I Learned the Ocarina 30 Years Later
The journey into the world of the ocarina is often less about the instrument itself and more about the incredible, evolving stories it carries. For some, the magic lies in the hunt—the chase for the perfect sound and the perfect shape.
My musical adventure began quite unexpectedly. My very first ocarina came from a hippy shop in Birmingham, a place renowned for selling everything from dreamcatchers to esoteric trinkets. This initial instrument was a vibrant, circular piece, crafted from brick-coloured material adorned with zig-zag patterns, seemingly designed to evoke an ‘ethnic’ aesthetic.
That first encounter set a certain tone: the ocarina as a playful, culturally infused object.
Years later, the quest took a vastly different direction. Backpacking through China introduced me to a completely different aesthetic—one steeped in natural, elemental beauty. I discovered a new type of ocarina: charcoal-dark, pebble-smooth pendants. These pieces felt profoundly different. They didn’t look manufactured or patterned; they looked naturally formed, as if they had been weathered by time, possessing the deep, matte texture of igneous rock.
The contrast between these two discoveries is striking. One piece was bright, patterned, and consciously decorative; the other was somber, smooth, and earthbound. Each instrument, found in vastly different settings, offered a unique textural and spiritual experience. It highlights how deeply personal the connection to music and the objects we hold can be.
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