[O.T.] Where to get English ocarina inexpensively?

Walden · Post by **Walden** » Thu Jun 05, 2003 5:22 am

I was visiting with an old friend recently, and he was playing on one of those English-system ocarina pendants. I really liked the sound of it. Now I have a couple of the inexpensive South American import ocarinas that have a fingering roughly like a flute, and a plastic sweet potato, but would be interested if anyone knows where I could get one of the small 4 or 6 hole ceramic English ocarinas, on an extremely limited budget. I found Songstones at Elderly for $12, but they require a credit card, and I don't use a credit card.

Martin Milner · Post by **Martin Milner** » Thu Jun 05, 2003 5:35 am

Hi Waldo,

You can get them from Hobgoblin, and Susato make them too. The suasto ones are really nicely in tune, but of course plastic rather than pottery.

chas · Post by **chas** » Thu Jun 05, 2003 5:35 am

You might try Susato. I got a plastic one for my daughter for less than $5. The sound's not as good as the wooden ones, but it plays a reasonable scale.

TelegramSam · Post by **TelegramSam** » Thu Jun 05, 2003 2:38 pm

I got a cute little glazed clay one at a renaissance faire for 20 bucks, plays in Eb, only one note sounds particularly funny to me and I can fix it by adjusting breath volume without too much problem.

IMHO, ocarinas are cute and have a wonderful sound but are very limited. You only get an octave + 1 and some of the fingerings get a tad awkward. They're nice to mess around with though. There's a link to an ocarina site on the link page, which has links to more ocarina sites. All else fails, try google.

avanutria · Post by **avanutria** » Thu Jun 05, 2003 2:57 pm

http://www.clayz.com/minis.html is here in Seattle. I got one of their plastic "Bearpaw" models via mailorder when I was in Boise but I didn't much care for the sound. But the ones in the link above are ceramic.

I'll probably end up getting a ceramic one the next time I'm downtown, as I have a tendency to do things like that.

Jack · Post by **Jack** » Thu Jun 05, 2003 3:36 pm

Susato also sells a tunebook of one-octave tunes for ocarina.

Thomas-Hastay · Post by **Thomas-Hastay** » Thu Jun 05, 2003 3:50 pm

Hi Walden

I've known Sandi and Richard Of Clayz.com for many years now. They have a message board for Ocarina makers and players that is "the bee's knees!". You can get OODLES of info about Ocarinas at...

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Ocarinaclub/messages/

You will have to join to post though(its free). Tell um I sent ya!

Jetboy · Post by **Jetboy** » Mon Jun 09, 2003 7:45 am

You could try England?

I am english and know where to get nice ceramic Ocinaras.(Manchester actually) Not too sure how much they are but I know they are not expensive.

woodhouse.uk@lineone.net if you want more info from me

Jetboy

Raymond · Post by **Raymond** » Mon Jun 09, 2003 12:25 pm

TelegramSam wrote:IMHO, ocarinas are cute and have a wonderful sound but are very limited. You only get an octave + 1 and some of the fingerings get a tad awkward.

I beg to differ. My 10-hole Ti Amo ranges nearly two octaves, fully chromatic. The fingering isn't awkward at all - the chromatics do not require half-holing like on a whistle, yet you can still bend notes. That doesn't sound at all limiting to me.

Flyingcursor · Post by **Flyingcursor** » Mon Jun 09, 2003 12:29 pm

Telegram Sam, I wonder if yours is from the same person who made mine and travels renfaires a lot.

I never heard of a ten hole Ocarina. I would like to know more.

TelegramSam · Post by **TelegramSam** » Mon Jun 09, 2003 12:32 pm

Fine raymond. Let me clarify: The 5-hole ocarina is a bit limited. You can do accidentals on it if you half-hole or do some funny fingerings, but you still only get 1 octave.

Flyingcursor · Post by **Flyingcursor** » Mon Jun 09, 2003 1:16 pm

This site has a link to an MP3 of a classical Ocarana ensemble.
http://www.ocarina.it/
Scroll down the lower right frame.

klezmusic · Post by **klezmusic** » Tue Jun 10, 2003 6:03 pm

HMT has ocarinas. www.musicaltraditions.com

Alcona · Post by **Alcona** » Tue Jun 10, 2003 7:40 pm

Waldon you might give e bay a look. I've seen quite a few different kinds from different places there.

Walden · Post by **Walden** » Tue Jun 10, 2003 10:10 pm

Alcona wrote:Waldon you might give e bay a look. I've seen quite a few different kinds from different places there.

Yes there are a few on eBay, of the sort I am looking for, at a good price. I've always played the South American type, with the fingering similar to whistle, and there're a lot of those. And, I have a plastic sweet potato, which is the classical form. They have a lot of the South American ones on eBay, and sweet potatoes. But I'll probably order an English-system ceramic or clay mini one (which is what I'm looking for) through eBay.