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I Discovered the Ocarina. Now What?
So you've discovered this amazing musical instrument, but you don't know where to buy one, which model to choose, or the best way to start learning? I wrote this article specifically to answer those questions!
Written by Maycon Lopes.
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Which ocarina should I buy?
The first big question to answer is definitely: where should I buy an ocarina, and which one should I get? To answer that, let’s first talk about what does not make a good ocarina, so you can avoid falling into a trap!
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These are not good ocarinas (stay away from them):
The ocarinas above are just examples. Both Shopee and Mercado Livre are full of listings for questionable ocarinas, especially 3D-printed ones. If you want a real instrument that can play in tune, don’t buy ocarinas from unknown brands unless someone you trust recommends them.
Important: the fact that an ocarina is made of plastic (even if it is 3D-printed) does not necessarily make it a lower-quality instrument. Likewise, the fact that an ocarina is made of ceramic does not make it a higher-quality instrument. Get rid of the idea that the material an ocarina is made from determines the quality of its tone; that simply isn’t true. The maker’s design and quality control matter far more than the material the ocarina is made from.
Now let’s talk about which ocarinas you can buy with confidence!
VentoKanta
VentoKanta ocarinas are made of ceramic and have been among the best ocarinas on the Brazilian market for many years. I personally own several of them and recommend them without hesitation.
Get in touch with VentoKanta through their social media: WhatsApp 5512996714677 and VentoKanta’s Instagram. They have a website, but as far as I know it is not up to date, and I can’t say whether they are currently accepting orders through the site.
Here in the Library we have photos of several models and the VentoKanta Ocarina Manual, which contains a lot of valuable information about the instrument.
From what I’ve been seeing in the community, people are currently having trouble buying VentoKanta ocarinas because of delays in getting a response… so keep that in mind.
Giorgio Pacchioni
Mr. Giorgio Pacchioni is an Italian who lives in Brazil. His ocarinas are made in the classic Italian style, with 10 holes, and are of outstanding quality.
I own 04 of his ocarinas and recommend them.
When I bought mine many years ago, he priced them in U.S. dollars even though he was in Brazil. I don’t know how things work today… unfortunately, I also don’t know of any online store that carries his ocarinas. You’ll need to contact Mr. Giorgio directly to check these details. The contact information I know of is in the links above.
Nomad Ocarinas
Nomad Ocarinas is a Library partner. It is a Brazilian maker that has entered the national market in a big way, producing “inline” ocarinas, which have a straight body shape.
I’ve already done a very detailed review of the excellent Pocket Single Algo G ocarina; check out the video below:
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The new Brazilian "inline" ocarina?
In the article Meet Nomad Ocarinas, here in the Library, you’ll find more details about other Nomad ocarina models.
I definitely recommend these ocarinas, not only because of their excellent quality and tuning, but also because they are ultra-portable, durable, impeccably finished, and use an inline ocarina design that, as far as I know, is completely innovative in the Brazilian market.
Nomad is a Library partner, so we have an exclusive discount coupon for purchases of these ocarinas on Mercado Livre. Use the coupon OCARILMAY5 to get 5% off. By purchasing through this link, you help support the Library through the commission at no extra cost to you.
Buy Nomad Ocarinas - Mercado Livre.
Best-value option in Brazil
If you’re on a limited budget and want to buy a good ocarina to get started without spending much and, most importantly, without wasting money on low-quality toys/replicas, I recommend only these ocarinas sold by MONTREAL MUSIC SHOP. You can find them for less than R$ 50,00 (price as of the publication date of this article)! Yes, they are well-tuned instruments, and you can definitely learn a lot with them:
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On my TikTok profile @lmayocarina, I have several videos featuring these ocarinas sold by Montreal. You can check them out there to hear how they sound. For less than R$ 50,00, you won’t find anything else like them. Highly recommended!
Playlist de vídeos
Examples of this ocarina sold by Montreal
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Hedwig's Theme - Harry Potter
By purchasing through the link above or the one below, you help support me through the commission at no extra cost to you. MONTREAL MUSIC SHOP
Ocarinas on the international market
The recommendations above are for ocarinas available on the Brazilian market. Now let’s talk about the international market, which also has some good options.
In the United States, we have STL Ocarina and Songbird . I personally own STL ocarinas, so I can confidently recommend them. As for Songbird, although I don’t own one of their models, I know their track record and know several ocarina players who use and recommend them.
See some Songbird models here in the Library Drive.
Here’s the problem: in Brazil, importing directly from these U.S. makers is not cheap. In addition to paying in U.S. dollars, you’ll also have to pay import taxes and astronomical shipping costs. It definitely won’t be worth it, because you’ll end up with an instrument that is just as good as those made by VentoKanta or Giorgio. So the issue isn’t the quality itself, but the final cost. Still, if that isn’t a problem for you, go for it.
In Japan, we have Noble. You should be able to find the Night by Noble fairly easily on marketplaces such as Shopee, Amazon, and Mercado Livre, even here in Brazil. Just be aware that it is a plastic model, although from what I’ve seen it is of excellent quality.
Still on the Night by Noble, I’ve heard some reports that it has a rubberized coating over the plastic. Although this gives the instrument a very pleasant feel when it is new, it seems that the rubberized coating breaks down over time and becomes sticky. I can’t confirm this information; I’m only mentioning what I’ve heard from some people who have had the opportunity to own this ocarina.
Leaving Japan and coming back to the Americas, right here in South America we have ocarinas made by Sakura Waita, which ships its instruments to many parts of the world, including Brazil.
I recently saw a post on their Facebook saying that orders for Brazil can be placed through WhatsApp +51 996256417.
Although I haven’t had the opportunity to play one of their ocarinas yet, they are very well regarded in the market.
YouTube
Sakura Waita Tapion Ocarina
Conclusion
These are the ocarinas I currently recommend. They are well worth taking a closer look at.
Now, if you’re just getting started with music, take a look at my Music Theory Course for Alto C Ocarina. It’s free! Happy learning!