by Howard Fosdick © FolkFluteWorld.com
New and Updated for 2025
This is a review of the OcarinaWind 6-hole "wine bottle" ocarina in Alto C.
I wanted to review this ocarina because it costs only around $10 USD, yet offers a sweet sound and is easy to play. It offers great value for a ceramic pendant-style ocarina. If you haven't played this style of flute before, this product is an excellent place to get started.
Here's how it looks in ice crack grazed blue and white:
OcarinaWind Wine Bottle Ocarina (Image courtesy of OcarinaWind)
Note that there are similarly-shaped ocarinas available from several companies that feature painted nature scenes. This review does not pertain to them. Some of the examples of those I've seen are either not playable or not in tune. They appear to be made for decorative purposes only.
Not Covered in This Review (Images courtesy of various vendors)
Opening the Box
The oc comes securely shipped in a sturdy, reusable cardboard box, tucked tight with bubble wrap. Chances of shipping damage I would guess would be extremely low.
The oc comes with a black protective bag, a wearable strap, and a fingering chart. According to the listing, it's also supposed to come with a brief instructional booklet, but mine was missing that. I noticed that one of the product reviewers at Amazon complained about that, so apparently mine was not the only one shipped without the booklet.
That's no big loss, though, because there is so much free 6 hole oc music on the web, both with and without tabs. For example, check out our extensive list for free sheet music downloads here.
The Ocarina
OcarinaWind calls this instrument a "wine bottle" ocarina. It's simply a slightly different shape of pendant oc than the typical "seedpod" shape.
As shown in the above photos, the oc is available in either of two colors: ice crack glaze in blue, or ice crack glaze in white.
Like nearly all ocarinas, this one was made from two halves subsequently joined together to produce the final product. This instrument is so well made that you really have to inspect carefully if you try to find the seam or joint between its two halves.
This is a physically pretty instrument versus some of the cheap oc's I've seen. I'm happy to display it on the shelves in my living room.
Playability and Sound
The oc has as nice as sound as any ceramic alto C I've tried. It's full, round, and mellow. Slightly on the airy side, but not too much. Here's a brief sound sample (to which I added reverb). It's a song I wrote called Japanese Spring:
I was immediately able to hit all the notes, including the highest couple, without even practicing. The "acute bend" technique is not necessary to hit the high notes. This is a rising breath oc, so you'll blow harder to keep the highest notes in tune. And, of course, the highest couple notes always sound a bit more breathy than lower ones with rising-breath ocarinas.
Being alto C, the instrument is pretty small and lightweight. You won't get tired of holding it when playing.
Like all 6 hole oc's, keep in mind you have a pretty restricted range of notes from lowest to highest. You'll get from C5 up to E6, including all sharps and flats.
So this oc starts at the same base note as the soprano recorder, and spans a range of 10 whole notes.
(In contrast, a 12 hole transverse or "sweet potato" oc could extend your range by perhaps three notes, and of course a double chamber oc is what you should choose if you deem it critical to have the fullest possible range of notes.)
Like all ocarinas, you can not tune this instrument. 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 it in duets or ensembles.
As Your First 6 Hole Ocarina
I've played transverse oc's for years. I bought this very inexpensive pendant mainly to see if I could pick up playing a pendant style. I found it easy to learn and memorize how to finger the notes. That only took a couple sessions. It's taken me a little longer to learn to read music with it, perhaps a week or two. All in all, I found the transition from transverse to pendant style to be easier than I expected.
If you're into playing quick little flips, grace notes, and trills, this pendant style oc makes these easy to achieve because you're using only the first two fingers of each hand. I can get different effects on the pendant that would be harder to perform with a transverse. Conversely, there are some quick little effects you can more easily perform on the transverse rather than the pendant. Both designs appear to have their strengths in this regard.
Recommendation
Since I bought this instrument to explore the world of pendant oc's, I wasn't really too concerned about its quality. I just wanted a cheap pendant. I figured that would be a plastic oc until I ran across this ceramic one in my web search.
Imagine my surprise to find that this oc has a full, sweet sound, and is of fine quality! That's why I'm writing this review. I'm very pleased with my purchase.
However, please note: whenever you buy a very inexpensive clay oc -- regardless of who you buy it from -- there is always a small risk of getting a faulty specimen. Vendors simply can't guarantee 100% quality control with clay at these very low prices.
With that word of caution, I recommend this oc. If you need a pendant oc, or one that's ceramic, or a pendant that's an alto C, this one fits the bill at very low cost. For me, it turned out to be an excellent purchase.
Summary:
- Style: 6-hole pendant style
- Maker: OcarinaWind
- U.S. sellers: OcarinaWind, Amazon
- Pitch: Alto C (C major)
- Range: C5-E6 including sharps and flats
- Material: Dolomite and Ceramic
- Length: 4.3 inches (11cm)
- Width: 3 inches (7.5 cm)
- Price: usually about $10 to $13