Hind Ocarina Instrument Review

Ocarinas are usually high-pitched instruments, too shrill and piercing for playing in anything but an isolated house. Charlie Hind's bass ocarinas are more mellow in tone and volume, so even apartment dwellers can enjoy the fun and simplicity of playing the ocarina.

The tone from these ocarinas is impressive, warm and resonant in the low end of its octave-and-two-semitone range, and its high notes are strong and clear but not piercing. Bass ocarinas are sometimes called "dove-like," and that's an accurate description of the Hind's sound. The website has audio samples of the bass along with smaller ocarinas, so you can contrast the smaller models with the bass.

The instruments are built in the "inline" style, not the more familiar transverse "sweet potato." Charlie Hind does build Zelda-style sweet potato ocarinas, but they are much more expensive than the inline bass ocarina.

While it's large compared to regular ocarinas, the bass is still easy to play. It takes some practice spacing out your fingers properly, but that's the most challenging part of getting started. Small hands may have trouble with the larger tone holes.

Hind instruments are made of black walnut, and the bass is no exception. They are unique instruments as ocarinas are usually crafted in plastic or clay. While walnut is the standard, Charlie Hind is a craftsman, not a mass merchant -- if you'd like one in another wood, he can do it for no extra cost, unless the wood is particularly expensive. Ocarinas of padauk, rosewood and canary wood have been featured on his website.

You can also find detailed photos of the ocarina-making process, from the first cut to the last coat of oil finish. Charlie gives excellent details and descriptions about each step, making it a virtual tour of his shop.

Included with the bass ocarina is a cloth carrying bag, a care sheet and fingering information. As with any musical instrument, it's a good idea to protect the instrument from sudden temperature changes, temperature extremes, and excess moisture. I've dropped my ocarina a few times, and a clay instrument would have broken at least once. Hind's ocarinas aren't bombproof like Mountain Ocarinas, but they can survive most conditions unscathed.

At $75, these ocarinas are expensive, but there is no better value in musical instruments. $75 might buy a cheaply built acoustic guitar or a beginner-level electric bass. If you buy a Hind bass ocarina, you get a durable, hand-crafted instrument that will last for years.