To get the best sound, angle the ocarina so you are blowing directly down the windway. When playing the mouthpiece should not be fully in the mouth and should never touch the teeth. LIGHTLY touch the mouthpiece of the ocarina against the aperture using just enough pressure to create a seal. This should be of moderate size as it will create a noisy tone if too restricted. Position the tongue level with the bottom lip covering the lower teeth.įorm a small oval-shaped aperture between your lips. Roll your lips in slightly so they are flat with the teeth (arrows). You have to position your lips and tongue to create a smooth air passage or the tone will be noisy.įirstly, part your teeth.
This is not the case as they are sensitive to turbulent airflow. You may think that, because ocarinas have a windway, they don't need a special embouchure. Where you position your tongue changes how the notes attack sounds closer to the teeth as in 't' creates a distinct and airy attack, while placing the tongue further back along the roof of the mouth creates a softer attack. The initial pulse of air pressure gives an 'attack', a moment when the sound quality is different from what you get with steady blowing-nearly all instruments do this, in many different ways. To create a shorter articulation, just touch the roof of the mouth briefly. To create a longer articulation, leave the tongue raised for longer. Lowering the tongue releases this stored pressure all at once, causing the note to begin cleanly. As the diaphragm is still engaged, the area behind the tongue is pressurised. Unlike a syllable, the tongue can stop the air for a long time-as long as you could normally hold your breath. Realise that what you are doing is using the tongue as a valve to control the air. The back of the tongue should always be at the base of the mouth.
This secondary action is not desirable while playing the ocarina, as it creates turbulence which causes a noisy tone, particularly on the high notes. Syllables carry other mouth postures for example, while pronouncing 'ta', I notice that I raise the back of my tongue. While thinking of syllables can be a useful guide to get started, you should not get too attached to this analogy. To stop a note the inverse is done, raising the tongue quickly to block the airflow, like '.hhhhhhT'. The closest syllable analogy I can think of is 'Thhhhhh.'. This is similar to 'th', but you continue to exhale.
To begin a note cleanly you touch the tip of the tongue to the roof of the mouth, attempt to exhale creating pressure then lower the tongue to release this stored pressure. The breath has to start and finish abruptly to create a good sound. The result sounds uncertain, as the note has no duration at a single pitch. While it can work as an effect, it is poor general technique. Puffing causes the pitch to ramp up, peak and roll off. The intuitive way to do this is to 'puff', as if blowing out a candle. When playing a wind instrument, you need to start and stop your breath to separate notes. If you do this for several minutes a day for a few weeks, the muscles will start to loosen. You may feel tension in the chest muscles as it is common for them to become tight. In this position, gravity will move your body into alignment. This can be improved by lying flat on a hard floor. If you cannot do this, your body is out of alignment. Your heels, bottom, shoulders and the back of your head should all touch the wall. To check your posture, you can stand with your back to a wall, preferably one with no baseboard. Consequently, it limits how long you can play between breaths. A slouched posture reduces the volume of the chest and limits how much air you can inhale. It gives the muscle something to work against.Īs sitting can negatively affect your posture, I advise playing while standing, using an eye level music stand if playing from sheet music. This creates pressure in the abdominal cavity and pushes up on the diaphragm. To further enhance your breath control, engage your abdominal muscles, a cue being 'draw the belly button towards the spine'. Repeat this for a number of breaths until you become comfortable with it. Inhale steadily through the mouth so that your hand moves out while the shoulders don't raise. Open your mouth and place your hand on your belly.
#Notea on a f ocarina full#
Try taking a few full belly breaths without your ocarina.
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