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Which ocarina is it? If it's one of these, you're going to need to upgrade if you want to actually learn to play the instrument. The cheap OoT replicas you find all over amazon are notorious within the ocarina community for their bad quality. Focalink/Stein makes two very good plastic (link 1, link 2) ocarinas that make great starter ocarinas and will provide a much more pleasant learning experience should you find the need to upgrade.

As far as advice for beginners, I'd say these are the most important things for a beginner to practice:

1. Breath control
   
   It's very important to develop good control of your breath for any wind instrument, but especially for ocarinas (and any type of vessel flute for that matter). Ocarina pitch is quite unstable compared to a tubular flute type instrument (flutes, recorders, but also reed and brass instruments since they produce resonance by the same mechanism). You have to pay close attention to how hard you're blowing because if you don't it's easy to play out of tune. It's a good idea to get yourself a chromatic tuner so you can practice intonation since ocarinas don't really do much to give you a clear indication of when you're not blowing correctly. If you're completely new to wind instruments, I'd also recommend dabbling a bit with a recorder since you can easily tell when you're blowing wrong because it sounds like this. The skill of breath control goes hand in hand with ear training.
   
   
2. Articulation
   
   Listen to an experienced wind instrument play and you'll notice that they never start a whole new breath for each note. They don't huff and puff into their instruments. Instead, they play a series of notes on one breath, breaking it up as needed. This is called note articulation and it's an essential skill for nearly all wind instruments. This is done using the tongue to interrupt your air stream with a motion like you would when pronouncing the syllable "tu" or "du". This might seem simple, but synchronizing your fingers and your tongue is actually quite challenging once you start trying to play faster pieces of music.
   
   
3. Scales and pitch intervals
   
   Whether you're a hobbyist or a trained professional, it's important to practice your scales. Knowing your scales is important because it makes it easy for you to play in different keys. Likewise, your life will be much easier and if will be much less effort to figure a lot of stuff if you know what the different note intervals are (e.g. major second, minor third, perfect fourth).
   
   As for repertoire, despite the ocarina having a rather limited range compared with most of the more mainstream instruments out there, you cam play quite a lot of songs on it. A lot of traditional folk songs and pop songs fit nicely into the ocarina's range. In general, music for voice tends to work well on ocarina. This includes many classical songs, such as Schubert's Ave Maria and Ständchen, as well as some opera songs like O Mio Babbino Caro (All three are good songs for beginner-intermediate players, Ave Maria and O Mio Babbino Caro need to be transposed to fit the range of a 12 hole C ocarina). You can even play songs like Bach's Badinerie in B minor (if you transpose it to D minor) once you get more skilled. It's really a matter of finding music you like and trying it out.

So this might only be partially related to your question but thought I'd share anyway if you are interested in a little read.

Firstly, I think tabs are great and reading music takes much more practice.
Play some tabs of the music you love and get hooked. Then gradually learn to read music if you can.


That aside, wish I had the answer for you on the site.

Maybe a couple of these will help:
http://web.archive.org/web/20170802200045/http://tabs-ocarina.com:80/ocarina-tab-list

http://web.archive.org/web/20181127043926/https://ocarina-tabs.com/

http://web.archive.org/web/20180530023007/http://www.ocarinaforum.com/index.php?board=11.0

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However, if you can afford a few bucks, try getting a book. songbirdocarina.com has some books with tabs and lots of great songs.


I know it sounds silly, like "Why pay for it if I can get it for free?" but after getting a music book, I found, helps me focus to play. Also nice to put my electronics aside and go somewhere with a book and be just myself an my ocarina.


Also, I highly recommend Hal Leonard Ocarina Method by Cris Gale. Teaches you a lot of good techniques and also how to read music gradually with lots of pretty easy songs.

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Sorry that this didn't answer your question though. Would be nice to have a good site with all of that and maybe a place for people to collaborate on that again if anyone knows/has one.

I actually got that same one as my first ocarina as well. It's… Not the best. It's a good replica, don't get me wrong, but it definitely isn't meant to be seriously played.

This is the one I have right now.

It sounds pretty great, and won't break the bank. I've been playing on this one for about two years and I'm only just now considering upgrading to a nicer one. I'd definitely recommend it.

Edit: If you really want a Zelda ocarina that also plays well, I've heard good things about STL Ocarina.
I've never personally bought anything from them, so I can't tell you with 100% certainty if they're good, but I'm heavily considering them for the next one I get.

Here is a video from Kissing88 about OcarinaWind instruments

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I would recommend either one of the following ocarinas as a beginner instrument. They are plastic but still have an excellent sound and will be more durable than a ceramic ocarina. These are also demonstrated in the video I linked above.

Night By Noble Plastic Ocarina AC Black - $36.86

Legend of Zelda Inspired 12 Hole Ocarina – Alto C by Focalink - $24.95

The NIGHT by Noble requires less breath and will therefore be easier for a beginner to get started on.

I'm starting with a double and just learning--the fingering on the large chamber is the same as most 12 hole ocarina tutorials. So you can just buy a double, treat it as 12 hole until you master the first chamber, then add the second chamber. Since I knew I wanted a double's range for most of the songs I want to eventually learn, it was cheaper to just get a double to start.


I bought the STL Plastic Double for $40 initially, since I wasn't sure if I'd enjoy playing the ocarina. It's good enough to learn on and get familiar with the fingerings. The plastic causes it to go out of tune as your breath condenses inside it while you play, though. A clay ocarina will end up sounding better and be playable for longer in a session. (And cost more, if you're not sure about the instrument long term.)


I just ordered the highly rated Focalink Double for $118 (you just missed their Memorial Day sale) after a lot of research. If you want clay, I'd probably recommend that. Any of the STL doubles would probably also work for you, they are $100 normally. And depending on your budget, you might think about their MaxRange Doubles ($140ish). They're supposed to have a pretty awkward fingering in exchange for the extra range, but they're one note shy of a triple and cost much less. YMMV, do your research before buying one.


Finally, I also got /u/ocarinadiva 's Hal Leonard Method book, and as a noob to music I really like it. There's quite a lot of information on basic music theory and ocarina specific techniques in the book and the included video lessons really help. There's free resources out there, but having everything in one place was more than worth the price to me.

Try this ocarina from Amazon, $22. It is a Taiwanese-style transverse ocarina with a range of A to F. The high notes are airy, but the overall quality is very nice for only $22. It will definitely give you a good initial experience to see if you would like to invest in something better.

$13 is tough. If you could, raising your budget to $20 would increase the available selection (and not to mention quality significantly).

I recommend the aforementioned [TNG Alto 6h pendant] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00GRN4LSG/ref=mp_s_a_1_45?qid=1411705041&sr=8-45&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70). TNG is distributed here in the US by STL Ocarina, which is pretty well known and frequently recommended brand.

As for the two ocarinas you are considering, I would go with the ceramic Zelda one. I doubt that at such a low price the material would make a difference (one of the best transverse ocarinas I have ever played is plastic). The dolphin one seems like it would be awkward to hold. The Zelda one seems to have larger holes, this will make tuning the instrument a lot easier. Tuning is usually not that good in cheaper ocarinas, so having enough space to work with your fingers and alter the amount of air flow is pretty important.

I highly recommend this one:


http://www.amazon.com/Bravura-12-Hole-Ocarina-Focalink/dp/B00E8KAX1E/ref=sr_1_2?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1452386118&sr=1-2&refinements=p_4%3AFocalink


Edit: The Focalink is certainly very playable, and is nice and easy to get a good tone on.


I really like my Focalink (I got it in this color too!). It is inexpensive, and has a nice mellow timbre.

I bought this one awhile back from amazon that sounds and looks pretty nice for a friend who wanted to get into it and not spend a lot of money at first, it’s a pretty basic 12 hole ocarina, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MJLZIDW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Vi2QCbQ2KK3F6

Unfortunately quality control on Amazon is shotty at best, but if you’re cool with buying from other places online, stlocarina and songbird ocarina are great shops to buy from with a really big variety in a range of prices.

Yeah i have this one https://www.amazon.com/Thrush-Ocarina-Pottery-Protective-Songbooks/dp/B071XHJXZF people said its pretty good and sounds almost exactly like a night by noble one. I used a tuner on my computer. I spent about an hour trying to get it to play right and couldent. Peple say with all holes covered you should get a C and i was getting like usually G. I tried all diffrent breath pressures and could not get a C. No matter what I did. So if you know this ocarina let me know if its like defective or the ocarina or its just me. Thanks for the reply

https://www.amazon.ca/Night-Noble-Plastic-Ocarina-Black/dp/B008WYNVAW/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1492671434&sr=8-7&keywords=ocarina

This Night Ocarina is universally regarded as one of the best starter Ocarinas. Easy to play, durable, and has very good sound.

This picture shows the complete range of a standard 12 hole ocarina:
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/28/4e/9f/284e9f297206f84309296b20fa56273a.jpg

If you want higher you will need a Double or triple ocarina, which adds additional chambers and mouthpieces to increase the range

Please don't buy that. It's a knock off that doesn't play in tune at all. If you want a Zelda replica, buy one from STL, Songbird, Spencer, or Tenrai. If you want a good sounding ocarina and don't mind it not being Zelda-themed, then the Night by Noble is a really good plastic ocarina. They can be bought on Amazon and eBay. Songbird, STL, and Focalink also offer good quality ceramic ocarinas.

The Zelda replicas from OcarinaWind have a pretty bad reputation and the owner carries multiple models, which makes it even more difficult. STL, Songbird, and Rotter all have affordable Zelda replicas that are pretty good quality.

That is the Night by Noble, so you're good there. As far as learning materials, it really depends on you. A lot of people like having a structured curriculum and it helps save time. You can find tutorials and such online, but you have to consider what your time is worth and if it is worth having a centralized resource to get you up and running. My wife wrote the Hal Leonard Ocarina Method and I think for $/£10 or so, it's worth not having to look for resources and having videos that basically show you every lesson. It's also available in book form as well as iOS and Andriod/Google.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00MJLZIDW/ref=ppx_yo_mob_b_track_package_o0_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1 it's this ocarina, it was reccomended to me by a friend, but idk if it's any good lol. And also it doesnt get quiet when I play what's supposed to be c, but when I bend it down it does

I would definitely start with Cris Gale's Method Book. David Erick Ramos also released his own method book. I would also check out the method books sold by STL Ocarina.

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David Erick Ramos and OcarinaOwl have excellent tutorials.

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For intonation, I would practice with both a tuner and a drone. Using the drone will help train your ear to hear the correct pitches so you don't have to rely on visual tuners. I would also work on the first three pages of these tone warmups for flute once you've mastered reading sheet music.

I wouldn't really recommend starting out with a soprano C anyway, unless you were desperate to spend less money. Here is the alto version from Amazon. I'm not sure if that will help you out.

Osawa Alto C ocarina

With a little looking you could find the soprano one on Amazon as well.

Amazon also has the Night by Noble

Night by Noble

You can also buy the Focalink/Stein ocarinas from Songbird Ocarina if that will help with shipping.

The single chamber plastic ocarinas from STL Ocarina are also some of the cheapest decent twelve hole ocarinas you can get.

I don't know how shipping from these various US ocarina stores will work out for you.

I'd recommend the Night by Noble over almost anything else plastic I've tried. Good tone, even scale, good intonation, and virtually none of the condensations problems that are the bane of pretty much any other plastic ocarina.

assuming you paid around 25$, yes it's very good.

I also recommend Essential Elements Flute for learning. Just print off a fingering chart and you'll be reading music and playing and reading at a highschool level in no time.

I noticed on a few of the amazon ocarinas there's a guy that's posted mini-review videos in the comment sections. He really liked the Noble.. I'm just iffy about spending $30 on a piece of plastic (or 25 on the bravura). Did you look at the noble one too?

I've purchased two, one is a plastic Night by Noble:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008WYNVAW/

which is the one I'd recommend over the other, a clay one, some dragon-tooth shaped thing that sounds OK, not as good as the plastic one.

If I had to buy another, I'd go with clay, though. The plastic one collects moisture faster, requires draining much faster.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0148EQYA8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Best purchase i made on amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Korg-CA40-Large-Display-Chromatic/dp/B000EE8YPK/ref=sr_1_9?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1485060730&sr=1-9&keywords=tuner

this one is pretty good. and as a general rule real tuners > tuner apps.

"Joy of Wood Thrush" by Awef has 4.5 stars at Amazon. It's a quality Alto C ceramic for $19.95 currently. See https://www.amazon.com/Thrush-Ceramic-Ocarina-Exquisite-Craft/dp/B071XHJXZF/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=12+hole+ocarina&qid=1574060750&s=musical-instruments&sr=1-7

Don't go for either.

If you want to jump and get a REALLY good one that you'll keep around, go for this one (night by noble):

http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/chuya-online/item/71568/?key=123456

look at using small packet shipping.

oo, amazon also carries it now:
http://www.amazon.com/Night-By-Noble-Plastic-Ocarina/dp/B00F3J7P74

I got the "Forest Whisper" 12 Hole Ocarina Classic Strawfire Masterpiece Collectible https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MJLZIDW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_yDqSCb87JFB14

Is this it? It's the only one that I can find like it on Amazon.

12 Hole Plastic Tenor Ocarina with Zelda Songbook https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006KSM7ZM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_3mBtzbFE23KZT

I must say that Night by Noble seems to be very interesting. I am reading about it and can only find positive comments. I will calm down before moving to more advanced stuff :p

Is there any site (except Amazon) where I can purchase it?

PS.: I am excluding Amazon because we have a weird tax policy here in Brazil. Taxes are huge but products below $100 are not taxed. Amazon always consider an importing fee even if the price is below $100.

For example, this ocarina:

https://www.amazon.com/Night-Noble-Plastic-Ocarina-Black/dp/B008WYNVAW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1495573040&sr=8-1&keywords=night+noble

Will cost for me $81.60 => 33.50+ 8.32(ship) + 39.72(estimated import fee)

Such a pain!

OcarinaWind ocarinas are extremely inconsistent as far as quality; some are virtually unplayable. Get this one instead; you won't regret it.

A ceramic ocarina of this quality would probably cost you upwards of 80-100 USD. You won't find better value for money, I've paid a lot more for worse sounding instruments---Like STL's Water Ocarina; beautiful instrument but mediocre low and high notes and awkward to cover holes