The 5 Best Ocarinas (2024) to Buy Online
When you think of the ocarina, the first thing to come to your mind will probably be ‘The Legend of Zelda’, a world-famous video game, which heavily featured this instrument during the gameplay. But, the ocarina is actually an ancient instrument.
I’ve put together a list to help you find the right ocarina for you. Here you can find different sizes and shapes of ocarinas you can get on today’s market. I’m confident there will be something for you on this top 5 list.
My top recommended Ocarina is the Night By Noble Plastic Ocarina. This is a great 12-hole Ocarina made of rubber and has an excellent value for the price.
My second recommended Ocarina is the Ocarina 6 Hole Strawfire Triforce Ocarina. If you want an affordable instrument to learn the basics, this one will suffice.
Contents
The 5 Best Ocarinas (2024)
Let’s compare these in more detail.
We start off the list with this great plastic ocarina. Night by Noble made a great job with the making of this ocarina. The ocarina is classicly sweet potato-shaped, with a 10-hole system for playing. It is tuned in Alto C and plays in a 442Hz range.
The ocarina itself is made out of plastic, with a nice rubbery touch on the outside, so it will not slide out of your hand or be uncomfortable in any way when held in your hands for a longer period. Also, the mouthpiece is made from plastic, but not in a rubbery way but as normal smooth plastic so you wouldn’t feel the rubber or plastic smell or taste in your mouth when playing.
As for the sound, this ocarina produces a very mellow sound and while it’s not the loudest ocarina out there it also isn’t the quietest, but it’s in the perfect sweet spot of the sound. This sturdy ocarina is a great investment and for a rather cheap price, you shouldn’t think about getting one right now.
2. Ocarina 6 Hole Strawfire Triforce Ocarina
A Legend of Zelda ocarina is on this list, this one is the only one made in a tear shape with a 6 hole playing system. Straw-fire Triforce Ocarina comes together with a songbook with several songs inside and a neck strap for easier carrying.
The ocarina itself is made from porcelain clay and that gives it a really beautiful and full mellow sound. The tuning of the ocarina is standard Alto C tuning for ocarinas, so you will not make a mistake with buying.
Also, visually, it looks great because of the bright yellow finish. All in all, this is a great, low-budget ocarina for you to get.
Moving onto probably the best ocarina on this list. OcarinaWind 12 Hole Ocarina comes from one of the most notable and famous ocarina makers and it hits the mark perfectly. This is a ceramic ocarina with a gorgeous teal cracked ice finish, a 12-hole instrument that comes together in a package with a beautiful jade neck strap, and a songbook with tabs for around 20 songs.
Also, you get a protective pouch in which you can carry your ocarina and since it’s padded you don’t have to fear that every minor fall or hit will break your ocarina into pieces.
This ocarina is tuned for Alto C, including sharps and flats, and produces a great, mellow and full sound that is distinctive on a first listen. It has a sweet potato classical form and the holes on it are set apart enough, so you don’t have a problem with hitting the right hole even if you have big hands.
This is a great ocarina for both an amateur just starting to play and for a professional with experience as it produces a clean and nice sound all the way around.
4. Woodnote New Style Burgundy
Woodnote New Style Burgundy is a good beginner plastic ocarina. It’s a built-in acrylonitrile butadiene styrene 12-hole build but sadly does not include a carrying pouch or a songbook to complete the beginner experience.
A protective pouch is great when you need to take your ocarina with you as it ensures it will travel well and not take any damage in the process. This is a drawback to this particular ocarina but it still makes for a good entry-level option to consider.
Sound-wise this is a standard Alto C tuned Ocarina so you should be able to fit in with other ocarinas pretty well. Even though it is plastic, the finish is aesthetically pleasing. This is a great beginner’s ocarina on which you can learn the basics for a small amount of money paid.
5. TOTMC Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time
This ocarina is made especially for the Legend of Zelda fans so it’s not a question why this ocarina is one of the most popular ocarinas in the market today. But that doesn’t mean that this is not a quality instrument that can be used to seriously play music.
Ocarina of time is made from ceramic, has 12 holes, and Alto C tuning. The outside of the ocarina is made to match exactly the one from the game and it’s beautifully colored and designed. Because of the ceramic build of this ocarina, the sound it produces is beautiful, soft, and fairly loud. Together with this ocarina, you get a necklace to carry the instrument with you and a small textbook with tabs for several songs from the game.
The great thing about this ocarina is that it is a pitch-bending instrument – meaning it’s a bit harder to hit the right note as it can differ when you blow the air into it differently, but if you learn how to play it right you can control it much more than standard ocarina.
The Ocarina
Besides percussion instruments (different kinds of drums and rattles), wind instruments were the first ones to be made, as they were the easiest to find out and design.
The ocarina is almost 12000 years old and emerged independently all around the world. From Asia and America to Europe and Africa, this instrument had different shapes and sizes, but its essence was always the same.
They usually had a body with different holes to give you different notes. It was easy to make and it produced a very mild and pleasant sound, which made the instrument popular.
Check out this video of an ocarina being played:
More about Ocarinas
Ocarinas are traditionally made from clay or ceramic, but they can be crafted out of wood, bone, metal, or in more modern times – glass and plastic. There are two main systems of ocarina build – the Taylor system (with 4-6 holes) and the sweet potato system where ocarina has 10 holes. Also, ocarinas can differ in shape and size but two of the most common shapes are sweet potato and pendant.
Today, ocarinas are somewhat forgotten, but they are still great little instrument which is mostly used by children to teach them the basics of music. Of course, professional musicians use it occasionally in their work, but it’s mostly as a back instrument, used for its subtle sound or when creating indigenous music all around the world.
What to look for in an Ocarina when buying?
There are a few things to consider when buying an Ocarina. Since they are sensitive instruments, the first and obvious feature would be the quality, then the number of holes, the pitch, and the price.
Quality
When it comes to material, you may stumble upon lots of different ones out there like metal, plastic, wood, ceramics, and silicone. Each material has its pros and cons. For example, the wood Ocarina is lightweight, the ceramic Ocarina is usually hand-made, hence it’s quite unique, or if you want a metal Ocarina, this is naturally the most durable choice.
Holes
The number of holes will determine the sonic capabilities and versatility of the Ocarina. Naturally, if you’re a beginner, around 6 holes should suffice to get the hang of the basics. If you’re a more seasoned player, you should opt for more versatility, hence a 10 or 12-hole one.
Pitch
The pitch of the Ocarina also relies on the number of holes. The Ocarina is usually tuned to an Alto C tuning and depending on the number of holes is how far you’ll be able to stretch the pitch.
Price
Ocarinas are very affordable instruments so none will really break your bank, however, if you want to learn the instrument slowly, a budget option would be preferable to see if you like the instrument and if you’re willing to commit.
Conclusion
I hope that this article has helped you with choosing the right ocarina for you. It doesn’t matter if you’re a beginner or an experienced player, you will find something for yourself on this list – the right shape, size, or sound is out there and is waiting for you. And choosing any one of these ocarinas is sure to be a great buy.
My top Ocarina pick is the Night By Noble Plastic Ocarina, a great rubber 12-hole Ocarina that shines with its value-for-price ratio.
My budget Ocarina pick is the Ocarina 6 Hole Strawfire Triforce Ocarina. If you’re looking for a budget-friendly option to start with, this one will get the job done.
Featured image by0x010C [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons
