How to practise the ocarina quietly

Why does an ocarina go flat when you play softly?

An ocarina's pitch follows your breath pressure, with no separate control for volume. Pure Ocarinas gives the size of the problem: "Many ocarinas will play in tune with themselves when muted, but will be a semitone or more flat of the intended pitch." A semitone is 100 cents, about the gap between two neighbouring piano keys. The high notes give out first, too: "you can only lower the pressure so much before the high notes stop working."

You can see this for yourself in a minute. Hold one note on our tuner at your normal breath, then let the breath fall away and watch the reading drop. Our guide to breath control has you find the right pressure for each note.

How do you practise the ocarina without making a sound?

Finger the song and don't blow. Pure Ocarinas recommends it: "Practise fingering a sequence of notes without blowing. You can even do this without an instrument!" This counts as real practice, because changing fingers cleanly is a large part of learning a new tune.

1. Pick the awkward moment in a song, or two rows of a fingering chart.
2. Say each note's name in your head as you finger it, slowly and in time.
3. Loop it until your fingers land together, with no finger arriving late.
4. Next time you can play out loud, play that passage first, to check it holds up with real breath.

You can practise your tonguing silently too, with a whispered "tu" on each note and no ocarina at your lips.

Do ocarina mutes work?

They lower the volume; whether the notes stay true is disputed, and nobody we read publishes a measurement. One attachment is Mr. Mute, $30.00 on Amazon US on 30 October 2026. Its listing promises "approximately 10% of its normal level (20 decibels)" while "maintaining the same pitch and tone". Reviewer Andy Cormier, who earns a commission on Amazon sales, recommends it for practising in hotel rooms. The listing warns that it may not fit very small soprano or very large bass ocarinas.

Pure Ocarinas, which sells ocarinas rather than mutes, disagrees about the whole type of device, without naming this one. It says a mute that restricts the air "functions in the same way as blowing softly and doesn't do anything that can't be achieved by just blowing softly." Its verdict on muted practice: "adequate for practising fingerings, but not much more than that." If you buy one, check your notes with and without it on a tuner, and judge by what you read.

Home-made ocarina mutes to avoid

Don't stuff folded paper into the mouthpiece. Pure Ocarinas warns that "there is a risk that the paper will become stuck in the windway, ruining the instrument." Of tape over the sound hole, Pure says "This will result in an airy tone".

When and where can you play an ocarina out loud?

• Somewhere away from the walls you share. Pure Ocarinas suggests "a basement, a car, or in a field". A parked car is a small, private room that goes with you.
• At a time you've agreed. Tell a neighbour or flatmate which half hour you practise, so the sound isn't a surprise.
• In short sessions at full breath, rather than long ones of careful, flat notes. Pure Ocarinas says it is still essential to practise everything at normal pressure.

Are some ocarinas quieter than others?

Yes. Low ones are gentler: Pure Ocarinas calls bass ocarinas "much more mellow and generally quieter", and it describes sopranos as "piercing". Pure also says that a smaller chamber and sound hole play quieter and at lower pressure. We found no published decibel figure for any ocarina, so we can't give you a number here.

If silence really matters, an electronic ocarina with headphones is a different route. Pure Ocarinas makes the case for one: "acoustic ocarinas are loud, and attempting to mute one mostly makes it sound bad."

Protecting your own ears

Pure Ocarinas suggests musician's earplugs if the volume bothers you up close. They don't make you quieter for anyone else, but they let you keep your normal breath in a small room.