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This article will be a list of tips and links about the musical instrument called an ocarina.
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Introduction
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* I'm not a musician, I'm not a pro, these are just my student notes.
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What's an Ocarina?
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* Musical wind instrument, much like a flute. Very long history.
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* It's similar to a flute. This image is one of the nicest I've seen. High pitch ocarinas are small, some small as a whistle. Low bass ocarinas are larger, some large as a football. But most ocarinas are potato size, or baseball size.
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Common Shapes
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* Sweet Potato
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* Pennant
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* DragonTooth
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Number of Holes
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* More holes, are harder to play, but are worth learning if you have the patience. Obviously more holes means a higher diversity of notes, pitch, effects.
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Wood vs Ceramic vs Metal vs Plastic
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* Many children ocarina toys are junk and sound bad.
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* Don't store a wooden ocarina next to a heater or quickly changing temperatures.
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* Ceramic and metal weighs more than wood.
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Ocarina Sheet Music
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* Depends on number of holes.
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* Official music notes aren't always required, if you prefer to learn by ear.
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Misc Tips
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* Many wooden ocarina carvers say a humidifier is not necessary for long-term storage, but doesn't harm anything. There isn't much wood to expand and crack. During use, your breath is very moist.
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* A small ocarina, such as golf ball size, will be very high pitch like a whistle. A big ocarina is lower pitch. A basketball size would be extremely low pitch.
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What are the Zelda ocarinas all over eBay?
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* Zelda is a video game, popular with teenagers. Many Zelda ocarinas are average to sub-par, but are okay for practicing.
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Ebay Search Examples (The minus means ebay blocks it out)
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12 wood ocarina -zelda
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12 ocarina -zelda
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Similar Instruments
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* Flute. Recorder.
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Royce Barber's Ocarina Experience
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* I'm a beginner, using a cheap ceramic “Zelda” ocarina, bought from ebay for ten bucks. I practice 30 min per week, because it's therapeutic and feels organic.
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Internet Resources
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* Forum: theocarinanetwork.com
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* For more information: Wikipedia. Local library. Visit some music stores. Buy a beginner ocarina on ebay or amazon. Watch informational videos on YouTube. Search Google.
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Discussion