yet, despite their apparent simplicity, playing the ocarina well can be difficult. Often, the intuitive approaches lead to bad technique, and there are many hidden challenges. Serious Ocarina Player introduces a solid foundation that will help you avoid common pitfalls, preparing you to play better and faster. Covered topics include: * The history and capabilities of the transverse ocarina. * Identifying ocarinas designed as serious instruments. * Single chamber vs multichamber ocarinas. * Understanding ocarinas in different keys and octaves. * The fingering systems of single chamber and multichamber ocarinas. * Holding ocarinas and playing the high notes * Blowing an ocarina to create a clean, controlled tone. * Playing in tune, and the impact of ambient temperature. * Making the most of your practice time. * Identifying playable music, and adapting music to the ocarina. * Performing and using Classical and Celtic articulation/ornamentation. * Recording an ocarina in a studio setting. About the author: Robert Hickman has been making and playing ocarinas since 2012. He has often played in folk sessions, and studied other instruments. These provided a platform to develop good playing techniques and guide the design of his ocarinas.