Why are my high notes airy, flat or squeaky?

If your ocarina’s high notes sound airy, flat or squeaky, you are in good company: almost every beginner meets it. The fault is nearly always in how the instrument is played, rarely in the instrument. This guide goes through the causes in the order to check them, from the most likely to the least. The same checks apply when the whole scale sounds flat or out of tune.

1. Breath: high notes need more air

The higher the note, the more air it wants. Low C takes a gentle breath, and high F takes a firm, steady stream. With too little air, a high note sags flat and sounds thin. With too much it jumps sharp and may squeal.

How to check: play low C, then high C, then the note you are struggling with, each on one breath, and listen. If the high ones are flat next to the low ones, blow more firmly as you go up, without moving your lips or tightening your throat. Think steady and firm, not hard.

2. A cold ocarina

A ceramic or plastic ocarina that has been in a cold room or a bag plays flat until it warms up, because the air inside is cold. Hold it in both hands for a minute, or breathe through it with the holes covered, then try again.

How to check: if the whole scale is a little flat at the start and gets better as you play, this is it. Tune up only after the ocarina has warmed to your hands.

3. A hole that is not sealed

This is the most common cause of an airy, sharp or squeaky note. A finger that leaves a gap, even a thin one, lets air out, and the note sounds hissy or squeals. Low notes suffer most, because they need the most holes sealed, but a leak spoils any note.

How to check: play the note and press each covering finger down in turn, gently. When the sound clears, you have found the leak. Use the flat pad of the finger, not the tip, and mind the pinkies and thumbs, which are easy to forget. Slow and careful beats fast and loose.

4. A sub hole covered by accident

The two tiny sub holes sit beside your middle fingers. They are open for every note except the three lowest, and C♯ and D♯. The side of a finger resting on one makes a note sound about a semitone low, and it is easy to do without noticing.

How to check: play a note that sounds nearly right but a half step flat, and look at the sub holes. Curl your fingers so the pads cover the big holes and the sides stay clear.

5. A finger hovering over a hole

A finger that is lifted but hangs just above its hole pulls the pitch flat, a little. It is subtle, and it adds up: several hovering fingers on a high note make it sag. High F, with everything open, is where this shows most.

How to check: for notes that ask for open holes, lift the fingers about a centimetre clear, or rest them on the body of the ocarina beside their holes. Staying close is good for speed; just keep the finger off the hole itself. A mirror helps.

6. Angle and condensation

If the ocarina tilts too far up or down, the stream of air hits the edge badly and the sound splits or squeaks. Keep the mouthpiece level and your lips only just around it. Condensation in the mouthpiece makes a bubbling or gurgling noise and kills the top notes: cover the holes and blow it out firmly, tap it dry, or wipe it with a cloth.

How to check: slightly change the angle and try the same note a few times. If it clears at one angle, hold that one.

A five-minute check

• Warm the ocarina in your hands for a minute.
• Play low C, then high C, then the troublesome note, with the same calm breath growing firmer as you climb.
• If the note is airy or squeaks, find the leaking finger by pressing each one in turn.
• If it is about a semitone low, look at the sub holes.
• If it is a little flat, lift the open fingers further from their holes and blow slightly firmer.
• If it only goes wrong after a minute of playing, clear the mouthpiece.

One exercise helps more than any other: a long tone. Hold a single note for six to eight seconds at a steady volume and a steady pitch, then do the same on the note above. It trains the breath control that high notes depend on, and it shows you at once when a hole leaks.

Still out of tune?

Ocarinas are not tuned as exactly as a piano, and no two sit the same. Some notes are a little flat or sharp on every ocarina, especially cheaper ones. A note you play cleanly but that is always off by the same amount is the instrument, not you. Ocarina Quest listens through the phone’s microphone and shows the pitch it hears on a staff, against the note it asked for. Its tuning flow asks you to hold each note, measures where each of your notes sits, and then judges your playing against your own ocarina. It tells you whether notes are flat or sharp all over, whether the high notes sag (that is breath) or whether a note stands alone (a hole not sealed, or a sub hole covered).

If you are still learning the basics, how to play the ocarina covers the grip and the breath. If your ocarina is the problem, choosing an ocarina says what to look for.