OcarinaWind "Forest Whisper" 12 Hole Ocarina Classic Straw Fire Masterpiece Collectible, Alto C Ceramic Ocarina - Highly Recommended by Shop Owner

Mine just arrived and I am blown away. I don’t have much experience with wind instruments (much more so with stringed instruments.) so, while I cannot compare it to other ocarinas, I can say that it has a beautiful sound and is easy to start playing right away. Personally, I am going to recommend ocarinas (in general, but also this brand as it is not only very reasonably priced but also well tuned) to anybody looking to start playing instruments. Part of the sound vs. price, I’m assuming, has to do with it being a fundamental heavy helmholz resonater (overtones make for a rich sound, but construction becomes very important.) Another benefit is that without a rich harmonic spread, fundamental heavy instruments almost force you to focus on technique and timing. This will, in the long run, make you a more skilled musician. Also, it comes with a nice case and sheet music/ tablature (there is a fingering guide on top of the scales for every song included with the book.)An update:I apparently forgot to press submit on the review above, so, here are some added thoughts after owning this instrument for some time. I saw a number of reviews complaining of tuning relative to a fixed reference tuning. Number one, there are two smaller holes that you can cover if you extend your middle finger, also, varying the pressure you put on the two thumb holes varies the size of the resonant cavity enough to allow for fine tuning of the notes. Breathing technique may also allow for this but my focus there is still just trying to shape the notes. Number two, this is a much older type of instrument that was invented long before scordatura, fixed tunings, and orchestras. Instead of trying to keep pace with other people, find a quiet place and bare your soul.

The media could not be loaded. Beautifully handcrafted. I suggest handling it with great care and respect. First time owning a Ocarina, I look forward to learning how to play this beautiful wind pipe/flute. From playing around with it for a few moments the sounds are so pretty.This came packed with care, comes in a lovely and sturdy case with a cleaning cloth, the instructions booklet, and some kind of hand made necklace. It's a beautiful copper/brown color, I love it!I look forward to years of fun with this piece. Thanks Amazon for another great product.

Sound: excellent rich sound. Very clear "ringing" low notes, and very pleasant high pitch notes which do not have distortion. I can produce all the notes very clearly. The range is beyond one octave. I am an amateur in music, but I can easily figure out and produce standard do re mi fa sol la to do, plus 3 very high pitched notes on top of that. The thing that is a useful feature on the ocarina is that because of the design and large holes, you can easily produce the sharp and flat notes by covering half of the hole, similar to how it can be done on the piano with the black keys. Additionally, this Ocarina design has umvery useful small holes next to two big holes, one in each side of the Ocarina. You can cover them to get sharps or flats. Basically there are no issues with the sound this Ocarina makes. It is pretty excellent.Design: No visible flaws with the design. All holes easy to cover firmly. The holes are positioned in a way that is comfortable for the fingers.The outside appearance, color, finish, are just exceptionally impressive. People I showed this "Forest Whisper" ocarina to thought it was made from some kind of dark Cherry or Mahogany wood. The appearance is pretty much indistinguishable. At least it is the case with my individual Ocarina.Extra: the Ocarina came with a nice pouch. I personally don't intend to travel with the ocarina but it should be in some kind of soft bag, or preferably a box of you take it somewhere. For me this bag is very useful because it I intend to put it away for extended period of time I wouldn't want dust settling on it, or some scratches appearing on the outside.Another accessory that I found only two weeks later is a nice necklace string to attach to the ocarina. It's nice to see that it wasn't just a string. It has nice greenish beads on it.Only small issue is that it wasn't attached and it might be tricky to attach it the right away so the tin nylon cords don't self untie and cause the instrument to fall.Small Issue: there is one minor problem I found with the instrument coating which is that when you put a mouth to it you can smell the paint or laquer that it is covered it. I think it is just the paint. It does not smell too strong, nor does it really bother me, but it is noticeable and I guess some people may not like it. The coating/paint doesn't "bleed" or smear. The instrument has been baked and dried thoroughly. It's hits the smell.I would subtract half the star from the five stars but since it is not an option I'd rather leave it at five stars.

Very impressed with this Ocarina. Just recently have I started playing this instrument, but I am familiar with the clarinet (somewhat of a background in music/musical theory), I got my very first one at the Renaissance festival for 60$ and it doesn't even come close in quality to the Forest Whisper.First of all its a great size for medium to large hands, and very comfortable to play. The tone has very crisp distinct high notes and warm soothing low notes. The look of it is breathtaking, each with its own unique burnt woodland grain look, medium shine with the smoke finish. All of the holes were finished giving it a very professional appearance even looking closely at it. It is reasonably lightweight easily held for hours. The smell is there for a short while being that it is smoked, but it does go away very quickly (which really wasn't an issue at all because the taste is good in my opinion but it is worth mention). It comes packaged nicely in a amazon bubble wrapped line package, then a cardboard case, and then inside the Velcro holster.At first going through some of the earlier reviews I was extremely skeptical about how this product was going to actually be, I also thought I shouldn't expect much being that It remains to be 30$. So I was blown out of the water to find that this was in fact a much higher standard and quality that I could have ever imagined.100/100 Product