Manbo's Mambo on a real ocarina
On a 12-hole Manbo's Mambo opens A, A, E, G. It is medium to play and written a fifth lower, in A minor, to fit the ocarina.
Goes up to high E, so it does not fit a 4-hole.
Manbo's Mambo
Bar 1 of 2
What are the notes for Manbo's Mambo?
On a 12-hole. Read left to right, a line at a time.
- Tricky spot:ArestAEGBrestAresthigh Eresthigh Ehigh E
Manbo's Mambo as Link plays it on the ocarina in the Game Boy game: the nine notes of one fan MIDI file, Mark Carroll's. The file has no bar lines, so the bars here are ours, and so are the lengths of its second high E and of the long last note. We slowed it from the file's 160 beats a minute to 120, so a beginner can follow it, and wrote it a fifth lower than the file so the whole song fits a 12-hole ocarina.
What is the tricky spot in Manbo's Mambo?
The jump from the A that ends the first bar up to the high E that starts the second, a fifth, after a short rest. The high E is the top note of a 6-hole, so it needs firmer air than the A, and you have to repeat it cleanly three times. On a 12-hole, Manbo's Mambo goes from A to high E: you lift the left middle, left index, left thumb and right thumb. On a 6-hole, you lift the left index, left thumb and right thumb.
How do you hold and breathe for Manbo's Mambo?
Take your breath in the rest at the start of the second bar, before the high Es. Keep the air soft and even through the first bar, then firm up for the E and hold the last one steady until it ends. To check your breath, hold each note of Manbo's Mambo in turn and watch it on a tuner such as our free ocarina tuner.
Which ocarina can play Manbo's Mambo?
Manbo's Mambo goes from E up to high E. A 4-hole ocarina cannot reach high E, so play it on a 12-hole or 6-hole ocarina in C.
The 5 notes here, on a 12-holeHoles in words, with a picture
| Note | Holes to cover | Picture |
|---|---|---|
| A | Cover the left pinky, left middle, left index, left thumb and right thumb | |
| E | Cover every main hole but the right ring and right pinky | |
| G | Cover every main hole but the right index, right middle, right ring and right pinky | |
| B | Cover the left pinky, left index, left thumb and right thumb | |
| high E | Cover the left pinky |
Drawn as you see it while playing: mouthpiece towards you, left hand on the left.
| Note | Holes to cover | Picture |
|---|---|---|
| A | Cover the left index, left thumb and right thumb | |
| E | Cover every hole but the right index | |
| G | Cover every hole but the left middle and right middle | |
| B | Cover the right middle, left thumb and right thumb | |
| high E | All holes open |
Drawn as you see it while playing: mouthpiece towards you, left hand on the left.
Is this the whole of Manbo's Mambo?
It is the nine-note song Link plays on the ocarina, which is what Mark Carroll's file holds. Dr. Fruitcake's file opens with the same nine notes on the same beats, which backs up Mark Carroll's, and then goes on into a full arrangement with a backing band. We left that arrangement out: it is a band arrangement around the tune, with no single melody line to copy.
Where does Manbo's Mambo play in Link's Awakening?
Zelda Wiki says Link learns it from Manbo after finishing the Angler's Tunnel, and that it is the second song he learns for the ocarina. The Nintendo Switch version's inventory text calls it "A funky tune that Manbo taught you." Played, it warps Link to Manbo's Pond or to the start of a dungeon, and in the Nintendo Switch version to any warp point that is active. Wikipedia credits the music of Link's Awakening to Kazumi Totaka, Minako Hamano and Kozue Ishikawa.