Focalink Tenor Seedpod - Review

by Howard Fosdick © FolkFluteWorld.com.

• Style: 6-hole pendant, seedpod shape
• Maker: Focalink of Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
• Website: Focalink
• U.S. sellers: At various times this ocarina has been sold by: STL Ocarina, Songbird Ocarina, Stein Ocarina, Amazon
• Pitch: Tenor G (G major)
• Range: G4-B5 including sharps and flats
• Material: Ceramic
• Dimensions: apx 11.5 * 9.6 * 5.0 cm
• Weight: apx 207 grams

I wanted to review this ocarina because it offers a remarkable sound: sonorous and haunting. Also, many people say that they're concerned that their ocarina sounds too loud. It disturbs their housemates or neighbors. This tenor G may offer a solution. Its lower voice is a quieter than the typical alto C ocarina. This review tells you everything you need to know.

Opening the Box

The ocarina comes securely shipped and the chance of shipping damage appears to be nil. It arrives in an outer container, a strong cardboard box, then within that is what the seller calls a "display box." This is an attractive reusable chocolate-colored box. Nestled within a gold-colored satin cloth is the ocarina itself.

I like it when sellers provide reusable boxes like this. They're useful when I need to securely transport the instrument. In this instance, I also use the display box to show off the ocarina on my living room shelves. When visitors casually look over my ocarina collection they naturally gravitate towards this one due to its attractive presentation.

I'm surprised other vendors haven't followed Focalink's lead. For very little extra cost Focalink has figured out how to safely ship a delicate product while simultaneously providing customers with a comely display case.

The oc comes with an adjustable wearable strap. Unlike with some oc's, the strap is plenty long enough to comfortably fit over your head. It is securely attached to the ocarina, which is good, but unfortunately I can't see how to detach it without cutting it. As far as I can determine, the strap is permanently attached unless you slice it off.

Since this is a ceramic tenor, I see the necklace mainly as insurance if you drop the instrument while playing it. A tenor ocarina is too big and heavy to wear comfortably as jewelry. If you want to wear an oc as jewelry, I'd instead recommend a lightweight soprano G pendant.

The package includes a fingering chart and songbook. The songbook contains tabs for only a dozen songs but you can easily find much more free music for pendants on the web. Check out our extensive listing of free music for ocarinas here.

The Ocarina

This seedpod pendant comes in any of three different color designs:

• Midnight black
• Strawfire
• A hand-painted oriental-looking scene on white background

The photo at the start of this review is the midnight black oc I bought. It looks as glossy and smooth as in its picture.

Here's a photo of the painted oriental design on white background. It makes an attractive display on your shelves. I'm surprised they can offer this at the same price as the other styles:

Not all pendant ocarinas have the same shape. This oc looks like a big bubble that you blow into, with the mouthpiece attached immediately to the sound chamber. Some pendants are more of a teardrop or wine bottle shape. Those have a passageway a few inches long that you blow into before your breath enters the main chamber. It's personal preference as to which style you like better.

The manufacturer of this oc, Focalink, has a reputation for quality products. Mine was no exception. The oc's finish is flawless and it arrived with no nicks or scratches. All holes are crisply defined and precisely made. You have to look very closely to determine where the two halves of the oc were fused together. It appears seamless. This is a fine-looking instrument.

You might wonder: Why buy a quality oc at a full price, instead of just getting a cheap alternative? Quality of manufacture, accurate tuning, and the sound quality are three key reasons. Quality in any ocarina is well worth it.

At the time of writing, all seven reviewers at Amazon rate this product 5 stars out of 5 possible. At Songbird Ocarina, ten reviewers gave it 5 stars and one reviewer gave it 4 stars, for an overall average rating of 5 out of 5 stars. Reviewers consistently mention the product's quality, physical beauty, and sonorous voicing.

Playability and Sound

I've already mentioned the soft, round, mellow sound of this tenor G instrument. It contrasts to the higher-pitched, louder alto C or the lively, piercing sound of the soprano G ocarina. This tenor is a bit quieter than the typical alto C. (But if loudness is of overriding concern to you, you might look into a product called Mr Mute. This is a plastic attachment you put over the mouthpiece of any ocarina and it quiets it considerably. Judge for yourself from the demo video at Amazon.)

You can listen to a sound sample of the Focalink tenor G ocarina in this clip at Youtube.

This tenor oc is bigger and weighs more than Alto C ocarinas. I don't think it's too big for smaller hands, nor does it weigh so much you'll tire of holding it. One playability difference between the lower tenor G oc and its higher alto C cousin is that the tenor has greater air volume in its larger chamber. So very quick notes become a tad less distinct than with a higher-pitched instrument. Enjoy your tenor G for its lovely sound, and play your alto C or soprano G when you want to emphasize lightning-fast fingering.

I was able to hit all the notes with this oc right out of the box, including the highest ones, without any practice. The "acute bend" technique is not necessary. This is a rising breath oc, so you'll blow harder to keep the highest notes in tune. Of course, the highest couple notes always sound a bit more airy than lower ones with rising-breath ocarinas.

Like other pendants, the range of this instrument is 10 notes. You'll get from G4 up to B5, plus intervening sharps and flats. You have to half-hole to get the sharps for the two lowest notes. I found half-holing a bit easier with this tenor than my alto C pendant simply because the holes are bigger in this larger instrument. You don't need to be quite as precise as when half-holing a smaller oc.

The 10-note range of this oc contrasts to 12-hole transverse (or sweet-potato) ocarinas that extend that range by three notes. Personally, I don't find the 10-note range to be a limitation. All you have to do is select the proper key for any tune and you can play it.

Here's a fingering chart for this instrument, courtesy of STL Ocarina:

Like all oc's, this instrument is not tunable. I found it nicely in tune with itself, assuming you use proper intonation. I didn't use a tuner to test its base pitch, as I don't play with other instruments.

Finally: What if you've never played a pendant-style ocarina before? Having played sweet-potato ocarinas for years, I found it only took a couple days of practice to learn 6-hole pendant fingering. It took me a couple weeks to be able to read music with it. In all, it wasn't difficult.

Price

The price of this instrument varies by where and when you buy it. It's made by Focalink in Taipei, Taiwan, and sold by a variety of distributors to U.S.customers. These include Songbird Ocarina, STL Ocarina, Stein Ocarina, and Amazon. At the time of writing, you could buy it on Amazon for either $42 plus $11 shipping (fulfilled by Songbird Ocarina), or for $59.95 with free shipping (fulfilled by Amazon).

Be aware that prices frequently change for imported items like this, due to currency fluctuations, shipping costs, and other factors. One way to get the best price is to sign up for a free price-tracking website like Keepa or CamelCamelCamel that automatically monitors price changes. These tracking websites can send you an alert when your item is offered at its lowest price.

I bought my midnight black oc through Amazon for $53 total. To me this seems a pretty full price, but for an imported quality instrument with a superior sound, I feel it's well worth it. This oc will last a lifetime if you take proper care of it. And in its clever packaging, it looks attractive on display, too.

My Recommendation

If you don't own a tenor G oc, this is a fine candidate. It's a quality ceramic with an outstanding sound.

If you need a quieter ocarina than your alto C, this instrument may meet your needs. Its lower pitch eliminates the loud high notes from the alto C's range, and it extends the pitch into several lower, quieter notes.

If you only play a transverse or sweet-potato ocarina and don't own a pendant, I urge you to explore the pendant universe! Transverse oc's and seedpods have different, complementary strengths. It's fun and rewarding to learn the 6-hole fingering system and explore what these oc's can do.