How to Make an Ocarina with Your Hands

PDF download Download Article
PDF download Download Article

An ocarina is an ancient, flute-like wind instrument used by many cultures around the world. [1] Though traditional ocarinas were usually made from clay or vegetables, you can make one with just your hands. It's tricky to master the hand ocarina, but once you do, you can move from basic whistling to simple songs and more.

Part 1
Part 1 of 2:

Whistling With Your Hands

PDF download Download Article
  1. Hold your hands apart with your fingertips pointing towards the ceiling and your palms facing each other. Your thumbs should be pointing up as well. Essentially, it should look like you were just praying, then took your hands apart from each other.
  2. Move your hands toward each other as if clapping. As you do so, turn your left hand so that your fingers are pointing forward (rather than up at the ceiling). When your hands touch, the heel of your left hand (the firm part below the palm) should be against the fleshy part of your right thumb.
    • These directions assume you're right-handed. If you're a leftie, it may be easier to reverse the references to the hands in this step as well as the following hands (i.e., turn your right hand in this step, etc.)
    Advertisement
  3. Now, bend your fingers so that each hand is holding the other. The fingers of your right hand should curl in the space between your left thumb and index finger. The fingers of your left hand should curl around the side of your right pinkie (little finger).
  4. Without taking your hands apart, adjust your thumbs so that the insides of both knuckles touch each other. Your thumbnails should be aligned next to your right index finger.
    • There should now be a thin gap between your thumbs just a few millimeters wide. This is the sound hole — it's where you're blow air into the ocarina and also where the whistling noise will come out.
  5. Part your lips slightly (as if to say "Oooh"). Place your lips so that the small "o" formed between them lines up just below your knuckles. In other words, your top lip should rest against your thumbs' knuckles and your bottom lip should be over the top half of the slit between your thumbs.
  6. Blow a steady stream of air into the very top part of the slit between your thumbs. In other words, you want to blow right below your thumbs' knuckles. You should hear a whistle that sounds a little like a hooting owl or a wooden train whistle if you did it right.
    • Do not vocalize in an attempt to make the bird call with your vocal cords (i.e., saying "ooh" or "ahh" as you blow). Blow noiselessly as if trying to get an empty bottle to whistle.
  7. It can be pretty difficult to get your hand ocarina to work, especially if this is your first time. If you're just getting the dry, pitch-less sound of rushing air, you're probably making one of a few common mistakes. See below:
    • The "seal" around your ocarina may not be tight enough. Try adjusting the shape of your hands to close gaps around the edges. You don't have to squeeze tight — just make sure you aren't letting any air out.
    • The noise hole may not be quite the right shape. Try moving your thumbs closer together to make the hole a little narrower.
    • You may not be blowing in the right place. Try moving your lips up and down slightly or widening the "o" formed by your lips. Remember, you want to blow into the top half of the slit between your thumbs.
    8. Advertisement
Part 2
Part 2 of 2:

Making Different Pitches

PDF download Download Article
  1. Letting air out of your ocarina through points other than the sound hole will affect the pitch of the whistle. A controlled way to do this is to lift the four fingers on your right hand up and down, mimicking the motions a flute player would make. Lift a maximum of two fingers at once — the more ways there are for air to escape, the harder it is to get pitches.
    • Note that this is difficult to do without causing your whistle to turn into an undesirable "rushing air" noise. You'll need to keep a good seal between your hands, lift your finger only slightly, and support the note with plenty of air. It can take as long to learn how to do this as it takes to learn how to make the whistle in the first place.
  2. The pitch you hear when you get a whistle out of a hand ocarina is the air between your hands vibrating. Creating a bigger or smaller space by changing the shape of your hands will let more or less air in, affecting the pitch. Just be careful to keep a tight seal between your hands so air can't leak out.
    • Making a bigger space (moving your hands apart) will produce a lower-pitched sound.
    • Making a smaller space (moving your hands together) will produce a higher-pitched sound.
  3. Changing the way you blow can also change the pitch of the note your ocarina makes. Try making a smaller "o" with your lips for a higher pitch or a larger "o" for a lower pitch.
    • Experienced harmonica players use a technique called a "draw bend" to change notes' pitches. You can get a similar effect by pulling your tongue to the back of your mouth as you blow to "bend" the tone of your note downwards. This takes practice! [2]
    4. Advertisement

Community Q&A

Search
Add New Question
  • Question
    Can I play a music by this?
    Community Answer
    Well, yes, but remember to keep all the gaps closed. It may take a lot of practice, sometimes even people who are very good at it are not able to do this!
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 16 Helpful 50
  • Question
    Should there be a spot for the air to escape at all?
    Community Answer
    No. Only ever let air out if you are changing the pitch.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 44 Helpful 84
  • Question
    It did not work for me, and I've tried 25 times! What am I doing wrong?
    Community Answer
    You might have too much air coming through. Remember, when it's your first whistle, you want to seal up every little crack.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 48 Helpful 83
See more answers
Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
      Advertisement

      Video

      Reader Videos

      Tips

      • Don't get discouraged if you can't do it at first. This is something that takes some people just a few minutes and others days or weeks.
        Thanks
        Helpful 83 Not Helpful 33
      • Have clean, dry hands. Wetness can affect the ability of the air to reverberate between your hands and produce a pitch. It can also affect the seal between your hands.
        Thanks
        Helpful 62 Not Helpful 35
      • Try not to tense up - keep your hands loose but airtight, and pretend you're holding a golf ball in your hand.
        Thanks
        Helpful 33 Not Helpful 23
      Submit a Tip
      All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
      Name
      Please provide your name and last initial
      Submit
      Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
      Advertisement

      You Might Also Like

      How to
      Wolf Whistle
      How to
      Whistle With Your Fingers
      How to
      Form the Word "Blood" with Your Fingers
      Knuckle Cracking: How to Do It & Does It Cause Arthritis?
      How to
      Become Left Handed when you are Right Handed
      How to
      Do the “Here’s the Church, Here’s the Steeple” Finger Game
      How to
      Make Someone Feel Like a String Is Being Pulled from Their Hand
      How to
      Do a Snake Hand Trick
      How to
      Do the Jonas Snap
      How to
      Put Someone in a Fingerlock
      Advertisement

      References

      1. ↑ http://dictionary.onmusic.org/terms/2386-ocarina
      2. ↑ http://www.harpsurgery.com/how-to-play/draw-bends/
      3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e37jHcU_l54

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      To make an ocarina with your hands, put your hands out in front of you with your palms facing each other and fingertips pointing upwards. Bring your palms together and turn your left hand so the heel is against the fleshy part of your right hand. Then, wrap your hands around each other and line up your thumbs to form a slight hole. To play your ocarina, make an “ooh” shape with your lips and blow a steady stream of air into the opening. You should hear a whistle that sounds like a hooting owl or a wooden train, but it might take a bit of practice to get it just right! To find out how to make different pitches with your ocarina, keep reading!

      Did this summary help you?
      In other languages
      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 945,985 times.

      Did this article help you?

      Advertisement