I got myself an ocarina with birthday money (Focalink AC plastic alto)
Oh its a good instrument, I read up about it a lot before making the plunge. But I have issues with it. Despite it being an alto I find it shrill. Its not so much the tone itself, which is deeper than a whistle, but there must be some overtones that actually hurt my ears! Also the fingering is totally different to recorder or whistle, and it makes my thumb hurt. So I’m stuck with an instrument I don’t like. Though it does make a good paperweight…
You might try an inline ocarina like one of these. I have a few and they are easy to play, but rather limited. I only play ocarinas by myself with (hopefully) no one listening! They are great “out in the woods” instruments!
Pat
Those do look nice but I can’t really have any more instruments. And if I did have money to spend it would probably be on another whistle
What ocarina did you get? I’ve got two. (Actually, more than that, but two really good ones.) I can play them OK, but I’ve heard other people play ocarinas, and they can be brilliant instruments.
It would be useful to know what make you have, and maybe get a picture or two. It could be you, rather than the instrument.
A post with picture on AuLoS303’s blog: https://mymusictree.blogspot.co.uk/2017/12/yet-another-new-instrument.html?m=1
OK. Thanks Aaron. I used to have a plastic ocarina or two, but mine, at least, were no good as instruments. I really don’t know whether that’s because of the material, or just that they were poor quality. I can’t see any reason why a plastic ocarina shouldn’t be just as good as one made with any other substance. However, my two good ones are both made from clay. The better one looks rough as anything, but plays beautifully (or would, if I was a better player!)
Its a Focalink AC plastic, alto. It is a quality instrument. Or rather it was. I mailed to a friend who is sending me a flute in exchange.
What type of flute are you receiving in exchange?
A fortissimo. The lady who is sending it plays in a band (flute, trombone, recorder) and has this old cheap spare one. So she decided to send it to me so I could get to grips with flute embouchure. It has a damaged foot so doesn’t go down to D but its playable. Hoping it comes today…
I don’t get that. If it doesn’t go down to D, surely it’s not playable? Well, not in the ordinary sense …
It does down to C? Ive no idea, never had a flute. I do know that a flute has a 3 octave range so its missing just the lowest note.
It can’t just be “missing the lowest note”. If it’s missing D, then it’s missing, at the very least, the bottom D, the middle D and the D at the top of the second octave, and probably some other notes as well. For just about any trad, and absolutely all classical music, that would make it unplayable.
Then I stated it incorrectly. One key on the foot isnt working properly, I press it, its stiff and doesn’t spring back tho it can be moved back open. But all other notes play.
Its certainly good enough to learn on.
It’s low C or C# you’re missing and luckily that doesn’t really matter.
Its actually the Eb/D# key thats stuck. Right hand pinky finger key
I have a few plastic ocarinas and IMO the standard plastic Focalink (not the “Osawa” model) is worst when it comes to hearing damage. I think it’s the sheer size (most alto ocarinas are smaller) which makes the soundpressure so devastating and the fact that the sound is produced so close to the ears (opposed to a tinwhistle or recorder for instance). I can play bass ocarinas just fine (I have a Zin plastic bass ocarina, which is one of the best ocarinas I own, but more expensive than an alto model, still cheap however compared to most clay models), but for almost all my altos I need earplugs if I wanna play for more than 5 minutes without risking a permanent ringin in my ears for a few days 
). IMO the pendant models are better but they have a completely different fingering (they do not use the pinkies for fingering however, just for support of the instrument). They are not as loud and the sound is not created so close to the ears as on a transverse ocarina. Strangely enough some soprano models are not as harsh for the hearing despite the higher frequency – I think that’s because of the smaller size, they simply don’t “pack the punch” of an alto model.
BTW: I mainly started playing ocarina because I was looking for a small wind instrument that could be played (almost) fully chromatic without half-holing or awkward fingering patterns. In this aspect the ocarina beats most other woodwinds so it has its advatanges despite the limited range. An alto ocarina can be far smaller than an alto recorder or flute or whistle. I can get the same lowest note out of an instrument that fits in the palm of my hand as I would be able to play on a Generation Bb-tinwhistle (because of the pitch-beding in relation to breath pressure on an ocarina you can even play the Bb with some alto C ocarinas, when blowing very softly).
I just find the whistle so much easier, even playing half notes is easier than that ocarina I had.
Not so sure about the half-notes but the whistle is definitely easier when trying to play in tune. The pitch-bending of an ocarina is quite tricky. And boy are they loud. Even the second octave on a D-whistle is more pleasent than most ocarinas I have to admit, even though I still love the instrument.