How to Play the Ocarina

Playing the ocarina is easy…

How to play the Ocarina - ocarina lesson

  • Wear the cord around your neck to keep the ocarina handy and safe;
  • Breathe steadily into the mouthpiece to make your first sounds;
  • Then cover the holes as directed in your book, to play notes and tunes.

Because the notes appear in both music and finger chart form, even the least musical mum or dad can have a go themselves, and can help their child to play accurately. Ocarinas are for everyone!

To find your best sound, tilt the string end of the ocarina down towards the ground and breathe steadily into the mouthpiece.

Keep your fingers relaxed as you experiment, opening and covering the holes as you go. Most children begin with the plastic Oc® and Play your Ocarina Book 1:

Eleven notes on the top four holes are great reward for early effort. With the help of the Ocarina Books, you’ll soon play the 22 tunes in ‘Book 1 – Starting Off’  and the 31 songs in ‘1-2-3 Ocarina’, even if you have never played a musical instrument before.

The ocarina-teaching videos on this website are great fun at home or at school as they take you from your very first note to playing sophisticated tunes competently. Each one is short and compelling and available to play again and again. Try them!

song

Emma was given the chance to have flute lessons at secondary school and loves the instrument. I blame it all on having an ocarina early on! She still plays her ocarina, especially to try out unfamiliar music.
Parent, Northamptonshire