How to Make a Potato Ocarina
The potato, or sweet potato ocarina, is probably the most recognizable shape for this early form of vessel flute. Ancient Asian and American cultures enjoyed the ocarina. You can make your own instrument today with some clay modeling materials. As its name implies, the ocarina's oblong shape is similar in size and shape to a potato. The instrument is played by blowing into an integral mouthpiece and covering and uncovering finger holes in the body to change the pitch of each note.
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Things You'll Need
- Sharp knife
- Metal strip or sharp wooden slot stick (popsicle stick), about 1/4 inch wide
- 1/2 lb. to 3/4 lb.clay
- Wooden or plastic spatula
- Clay trimming tool
- Plunge stick, pencil or sharpened wooden dowel, about 1/4 inch in diameter
- Paring chisel, 1/4 inch tip
- Hairdryer
- Ceramic kiln (optional)
- Water, 2 oz. to 4 oz. for working and joining clay
Instructions
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Making the Body
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1
Knead the clay thoroughly into a ball about 6 to 8 inches in diameter. Roll the ball on a flat surface into an oblong shape about the size of a medium potato. Cut the rough shape exactly in half lengthwise along the side with a knife or clay cutter. With a clay trimming tool, hollow out a chamber in both pieces. The smoother and more uniform the thickness of the inner walls, the more pure the ocarina’s sound.
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2
Cut a window for the mouthpiece section on the side of one of the body halves, using a metal strip. Cut an incision with the paring chisel into the body at a point just ahead of the mouthpiece. The edge of the opening must be very straight or the ocarina may produce unwanted surface noise. Remove the chisel and cut a hole under the lip with a sharp knife.
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3
Create the finger holes using a plunge stick, sharpened wooden dowel, or metal drill bits of assorted sizes before joining the two body halves. Begin tuning the instrument with bits ranging from 5/16, 7/16, 15/64 and 17/64 to 19/64 inches. Place the holes where your fingers rest naturally, most often on the upper side of the body.
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Remove any clay scrap from the body and smooth the edges of the finger holes both inside and out.
Making the Mouthpiece
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5
Form the mouthpiece by rolling a piece of clay about 1 to 2 inches in diameter into the shape of a short cone, slightly tapered. Roll a piece of clay flat and wrap it around a pencil. Remove the pencil. Use a spatula to slightly flatten the tube into an oval shape.
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(Optional) Stiffen the clay slightly with a hairdryer so that removing the pencil or dowel does not collapse the airway.
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Push the sharpened metal strip or wooden slot stick through the mouthpiece where the dowel or pencil was inserted to make the airway uniform. Do not remove the strip or stick, as you will use it to align the mouthpiece and the body to be joined.
Assembling the Parts
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8
Join one end to the body so that the airway is aligned with the upper lip of the window with the metal strip of wooden slot stick still inside the mouthpiece. Temporarily join the mouthpiece and the body by rubbing a moistened finger over the edges of the two halves to produce a joint. Press the edges together gently.
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9
Remove the strip or stick. Hold the mouthpiece against the body and blow through the mouthpiece airway. Experiment with the sound by moving the position of the mouthpiece in relation to the body.
Once you find a suitable pitch, attach the body and the mouthpiece permanently by rubbing a wetted finger over the edges of the two halves to produce a joint. Press the edges together firmly.
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10
Allow your potato ocarina to dry thoroughly or fire it in a ceramic oven at 1,000 degrees Celsius.
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Tips & Warnings
Use self-hardening clay or clay that contains chamotte powder if there is no access to a kiln.
While the position of the finger hole on the body makes little difference to the pitch sounded when it is opened, a larger hole in the same place will produce the same pitch as two smaller holes in other places as long as their combined area is the same. Two holes with different diameters will sound four different notes: both closed, one open, the other open and both open. For tips on how to tune and how to play the ocarina, refer to the Resources section.
(Optional) Decorate the ocarina by inscribing, sanding, glazing and/or painting before firing.
Take the proper safety precautions when working with sharp tools.
Before firing the ocarina, make sure that the instrument is dry. A day placed on a sunny window sill or on a radiator is usually sufficient. If too much moisture is trapped in the clay, the ocarina could break apart while it is being fired.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit ocarina— eight-holed musical instrument image by AardLumens from Fotolia.com
