Ocarina guides

Updated 2026-10-29

These ocarina guides are for beginners, in three groups: what an ocarina is and how to start playing, why a note sounds wrong and how to fix it, and which ocarina to buy or give. Each guide answers its question in its first lines.

Getting started on the ocarina

• What is an ocarina?: the types, hole counts and sizes, and where the ocarina comes from.
• Ocarina notes and the C major scale: every note a 12-hole, 6-hole and 4-hole ocarina plays, and the scale on each.
• How to hold an ocarina: which finger covers each hole, where your thumbs go and how loosely to grip.
• Ocarina for beginners: a plan for your first week: a day-by-day plan from your first notes to two easy songs.

Then the fingering charts show every note on a 12-hole, 6-hole or 4-hole ocarina, and the songs give you tunes to play with them.

Why does my ocarina sound wrong?

• Is my ocarina out of tune, or is it me?: how to tell a badly tuned ocarina from your breath, and when to send it back.
• Why are my ocarina's high notes airy or flat?: too little breath, a leaking hole or a hovering finger, and how to find which.
• How hard should you blow an ocarina?: gently on the low notes, firmer as you climb, with exercises to learn your ocarina.
• How do you tongue notes on the ocarina?: starting each note with a "tu" instead of a puff of air, and why it keeps notes in tune.

To check a note while you read, the ocarina tuner shows which note you are playing and how many cents sharp or flat it is.

Which ocarina should I buy?

• Which ocarina should I buy? An honest guide for beginners: what makes an ocarina playable, which to pick for your situation, and the cheap replica trap.
• Giving an ocarina: a gift guide: what to give a child, a Zelda fan or an adult beginner, and what to spend.
• The best ocarina apps for beginners, compared: which apps listen to your real ocarina, which are toys, and what each one costs.