Good musicians have this knack of translating their emotions through music. They think of tunes that would make good background music as they live out their emotions. Furthermore, these people think of the musical instruments that can convey all of their messages to their audience. The piano and the guitar are both popular choices, but none of them display the raw and mystical sound of an ocarina. Intrigued by the ocarina? Make one to find out more.

The ocarina is a small flute-like instrument characterized by its moderately high-pitched sound and its standard set of twelve holes. The ocarina is the size and the shape of a sweet potato, which makes the instrument easy to carry. You can either hang the instrument on your neck or slide it in your little bag of accessories. Usually, the ocarina is ceramic and is quite easy to create if you have steady hands and a good eye for small details.

Materials Used:

• ceramic clay (2 packs)
• knife
• chopstick
• glaze (various colors)
• toothpick
• small paint brush

Gather Materials

First, head to a ceramic store and purchase two packs of ceramic clay and enough ceramic glaze to cover those two packs. Go to a Chinese or Japanese restaurant and ask for a pair of chopsticks. You might as well order a tiny appetizer and a glass of iced tea so that the waiters will give you a pair willingly. Once done, you can proceed home since the rest of the materials are regular household items.

The Ocarina Oval

When you have all the materials ready, get two slabs from your supply of ceramic clay and shape them to form ovals. Use a knife to make both slabs hollow. Be very careful when you scrape the walls of the slabs because a slight miscalculation can wreck the overall sound of your ocarina. Once done, get your toothpick and create twelve holes around your ocarina. Remember that the holes should gradually increase in size to create the different notes and pitches that you can play with your ocarina. If you are not quite satisfied with the sound of a particular hole, you can always use your toothpick to adjust the size of the hole as long as the clay has not totally hardened.

Play Your Piece with a Mouthpiece

Now, you can create the mouthpiece of your ocarina. Get your chopstick and press it on one side of the ocarina. Once done, use your toothpick to create an incision in the middle of the flattened surface. You can now poke away the excess layers of clay to make the mouthpiece hollow. When you are done, you can tune your ocarina.

Tune Attune

To tune your ocarina you can use another musical instrument to make things easier. Try to match the sounds produced by your ocarina with those produced by your piano or guitar. Once you have tuned all the holes of the ocarina, you can focus on the design and color of the musical instrument.

Ocarina Designs and Patterns

Think of an ocarina design that would match your personality and your playing style. When you have selected a design or theme for your ocarina, apply colored glaze on your instrument. Use slow and precise brush strokes because the clay is not easy to work with. When you have completed your pattern, wait for the glaze to dry. Let it settle for a few hours since the glaze will also harden the clay in the process. Once done, your new ocarina is ready to charm audiences and wow your friends.

The ocarina is a fine musical instrument used by charming princes to woo their lovely princesses. In today’s modern world, you can see how such an ancient instrument can work its timeless magic on the hearts of your crushes and loved ones. Since you made the ocarina, you practically created magic with your own two hands.