Which ocarina should I buy? An honest guide for beginners

Updated 2026-10-27

For most beginners, the best first ocarina is a plastic 12-hole alto C from an established maker, such as the Night by Noble AC or the Focalink Bravura AC, at about $34 to $40. Players and reviewers describe both as in tune, they survive being dropped, and they play the charts and tabs most beginners learn from. The one to be careful with is the cheapest ceramic Zelda-style replica: it looks the part, but buyers often report that only a few of its notes are in tune.

"Which ocarina should I buy?" is the most common question new players ask. In our random sample of 277 question posts on r/Ocarina from the last three years, 106 (38%) were about choosing or judging an instrument, and among the 100 posts by beginners it was 43.

We have not measured these instruments ourselves yet. We are buying the best-selling replica on Amazon and a Night by Noble, and will play both into our tuner note by note and publish the numbers here. Until then, this page draws on makers' own pages, Amazon listings and reviews, an ocarina reviewer, and r/Ocarina, with every source and the date we checked it listed at the end.

What makes an ocarina good for a beginner?

A good first ocarina is in tune, plays the music you will learn from, survives being dropped, and can still be sent back if it disappoints.

• It is tuned. Each note should sound in tune with a breath that rises as you go up. Ocarina maker Pure Ocarinas gives one quick warning sign: "The clearest tell that an ocarina is not tuned correctly is if all of the finger holes are identically sized".
• It plays the music you will use. Most tabs, fingering charts and songbooks for beginners are written for the 12-hole alto C. Of the top 50 items on Amazon US's Ocarinas best-seller list on 26 October 2026 (viewed from the UK, which limits it to items that ship there), 40 were 12-hole ocarinas.
• It survives being dropped. Plastic ocarinas bounce; ceramic ones can crack. Ocarina reviewer Andy Cormier, who earns a commission when readers buy from Songbird or Amazon through his recommendations page, puts it this way: "if someone jumps head-first into premium ceramic ocarinas, there's a high chance they'll break them while learning to play."
• You can still send it back. Whatever you buy, test it in the first days while the return window is open (how to do that is below).

Which ocarina should I buy?

Pick by your situation rather than by a ranking. Prices are what we saw on the date shown, in US dollars: Amazon's as seen from a US location, Songbird's as seen from the UK. They change often.

• If you want to learn properly on a budget: a plastic 12-hole alto C. The Night by Noble AC was $33.80 on Amazon US on 26 October 2026, and Amazon's own summary of its reviews mentions "accurate pitch". The Focalink Bravura AC was $40.00 at Songbird Ocarina on 27 October 2026. Andy Cormier recommends both: "both the Night by Noble and Bravura by Focalink are in-tune, easy to learn on, and indestructible."
• If you want the Zelda look and an instrument that plays: buy a replica from a specialist ocarina maker, not the cheapest listing. On 27 October 2026 Songbird's ceramic OoT 12-Hole Alto C was $150.00 and its Plastic OoT 7-Hole Alto C was $40.00. Andy Cormier's advice is to "get a Zelda replica from a reputable vendor", and he names Songbird and STL. Note that the 7-hole uses a pendant-style fingering, so 12-hole tabs do not fit it; Songbird sells 7-hole songbooks.
• If you want something small to carry: a 6-hole pendant. It is smaller and simpler, but ranges vary by maker: STL's 6-hole tenor in C plays C5 to E6, about an octave and a third, while Songbird lists its Plastic 6-Hole Alto C at A4 to E6 ($20.00 on 27 October 2026). Pendants use their own fingering, so look for 6-hole tabs.
• If you are buying for a young child or a primary school class in the UK: a plastic 4-hole ocarina. It plays one octave, low C to high C, and UK schools teach it with Ocarina Workshop's books. Five of the top 50 ocarinas on Amazon UK's best-seller list on 26 October 2026 were 4-hole.
• If you already read music or play another wind instrument: a multi-chamber ocarina, with its wider range, is an option from the start. Pure Ocarinas: "If you are new to music, a single chamber will be simpler as they have fewer notes. For more experienced musicians, a multichamber may be preferable." Single and multichamber ocarinas of the classic transverse shape "use the same fingering system", so you can also start single and move up later.
• If you have RSI, arthritis or stiff hands: look at inline ocarinas. Pure Ocarinas: "If you have RSI, arthritis, or similar disabilities, you may find that the ergonomic advantages of an inline ocarina outweigh the cons." Mountain Ocarinas, a US maker of inline ocarinas, said on its site on 26 October 2026 that "we are not selling any of our products at this time".

Are Zelda ocarina replicas real instruments?

Yes. A Zelda-style replica is a real ocarina, usually a ceramic 12-hole alto C that you blow like any other. What varies is whether anyone tuned it. The top seller on that Amazon US list was a $22.99 Deekec "Zelda Ocarina 12 Hole Alto C" with 6,131 ratings, and Amazon's own summary of its reviews said: "The tuning is a significant issue, with customers reporting that only 2-3 notes are actually in tune."

Players say the same. Under David Erick Ramos's first beginner lesson on YouTube, one of the two top comments (1,900 likes each) sums up the lesson's first advice as "Step one; Don't buy the Zelda Ocarina." One UK buyer returned a ceramic Zelda-style ocarina and wrote of the plastic Night by Noble that replaced it: "In tune (mostly but that's my novice learning curve) and hard plastic that won't break."

A replica from a specialist maker is a different instrument at a higher price (see the list above). Nintendo has announced "a playable version for the musically inclined" for later this year; when we checked on 27 October 2026 it had not published a price, maker or date. Nintendo's $49.99 Electric OCARINA OF TIME is not that: Nintendo says it "is an electronic toy and is not a real ocarina".

How much does a decent ocarina cost?

About $34 to $40 for a plastic 12-hole alto C that plays in tune, and more for ceramic ocarinas from specialist makers: Songbird's ceramic OoT 12-Hole Alto C was $150.00 on 27 October 2026. Cheaper ocarinas are everywhere: across 47 priced listings on the first page of an Amazon US search for "ocarina" on 26 October 2026, the median price was $21.99 and 41 cost under $30. Pure Ocarinas' view: "It really isn't worth skimping because a poor instrument makes your job as a player much more difficult. In relation to other instruments, good ocarinas are not expensive."

Is a plastic or a ceramic ocarina better for a beginner?

Plastic, for a first ocarina. A good plastic ocarina plays in tune and survives drops, and being ceramic says nothing about whether an ocarina was tuned. Andy Cormier answers the idea that "It's made of ceramic, so it must be better than plastic" with: "Don't do it."

Which type of ocarina should a beginner start with?

The 12-hole alto C, for most people: it has the widest choice of songs and tabs, and its fingering carries over to multi-chamber ocarinas later. Pure Ocarinas calls the transverse ocarina, the rounded shape every 12-hole has, "the best type of ocarina to learn for playing melodies". These are the sounding ranges makers publish for the common types:

A 4-hole pendant plays one octave, low C to high C, with the sharps and flats in between. A 6-hole pendant adds two more notes at the top with its thumb holes.

How do I check a new ocarina before the return window closes?

Test it in the first few days, while you can still send it back. You do not need to play well, only to hold one note steady at a time:

1. Warm it up by playing for a minute. A cold ocarina plays flat.
2. Look at the finger holes. If they are all the same size, that is Pure Ocarinas' clearest sign of an ocarina that was not tuned.
3. Play your lowest note softly into a tuner and bring it in tune. Then lift the next finger without changing your breath, and note how many cents flat the new note reads. Bring that note in tune and repeat, up the scale.
4. Look for a step that jumps out of the pattern. On a well-tuned ocarina the drops are regular or change only gradually. A step that stands apart every time you repeat the test, with every hole sealed and every lifted finger clear, is the instrument, not you. The top two or three notes are the exception: on many 12-hole ocarinas they need a sharp jump in breath, and on some, like the Night by Noble, the very top note needs a little less, so judge the pattern on the notes below them.
5. Try the top notes in a warm room. Pure Ocarinas says a good ocarina will go "at least a semitone" above the named pitch of each note "without screeching". A high note that squeals before it reaches pitch is a bad sign; in a cold room it can be normal.

Our guide Is my ocarina out of tune, or is it me? explains the step test in more detail, including what to do if your breath will not hold steady yet. Our tuner is coming soon; until then any chromatic tuner app with a numeric cents display does the job.

What is a good ocarina gift?

A plastic 12-hole alto C from an established maker, at about $34 to $40, is a safer present than a cheaper ceramic replica, even for a Zelda fan. It is what gift buyers on r/Ocarina ask for: "It could well be a passing fad, so I don't want to spend loads, but equally I don't want a kids toy."

• Add a way to learn. Most ocarinas come with a small paper songbook; a method book goes further. Two method books come up again and again; one r/Ocarina beginner asked simply "Hal Leonard or David Erick Ramos book?", meaning the Hal Leonard Ocarina Method by Cris Gale and How to Play the Ocarina by David Erick Ramos.
• Buy early enough to test it. Interest in learning peaks at Christmas: in 2022, 2024 and 2025, the week of 25 December was the biggest week of the year for US Google searches for "how to play ocarina". That is also when a gift gets tried, so keep the receipt.
• For a young child, think smaller. UK primary schools teach on plastic 4-hole ocarinas, which have four finger holes and one octave.
• If they want to play along with the new Zelda game, it listens for real instruments: Nintendo says you can "play one on an actual instrument, and the Nintendo Switch 2 microphone will hear your song". Nintendo says the game also responds to its Electric OCARINA OF TIME, but that plays notes at the press of a button rather than by blowing, so it is a toy, not an instrument to learn (see above).

Do you earn money from these recommendations?

Not today: none of the links on this page earn us anything. If we add affiliate links later, each one will carry a "paid link" label next to it, and our affiliate disclosure will list the programme and what it pays. A commission never moves an ocarina up this page.