A New Kind of Flute!  The Coda EDC

by Howard Fosdick © FolkFluteWorld.com
New and Updated for 2025

What if you could reimagine the keyless flute? What would you magically create?

You might come up with something like the Coda EDC. It's a newly patented flute design that plays a full two-octave range.

The Coda is technically a vessel flute -- what most people call an ocarina. Air resonates within its two enclosed chambers.

This differs from the recorder and the concert flute, which are essentially pipes with open ends.

Its ocarina roots gives the Coda a unique voice. It's a mellow, rounded tone. Clear and pure.

In a word: lovely.

Really? Let's listen to a few samples:

  

The best part is that it's not hard to for anyone to develop the skill to make this flute sound appealing. It's pretty easy to learn.

Origins

The Coda EDC is the invention of musical genius Karl Ahrens. Mr Ahrens founded Mountain Ocarinas some years ago. He designed, patented, and sold two vertically-played ocarinas, one in C and a smaller one in G. The lowest note of the C oc is the same as that of the soprano recorder.

These ocarinas (or "ocs") created quite a fan club. Offered in several different materials -- polycarbonate plastic, aluminum, warmstone, and cocobolo wood -- the ocs sported a unique inline design.

They are easy to play, light to carry, and virtually indestructible. And they sound fantastic. I'm one of their many enthusiasts. (You can read my review of these ocarinas here.)

But like most ocarinas, the two Mountain Ocarina designs were limited in range. They could only play 10 wholes notes (plus all intervening sharps and flats).

Mr Ahrens wanted something more. How about an ocarina that could play two full octaves? That could play any kind of music yet still be lightweight, durable, and virtually indestructible? An ocarina you could take anywhere, and yet that could do it all musically...

One that would sound full-voiced and lovely, yet could also be played quietly so that wouldn't disrupt roommates or neighbors.

It's incredibly challenging to combine all these requirements into a single instrument. Here's how Ahrens did it...

Overcoming the Range Limitation

The biggest problem Ahrens faced was that, while ocarinas sound fantastic, nearly all are range-limited. Most can't approach the two full octaves some songs require.

There have been many work-arounds to this limitation.

For example, with dual-chamber ocarinas, you move your fingers to a different set of holes to play in either of two octaves. These photos show how the dual sets of fingering holes look.

Each set of fingering holes operates a separate enclosed sound chamber in the ocarina. You determine which chamber to use by placing your mouth on the appropriate breathing hole in the oc's mouthpiece.

Dual fingering solves the range problem but requires that you develop specialized fingering skills unique to the instrument.

Every dual-chambered oc has a different feel, so the musician must develop instrument-specific "muscle memory" to play it well.

There are even three-chambered ocarinas. They offer even greater range but require yet more specialization and skill to master.

The Two Octave Coda

Ahrens' response to this dilemma was his patented Coda EDC flute.

The Coda provides a full two-octave range without requiring that you move your hand to a different finger holes to play in each octave. As this photo shows, your fingers cover the same double holes for both chambers all the time.

To move between octaves, all you have to do is blow into the breath-hole for the octave you want. You don't have to move your fingers.

This innovative design makes this dual-chambered ocarina easier to play than others. Yet you still get the benefits of a two-full-octave range.

The Everyday Carry Flute

In the moniker Coda EDC, the EDC stands for EveryDay Carry. The goal was a small flute that you could stick in your pocket and carry everywhere you go. So you could have music on the go, with an instrument read to hand.

Contrast this to a concert flute, saxophone, or clarinet. You have to lug these around in cases, and then you better be careful with weather conditions if you play them outside!

One part of this portability requirement is small size, as shown by this photo.

The Coda is about the size of a TV remote, or maybe an old flip phone.

Very importantly, it lacks jagged edges. It's nicely rounded at every corner, so it doesn't jab you when you wear it, snag on your clothes, or get stuck in your pocket so you can't get it out.

Another requirement for portability is light weight. The plastic Coda weighs in at a very minimal 2.4 ounces. No lugging around some heavy instrument like a sax or trumpet. And no case to bother with either.

The third aspect of portability is ruggedness. Here heavy duty plastic shines. Drop a ceramic ocarina, and you've got a disaster on your hands.

Drop the Coda (and I have, unfortunately), and the most damage you can sustain is a few nicks or scratches. (In my case, there wasn't even a scratch.)

The Coda's other portability features include:

• A belt clip so that you can attach it to your belt or backpack
• A small hole where you can attach a lanyard or necklace to carry it around your neck
• A micro-fiber carrying bag with draw string

Exactly which are included in the Coda package you buy has varied over the years, so check your order beforehand to see what it contains.

The Sounds of Silence

The Coda sounds about as loud as any other ocarina. You can play it before an audience or outdoors. Or in an ensemble with other instruments.

However, there are times when you'd prefer it be quieter. For example, if you have housemates or roommates or neighbors you don't want to disturb.

Here's another Coda innovation: the silencer. The silencer is just a little plastic tab that is stored on the underside of the instrument.

To go "quiet mode," just push it into place in the ocarina's air hole. Voilà! Your instrument is now very quiet when you play.

Now you won't disturb neighbors or roommates. Someone can even sleep in the next room while you practice.

Of course, you don't get the same full, lush tone you achieve when you play in normal mode. This is only intended for quiet practice sessions.

After you're session is over, just push the silencer back into its carrying place on the underside of the instrument.

The accompanying diagram shows how the silencer works.

Packaging

The Coda comes in either of two color schemes: all black, or black with ivory mouthpiece.

Packaging has varied for the Coda over the years. Sometimes the belt clip, silencers, and carry bag have been bundled with the instrument. Other times, you must purchase them separately (typically for small amounts like $5 or $10 each). Read the seller's ad copy to see exactly what comes with your Coda.

The Coda has always included wallet-sized fingering charts, a booklet about the instrument, and some playing tips along with the script for a few songs to learn with. And also some Coda stickers.

At times, when you buy direct from Mountain Ocarinas, MO has shipped a nice songbook with the Coda as well. This is not some little pamphlet, but rather a full-size 8.5" by 11" softbound. It contains about 80 songs, half of which were composed by famed Irish composer O'Carolan (1670-1738).

Many of the tunes are provided in two or three different keys. This gives you practice material for the Coda's full range. You can learn to smoothly move between the Coda's two breath slits.

It's also helpful in learning how to finger sharps and flats. I enjoy learning a tune in the simplest key and then improving my skills by playing it again in a more challenging key.

Prices vary, but typically the Coda package sells for about $60 USD, with shipping extra.

Fingering

Fingering the Coda is easy because it's the same in both octaves. Just take a look at the fingering chart.

The first line of the chart shows how you finger the lower chamber. The second line shows fingering for the upper chamber. Same thing, right?

You cover the same finger holes regardless of the octave in which you play.

As with any dual-chamber oc, you have to get used to switching breath-holes.

Thus, the initial challenge for beginners is seamless transition between octaves. I found it took a little practice to master this, mainly because you have be precise to keep notes across chambers in tune.

Coda makes octave transitions as easy as possible by overlap between the chambers. You can play the three intermediate notes of the instrument from either breath chamber. This gives you flexibility over which chamber to choose during transitions between them.

While the fingering for whole notes is the exact same across both chambers, the fingering for sharps and flats varies a bit.

You have to learn chromatics appropriate to the chamber you're blowing. This is where some learning curve comes in that's unique to this instrument.

If you've never played a small plastic instrument before, be aware that moisture builds up inside. Just give it a quick hard blow or suck to reduce condensation and keep the sound strong. You can wash the instrument by dipping it in warm water and swishing it around.

Evaluation

It takes a couple days to get used to the feel of any new musical instrument. Once you do, you'll find the Coda rests comfortably in your hands. The flute is very lightweight compared to clay ocarinas. You won't get tired holding it.

You'll be covering double-holes with your fingers, so you need to get used to ensuring you cover both parts of each hole. This is pretty simple once you've played enough to get some muscle memory for the instrument.

You'll also need to become fluent in switching between the two chambers in the EDC. That requires moving your mouth to a different slit in the mouthpiece. Unlike all other dual-chamber ocarinas, you don't have to move your fingers when you change chambers.

The chambers have three common notes between them. So to become good with this flute, you'll need to develop a feel for when to play in which chamber for these three notes where you have a choice.

The reason for the overlap, of course, is to give you choices that make it as easy and convenient as possible to move between the two chambers.

Unlike many ocarinas, it's easy to hit all the notes with the Coda. All sound strong and true. This includes the highest notes that sometimes sound airy on ocarinas.

To my surprise, the breath requirement is pretty consistent across the instrument's entire range. You needn't blow harder to hit the highest notes accurately. Unlike like some ocs, these sound softly enough that you'll enjoy playing in the upper register.

I'd like to emphasize this point because musicians often complain about the high notes in "rising breath" ocarinas. I own an excellent oc I never play because you have to blow the high notes so loudly to keep them in tune that it becomes unpleasant to my ears. (Not to mention how it disturbs the neighbors.) The Coda's consistent-breath design solves this problem.

To me, the great draw of the Coda is its beautiful sound. It's pure and distinctive: the inline design gives it a different timbre than transverse ocarinas. I really like that the Coda adds a unique voice to my small ocarina collection.

I hope that Mountain Ocarinas will someday offer the EDC in other materials, such as they've done with their C and G inlines.

Free Resources

Other than the Coda itself, you don't have to buy a single thing to learn and play this instrument.

Start by visiting our free resources webpage. It offers free sheet music, fingering charts, community links, and other information that is useful for learning and enjoying the Coda.

There are also these Coda-specific free resources to help you on your musical journey:

• Beginning tips -- tutorials, videos, more
• Self-learning music curriculum
• Facebook page
• Sheet music -- Japanese folk songs
• Sheet music -- Christmas carols
• Coda Youtube channel
• Other Coda Youtube videos
• Youtube Coda reviews by David Erick Ramos, by Kissing88, and by Andy Cormier

Everything you need to learn this instrument and enjoy playing it is available online for free. How great is that?

Availability

Mountain Ocarinas is a small family firm, established and run by Mr Ahrens. So the availability of the Coda varies at different times. To buy one, these are the places to visit:

• The Coda EDC website
• Mountain Ocarinas website
• Amazon
• The marketplaces for used musical instruments, such as Etsy, Ebay, and Reverb

A New Kind of Flute

The Coda offers a greater musical range than common single-chamber ocarinas. It represents the first real alternative design to multi-chamber ocarinas I've ever seen.

Its thoughtful design ensures that it's still pretty easy to play. Plus, it's lightweight, portable, and sounds lovely. I especially like that it plays the highest notes in its range with clarity, rather than the airiness you get from many ocarinas.

Its unique innovations include custom-fitted silencers and a belt clip. And it comes with a ton of free resources to back it up.

Do I recommend it? Definitely. I wrote this article because I think a lot more people would really enjoy this innovative little flute.

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