by Howard Fosdick © FolkFluteWorld.com.

• Want a bass oc but have been put off by the price
• Need a quiet oc that won't bother your housemates
• Need a bass to complete your set of ocarinas

I've played ocarinas for many years, yet never bought a bass. Many of them cost hundreds of dollars, and I just didn't want to spend that much. Plus I'd never tried playing a bass before. Would the finger spread be too great? Would it be too heavy? Do they really sound so different that they're worth their higher prices?

I happened across the Legend of Zelda plastic bass oc at Amazon. At $65 plus shipping, I figured I couldn't go too far wrong. From 19 Amazon reviewer ratings, it scored an average of 4.7 out of 5 stars. All reviewers rated it either 5 or 4 stars, without a lower rating in the bunch.

Opening It

The oc ships in one of those nice sturdy boxes you can reuse. So it protects the oc during shipping, and you can continue to use it as your carrying case.

The oc itself is a deep cobalt blue. It has a beautiful, shiny sheen. Some plastic oc's look like toys or kid's instruments. This one looks professional. It's made from a high-quality, instrumental plastic. Here's a photo:

The oc comes with an attached color-matched neckstrap, and has a Zelda triforce emblem on its neck.

Also in the package: an 8.5" by 11" songbook. The booklet has lie-flat binding and contains 14 Legend of Zelda songs. All are duets written in easy keys. You can play all the songs solo. Or, you can play them as duets with Soprano and Tenor, Soprano and Bass, or Tenor and Bass ocarinas. It's easy to download Zelda music, but it's unusual to find duets scored specifically for ocarinas.

Playing

This is an 11-hole ocarina. It has a pure, full tone throughout its 12 note range (B3 to F5, with all sharps and flats included). All notes sounded with accurate pitch.

Notes sound more airy or "breathier" with this big bass oc than with the smaller Alto C. I think that's probably true of all bass oc's because you're moving more air through the instrument than with a smaller oc.

It's easier to hit the high notes on this bass than on some smaller oc's. But it takes a little practice to hold this large instrument when you don't have any fingers at all on the holes. Of course, should you ever drop it, it's unlikely it would break because it's plastic.

Reach and grip are fine. No one will have any trouble reaching all the holes, even folks with smaller hands. At a bit over 7" long, this plastic oc is at least an inch shorter than many ceramic basses.

It's also much lighter than ceramic basses, which makes it easier to hold and play. Your hands and wrists will not get fatigued when playing. Weight doesn't matter much with smaller ocarinas, but with the bass, lightweight plastic offers a real advantage. I don't think I'd buy a bass made from ceramic unless I had a chance to heft it first and see if I could comfortably hold it for a sustained time.

This oc accumulates moisture more than some. There are two reasons:

1. You're putting more breath into the instrument to play it, since it's so large
2. It's plastic, and plastic oc's generally seem to accumulate condensation more quickly

This isn't a big problem but you have to be aware of it. Minimize moisture when you blow, and clean the oc frequently.

It takes more breath to play a bass oc than smaller ocarinas. But just like the grip, I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't so different that it caused me any difficulty. In terms of grip, breath, and weight, this instrument is easy to play.

If you've never played a large oc before, be aware that very quick fingering -- cuts, trills, flips, and grace notes -- tend to get swallowed up by the instrument. The reason is simple physics: it takes longer for the air to move inside a larger cavity than the smaller cavity of a soprano or alto. So the instrument simply can't be as responsive.

If there was one thing I'd improve about this ocarina, it would be to alter it from 11 holes to 12. That would extend the range by one extra note on the low end of its range. This doesn't matter much when playing a "bass part" in an ensemble, but when playing solos I've often found that extra note surprisingly useful. Of course, in making this comment, I'm assuming the physics of a large bass-sized oc would allow for a 12th hole... perhaps they don't. I'd rather have a pitch-perfect oc like this one rather than one that could achieve an extra note at the expense of tone or accuracy.

Sound

I really love the sweet, full sound of this low oc. It exceeds what I was hoping for from an inexpensive instrument.

With higher-range ocarinas, I can readily tell a plastic oc from a ceramic one by ear. Not so with this bass. I don't know whether it's the low pitch of the notes or the quality of the instrument, but this oc sounds nearly identical to more expensive ceramic basses to my ear.

Is it more breathy or airy? Ummm... maybe.

See if you can tell any difference. First, listen to a couple sound samples for this instrument --

• Review by Tristan Laurens
• Duet with bass part

Then, listen to a few of the more expensive ceramic basses over at Youtube.

One big advantage to the bass oc is that it's so quiet. I often read online posts from people who don't want to bother their housemates or neighbors when they play. Well, getting a bass is one good way to solve this problem. This oc is much, much quieter than its smaller cousins.

My Recommendation

STL's Zelda Plastic Bass oc pleasantly surprised me. It was easier to play than I had assumed, and it speaks with a sweet mellow voice.

If you want a bass at a good price, a quiet instrument that won't bother others, or are looking for a bass to complete your ocarina collection, this instrument fits the bill.

If you've never played a bass oc, listen to those sound samples I linked to. They might convince you there's something special about a bass that's worth exploring.

I couldn't be happier with my sweet potato bass. But I'd like to mention that for those who prefer a seedpod design, STL Ocarinas offers two different ceramic bass seedpods. Their 6-hole seedpod retails for $46, while their 4-hole "Dragon Egg" design retails for $30. Go to STL Ocarina and search on "bass" and you can compare all three bass oc's for yourself.

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