As simple as the instrument is,the traditional Italian style is rightly supposed to be more difficult to play.

But a Firebird ocarina is very easy to play at the rudimentary level,so many beginners soon become expert and play everywhere.

One has heard a number of really excellent spontaneous performances from absolute beginners.

To make or play the ocarina, you will feel its form with ears and fingers.

A simple step for our student-teachers or clients.

The ocarina is often called a globular flute, we think it is a natural and unusual form of musical instrument [as specified by the Japanese Master Suimin San].

Recorder and flute players are charmed by similarities to, and differences from, a recorder or a flute.

The ways of playing sounds are similar. The difference is that the volume or capacity of the instrument rather than the length of the instrument that sets the tones).

With an ocarina, the ratio of the total area of all the openings (including the whistle or 'fipple' window) to the whole active surface of the instrument sets the 'timbre' [special tone] and pitch and loudness- but with a flute or recorder the length from the blowing edge and the flautists or recorder player's 'embouchure' [position of mouth and lips] perform the same tasks.

The pitches of our ocarinas are very stable but articulate if played with a consistent ta-ta-ta breath [see video on our new partner site].

When sounding with the fingering for 'So',expect you will play exactly 'So', and bend a quarter note up or down with the variance in the strength of breath-and a whole note by varying the embouchure.

It is easy by following our easy to learn explanation and practising with the free music pages to play many tunes easily.

A very consistent breath and embouchure are most basic for making and tuning ocarinas.

Dozens of tiny adjustments gradually increase the relative intervals and depending on the thru-section profile of the pierced toneholes lower slightly the overall pitch.

Making an ocarina itself is very relaxing,visualise,observe ,standardise movements as constant and graceful as those of tai chi using clay, and most usefully,develop the ability to abandon oneself in making.

Firebird and Simurgh original makers have had a lot of opportunities to teach ocarina making, and are putting together what they teach in full. It's a difficult enough craft to master and student-teachers deserve the full information.

Happy are we when students of our students first whistles sound!

Introduction [I]

The first thing to make is a simple tool:

These are the tools: two flat straight sided ice lolipop sticks-A round pencil or smooth stick.

Using the end of one flat stick1 draw a concave at the end of stick 2.

Very carefully [mind your fingers!]cut out a concavity from one of the rounded ends.

A pallet : Roll [and air] the clay on a smooth impervious surface [could be a table]

A knife : To cut concave tool end -be careful!

Always have some water beside you [a little in a heavy small dish].

Let's begin making ocarinas.

Control the drying rate using plastic bags,turn one inside out and tear off a lump [about a kilo or 2lbs] with your hand inside the bag: separate this lump into 4 or 6 pieces and quickly roll into balls,put all except one into a plastic bag, repeat the following tasks with each solid ball.

Using the forefingers and thumbs,press out a part of the ball to look like a chunky mouthpiece.

Gradually smooth and roll the solid shape. The tip is to do it little by little. The movements used for this process is to 'push' and drag the surface clay finishing by rolling on the flat surface to make it even -and looking symetrical.

Cut it into halves using the edge of one of the sticks turning the whole solid body suppoted in one palm and slicing through gradually at the middle between the mouthpiece end and the opposite round end.

Like this video. [Coming soon-online video clips].

Set down the round half-think of this as the bottom,on the flat surface to allow the water to descend and prevent the part to be joined from drying too much-always be aware of the physical drying rate and slow it or speed it up as needed when making batches.

Shape each half like a small bowl with edges higher on the inside [ to meet first when joining ] using fingers and thumbs.

With the top or mouthpiece half begin by pressing a thumb into the center to the bottom of the first symetrical 'bowl' leaving the neck or mouthpiece solid.

Make the wall thickness uniform.[Left index finger and thumb are more sensitive for estimating a uniform thickness]. Make it about 9mm in general [thinner for experienced makers],but much thinner-about 5mm around where the fipple window will be in the mouthpiece half-which you can mark the outside where to insert the pencil to make the round window at 90 degrees to the outside [top] surface to just touch the back wall or the bottom of the 'bowl' shape-{DO NOT SET WINDOW TOO NEAR TO THE SOLID NECK-a protruding 'step' under the wind channel exit will impede the sound].

Join the two halves carefully securing the mouthpiece neck part first-with a dab of water on the edges to be joined.Firmly stress the join to become welded from the inside to the surface,finish off by dragging over the outside unjoined portion- knit with fingers.

It is a good idea to make a batch of 5 for practice and because we may have to wait several hours for the clay to become half-dry or 'leather hard'.Leaving exposed to a breeze and sunlight will speed up drying -alternatively,20-30 seconds in a microwave or a few minutes in an oven will have the same effect.

Insert the flat stick [rounded end in middle of blowing end of the solid neck] to make the wind channel. Aim for the middle of the ocarina's thickness to end about 5-6mm below the clay surface aiming carefully turning the ocarina to look at progress fron the top and from the sides during this process.

The flat stick goes in like this [See forthcoming Video],waggling slightly in the horizontal plane. (You can feel the stick progressing in if you hold the mouthpiece where the tip of the stick reaches the point of continuity outside [previously marked] with the inside surface beneath the fipple window's position).

Pierce the sound hole using the round pencil. Make the hole a little less wide than the flat stick ,which is still in the wind channel and we can feel it against the pencil: pull the pencil out with a circular and turning movement to make a conical outlet wider in the interior.

Insert the flat stick with the concave end first: make the channel outlet to the window neat using the pencil against it-be careful not to make the window too large,with the outside diameter of about 2+3/4" to 3+1/4" inches or 70 to 80 mm,the diameter of the fipple window should be about 3/8" or slightly more at 10mm to get a good sound capable of being tuned.

The channel made by the flat stick is the air way. Take out the pencil and insert the round end of one of the flat sticks again to touch the opposite side of the fipple window from the wind channel exit: remove the clay above the rounded end of the flat stick to make an edge just below the flat rounded end in the middle of the thickness of the stick-not above it or below it;the angle should be oblique at the round tip of the wood becoming more obtuse eiter side to smooth into the top surface athe back of the window above the wind channel exit.

Make small adjustments gradually,such as pressing on the top behind the window's edge to close the slot a little, make micro adjustments to the height of the blowing edge,and keep the appearance neat , repeating lightly all the process to ensure the wind is not impeded in it's flow by even the tiniest bit of clay: sound the ocarina sparingly, trying too hard and blowing too much will moisten the fipple making it unsuitable for working [another good reason to make 4 or 5 at once].

Experience will tell you when you achieve a strong dynamic tone capable of being tuned to the octave.

Finally,pierce four equal sized holes for easy fingering using the same 'coneing' technique as the fipple hole.Make each hole to sound a natural fourth interval,gradually altering [if a hole becomes too big, it can be made effectively smaller by smoothing it's perimiter with a fingernail].

Now you have created a Native American scale ocarina!

I halve one thru the fipple window to make the inside channel and blowing edge plain. (Beware! This is only for guidance. Don't re-open one of yours unless you want a comparison)

1. Can make a single note ocarina (understanding of the principle)

2. Can tune one sounding an octave.(the basic Native American Scale) This is illustrated in the forthcoming on-line video.

3. Can sound all the notes spanning Ti- Do-Do-Fa

4. Can consistently make instruments tuned to A440

5. Can make selective dynamic timbres

6. Can make harmonic double ocarinas

9. Can make large Ocarinas overblowing smoothly Ti-Do-Do-La

10.Can make tiny sweet toned accurate pendant ocarinas at G6

(We always teach making ocarinas that are intended to play using a steady, even and bouncy [elastic] breath).

To our great pleasure, a number people have recently quoted from our pages only less pleasingly to fail in acknowlegement or letting us know. It is no problem as long as you use the information in your own personal words.Never-the-less, it is common business sense to cite the source of any quotation for web publication.

Due to popular requests we publish more real information on Playing and Making Ocarinas -not easy to find, here is another ocarina maker [Kenji Ogawa] explaining his early travails.

Ogawa San's Experience:

"While ago, when I tried to make my first ocarina, I asked a couple of ocarina makers for advice.

But they declined helping saying that it was a trade secret.

(Now the situation has altered,the makers who rejected me have since published some of their 'secrets') .

I started making an ocarina believing that there shouldn't be a secret for such a simple instrument.

Muramatsu Gakki published my textbook of ocarina making and playing on April 22, 1990. I had a lot of opportunities to teach ocarina making, and put together what I taught in this book."

Note: We are indebted to Kenji Ogawa San for inspiration for the general outline of this description.A version of his Classical prologue is included on our Ocarina Romance page.

>Subject: Pre-made windway??

>Hello--- I have been told that someone manufactures a little pre-fabricated

>plastic chip which contains a pre-made windway and knife edge to simplify the

>making of ocarinas. Do you know of such a thing? Thanks.... Paul Troy NY