Ocarina notes and the C major scale

Updated 2026-10-28

The notes of an ocarina in C are the C major scale, C, D, E, F, G, A, B and high C, with the sharps and flats between them. Cover every main hole for C, then open holes to climb. The count depends on the type. A 12-hole has 21 notes (low A to high F), a 6-hole pendant 17 (C to high E) and a 4-hole pendant 13 (C to high C).

Which notes does each ocarina play?

Every note of the three is in this table, with its pitch on an alto C ocarina (some makers sell that size as a tenor) and its frequency at concert pitch (A4 = 440 Hz). A 4-hole pendant's pitch varies by maker. "Low" notes sit below the all-covered C, "high" ones in the octave above it.

How do you play the C major scale on an ocarina?

Start with every main hole covered and a gentle breath for C. On a 12-hole you then lift one finger at a time, right pinky first; a pendant uses its own combinations of four holes. Blow a little harder as you go up. The pictures show the scale up and back down on each kind of ocarina:

Each fingering chart has the sharps and flats in between: the 12-hole, the 6-hole and the 4-hole.

Why does a C ocarina go down to A?

A 12-hole's two sub-holes add three notes below its C: low A, low A♯ / B♭ and low B. They extend the range without changing the key. Pure Ocarinas: "an alto C does not become an alto B when a subhole is added." Expect them to be harder to play cleanly than the notes above them: Pure Ocarinas says sub-hole notes "can also tend to sound quiet, have very unstable pitch, are often unclear or 'muddy'". 4-hole and 6-hole pendants have no sub-holes, so their lowest note is the C.

What do C5 and A4 mean?

C5 and A4 are scientific pitch notation: a letter for the note and a number for the octave, where middle C on a piano is C4 and the number goes up by one at each C. An alto C ocarina's all-covered C is C5, the C above middle C, at 523.3 Hz. A soprano plays the same fingerings an octave higher (A5 to F7 against the alto's A4 to F6), and each octave doubles the frequency. Our tuner shows notes this way, with the octave number.

What notes does an ocarina in G or F play?

The same fingerings, moved to a new starting note. Pure Ocarinas: "a C ocarina would produce a C scale, whereas the same fingerings on a G ocarina would produce a G scale." Step 1 is every main hole covered:

So a tab or fingering chart written for C works on any key. The fingers move the same way, and only the sound is higher or lower.