6-hole ocarina fingering chart

Updated 2026-10-27

This chart shows every note of a 6-hole pendant ocarina in C, from C to high E: 17 notes. A 6-hole pendant has four holes on top, for your index and middle fingers, and two thumb holes underneath. Filled holes are covered, hollow holes are open and a half-filled hole is half covered. Press Play to hear a note.

6-hole pendant in C fingering chart
NoteFingeringHear it
CC5

Cover every hole

C♯C♯5

Cover the left middle, left index, right index, left thumb and right thumb; half-cover the right middle

DD5

Cover every hole but the right middle

D♯D♯5

Cover the left middle, right middle, left index, left thumb and right thumb; half-cover the right index

EE5

Cover every hole but the right index

FF5

Cover every hole but the right middle and right index

F♯F♯5

Cover every hole but the left middle

GG5

Cover every hole but the left middle and right middle

G♯G♯5

Cover every hole but the left middle and right index

AA5

Cover the left index, left thumb and right thumb

A♯A♯5

Cover the right index, left thumb and right thumb

BB5

Cover the right middle, left thumb and right thumb

high CC6

Cover the left thumb and right thumb

high C♯C♯6

Cover the right middle and left thumb

high DD6

Cover the left thumb

high D♯D♯6

Cover the right middle

high EE6

All holes open

How do you read a 6-hole fingering chart?

Pendant charts are drawn with the mouthpiece at the bottom. Howard Fosdick's pendant course explains: "the two bottom-most holes represent the fingering holes for your first two fingers (your index fingers). The two topmost holes are those you would cover with your middle fingers." The two circles beside the mouthpiece are the thumb holes underneath.

What are the notes on a 6-hole ocarina?

A 6-hole pendant in C plays every note from C to high E; STL Ocarina lists its 6-hole tenor in C as C5 to E6. With both thumbs covered, the four top holes play C to high C. In Fosdick's words, "The 6 hole oc extends this range with two more whole notes on the high end with its two thumb holes": lift the right thumb for high C♯ and D, then both thumbs for high D♯ and E.

How do you play C♯ and D♯ on a pendant ocarina?

By half-holing: cover half of one hole. For C♯, half cover the right middle finger's hole; for D♯, half cover the right index finger's hole. Rolling the finger back off the hole is steadier than lifting it. Half-holes are easy to play out of tune, so check them with a chromatic tuner (our own ocarina tuner is on its way).

Can I play 12-hole songs on a 6-hole ocarina?

Many, as long as the tune stays between C and high E. The fingerings are different, but the notes are the same, and every song page on this site shows 6-hole tabs whenever the tune fits. Ready for a tune? Start with the easy ocarina songs, browse all the songs, or learn the Ocarina of Time songs.

Sources