Ocarinas Elizabeth Paley

Appears in the Nov/Dec 2024 issue of Pottery Making Illustrated.

Ocarinas, a type of vessel flute, have existed for millennia in cultures across the globe. While modern concert-quality ocarinas are typically slip cast or press molded, simpler versions are easily handbuilt. Numerous how-to resources are available online and in print, from brief tutorials to comprehensive treatises. Yet, for potters beginning to explore the instrument, there is an often frustrating gap between building the form and getting that form to produce a clear tone. 

This article offers solutions to common tone-production pitfalls for handbuilt ocarinas. Additionally, because my primary tool as a potter is an electric wheel, I include strategies for making wheel-thrown components.

Anatomy of an Ocarina

Ocarinas combine a globular resonating cavity with an air duct assembly that includes a windway, an aperture, and a beveled labium (1).

When a player blows into the windway, a stream of air is directed toward the labium. Air that enters the cavity raises the internal air pressure, forcing air out through the aperture. This, in turn, lowers the internal pressure, drawing air back in. The oscillation of air in and out of the cavity produces a musical tone.

Clear tones are easiest to achieve when the cavity permits air to flow smoothly past the labium (2) and drops vertically below the interior edge of the mouthpiece (2). Beyond these two requirements, the cavity interior can have assorted deviations—angles, bumps, clay crumbs, etc.—without negatively impacting tone quality.

Tools

A simple starter tool set includes a needle tool and wooden craft sticks that are sanded to create beveled ends (3). Popsicle sticks work well for larger ocarinas. For smaller ocarinas, use sturdy coffee stirrers or purchase narrower sticks at a craft supply store. Finger holes can be added later using circular hole-cutting tools.

Reference

Before proceeding, please visit the Ceramic Arts Network website (ceramicartsnetwork.org/daily/article/Making-Music-with-Clay-How-to-Make-a-Ceramic-Ocarina) to read Barry Hall’s detailed instructions for handbuilding a resonating cavity and air duct assembly in “Making Music with Clay: How to Make a Ceramic Ocarina,” excerpted from his excellent book From Mud to Music (2006).

Throwing a Resonating Cavity

Resonating cavities can be wheel thrown off the hump. As with a handbuilt cavity, the goal is to create a space for air to circulate that meets the two anatomical constraints described above. I usually throw ovoid forms that are closed at the top and open at the bottom (4); after the clay firms up slightly, I pinch the bottoms closed and patch any gaps.

I use between ⅛–½ pound (57–227 g) of clay for wheel-thrown cavities. I aim for a wall thickness of about ³/₁₆–¼ inch (4.8–6.4 mm), both for resonance and ease of forming the aperture and labium.

Smaller cavities produce higher tones than larger cavities. Very large ocarinas tend to produce breathier tones than smaller ocarinas, so hold off on larger quantities of clay until you can produce clear tones from smaller forms.

Making the Mouthpiece

For the mouthpiece, shape a small piece of clay into a ½–1-inch-long (1.3–2.5 cm) rectangular prism that is tall and wide enough to accommodate the insertion of a craft stick. Identify a place to attach the mouthpiece that meets the two anatomical requirements above (5). Slip and score the surfaces, attach the mouthpiece, and smooth the pieces together (6).

For wheel-thrown cavities, I often form the mouthpiece directly from the cavity itself by pinching some of its clay into a solid nub extending off the form (7).

Making the Windway, Aperture, and Labium

A cross-section of an ocarina in progress shows craft sticks positioned for cutting the windway, aperture, and labium (8).

To create the windway, push a craft stick into the mouthpiece, just skirting the inner cavity wall. Keeping that stick in place, use a second stick to map out a square for the aperture (9). The aperture edge closest to the mouthpiece should align with where the windway enters the cavity interior. With the windway stick providing counter-pressure, use the beveled end of the second stick to cut open the aperture and chisel an approximately 45° ramp for the labium (10).

Remove the windway stick. It will often drag a plug of clay behind it, blocking both the aperture and windway. Insert a craft stick through the aperture to push this plug down into the cavity and out of the way (11), or remove the plug with a needle tool; clay should no longer block the aperture. Check that the windway is clear, and tidy up the aperture and bevel if needed.

Troubleshooting Tone-Production Problems

Blowing into the ocarina should now produce a tone. If not, or if the tone is very breathy, check the Ocarina Troubleshooting Guide below.

Air duct assemblies are remarkably sensitive to small changes. Fixing one problem often creates another, so check and recheck potential trouble spots as you hone the sound.

Note: Blowing into the ocarina humidifies and softens the clay. If the labium becomes visibly damp, give the clay a few minutes to firm up before proceeding.

Adding Discrete Pitches

Because wind speed affects ocarina pitch, a continuous (albeit narrow) range of pitches can be obtained by under and overblowing. More precise pitch variation can be obtained by adding circular finger holes (12); a golf tee is a handy tool for ensuring circularity. Non-circular holes often disrupt tone production.

Vessel flutes do not require holes to be placed in a particular location or order. Choose locations comfortable for your fingers, but avoid areas near the air duct assembly or opposite the windway. Add holes one at a time, always checking tone quality and pitch. Refine the air duct assembly as needed before proceeding to the next hole. The smaller the hole, the smaller the melodic interval it generates above the ocarina’s fundamental pitch.

Occasionally, a new hole will cut off tone production entirely. Check the Ocarina Troubleshooting Guide, particularly L2 and A4. If problems persist, plug the hole and try another location.

Tuning and Fingering

Makers wishing to tune ocarinas to specific scales should weigh the pros and cons of linear versus cross fingerings.

With linear fingering, the player opens successive holes to produce ascending notes in a scale. Linearly-fingered scales are intuitive to tune and play, but require more holes than cross fingering; this often causes breathier tone quality near the top of the scale. With cross fingering, the player employs different configurations of covered and uncovered holes to produce the same scale. Cross-fingered scales require fewer holes but are less intuitive to play without practice.

I tune my own ocarinas by ear, most often using four cross-fingered holes to produce diatonic scales spanning a minor 7th (sol to fa), although four holes can also be sized to produce a scale spanning a perfect octave (see the Ocarina Scales table below).

Firing raises an ocarina’s fundamental tone, but the melodic intervals generated by finger holes are generally preserved.

Finishing

Choose finishing methods that preserve tone production. If glazing, mask the windway, aperture, and all finger holes to prevent glaze from reshaping or plugging them. Alternatively, decorate the surface with non-toxic patinas, slips, or underglazes, or simply enjoy the natural color of the clay body.

Elizabeth Paley is a ceramic artist based in Durham, North Carolina. She teaches pottery classes at the community studio Claymakers (claymakers.org), was the founder and curator of The Potters’ Penguin Project (facebook.com/potterspenguinproject), and is a collaborating artist with the math-art installation Mathemalchemy (mathemalchemy.org). To see more of her work, visit geekpots.com or on Instagram @geekpots.