BobWicks@aol.com on wed 30 jul 97
Fellow Clay Arters:
I have been making ceramic ocarinas for some time but I need some help. I
have read Janet Moniots book "Clay Whistles" and followed the directions
carefully. I have no trouble getting the first 5 or 6 notes in tune, however
I am at a loss as to why I am having so much difficulty in tuning the last 5
notes. I am working on a 10 hole ocarina. With technology at such a high
state of the art today, there must be a method better than hit or miss in
tuning a vibrating air columne. I am using an Audio frequency meter that is
used to tune guitars as my guide. Any of you out there that could give me
some much needed guidance would be appreciated.
Bobwicks@aol.com
Cindy on thu 31 jul 97
Bob,
I haven't tried the 10-holers yet, and I've just been tuning by ear, but I
find the larger the instrument, the harder it is to get the high notes in
tune. Also, the higher notes sound too breathy to me and it gets worse with
a larger ocarina. In addition, the tuning seems to change as the clay
shrinks--but maybe that's just my perception as I'm not using an electronic
tuner. Sure hope you get some answers--I'm watching eagerly.
Cindy
BTW, I did make some with little regard for tuning. Tuning takes time, and
shop-owners say the kids don't know whether its in tune or not, so please
make some cheaper whistles. I hate doing it, but oh well . . . gotta
pay the bills, you know.
BobWicks@aol.com on fri 1 aug 97
Cindy:
Thank you for your prompt response to my Ocarina problem. Whistles are no
problem and making noise for kids is no problem. I am trying to make an
accurate instrument that you can actually play music on. So far I have had
good luck, but the last 2-3 notes are a mystery to me. They just don't seem
to follow the rule (the higher the note the larger the hole). There has to
be an answer somewhere. I'm sure there is a law of physics of vibrating air
columnes that applies here. I can get 7 notes right on scale, but 8,9 and 10
are a loss. Firing makes a small change in the tuning. My tests show that
the notes go sharp after firing. So I guess with clay that shrinks 10% and
the notes go sharp after firing, perhaps making the instrument a bit on the
flat side would be in tune after firing.
Bob
Don Jones on sun 3 aug 97
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>Cindy:
>Thank you for your prompt response to my Ocarina problem. Whistles are no
>problem and making noise for kids is no problem. I am trying to make an
>accurate instrument that you can actually play music on. So far I have had
>good luck, but the last 2-3 notes are a mystery to me. They just don't seem
>to follow the rule (the higher the note the larger the hole). There has to
>be an answer somewhere. I'm sure there is a law of physics of vibrating air
>columnes that applies here. I can get 7 notes right on scale, but 8,9 and 10
>are a loss. Firing makes a small change in the tuning. My tests show that
>the notes go sharp after firing. So I guess with clay that shrinks 10% and
>the notes go sharp after firing, perhaps making the instrument a bit on the
>flat side would be in tune after firing.
>
>Bob
I can give you a web site of a freind of mine who is an expert at these things:
Bryan Mumford: http://www.west.net/~mumford/index.shtml
if you e-mail him he could give you some ideas.
Don Jones
claysky@highfiber.com
Jennifer Boyer on tue 5 aug 97
Hi Bob,
I talked to my whistle maker friend who said you're trying to make too many
holes. She uses four holes(plus the thumb hole) to get an eight note scale.
Janet's book must show you how to use different fingerings on those 4 holes
to make eight notes. She says it would be hard to use more than 4 holes
because the holes would get too big. She said the fipple window has to be
perfect and very clean to get good high notes. Also she's found it works
better to have it long and narrow rather than wide. She knows of a whistle
maker who uses 2 thumb holes. I think the alternate thumb hole is used for
flats or sharps if you are trying for more than a major scale. Hope this
helps. My friend uses the whistle making technique that Delia Robinson
showed in CM rather then Janet's.
Jennifer in VT
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>Fellow Clay Arters:
>
>I have been making ceramic ocarinas for some time but I need some help. I
>have read Janet Moniots book "Clay Whistles" and followed the directions
>carefully. I have no trouble getting the first 5 or 6 notes in tune, however
>I am at a loss as to why I am having so much difficulty in tuning the last 5
>notes. I am working on a 10 hole ocarina. With technology at such a high
>state of the art today, there must be a method better than hit or miss in
>tuning a vibrating air columne. I am using an Audio frequency meter that is
>used to tune guitars as my guide. Any of you out there that could give me
>some much needed guidance would be appreciated.
>
>Bobwicks@aol.com
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Jennifer Boyer
Thistle Hill Pottery
Montpelier, Vt. 05602
jboyer@plainfield.bypass.com
Bjorn-Kare Nilssen on wed 6 aug 97
In article <970729204208_1725868485@emout11.mail.aol.com>,
BobWicks@aol.com wrote:
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>Fellow Clay Arters:
>
>I have been making ceramic ocarinas for some time but I need some help. I
>have read Janet Moniots book "Clay Whistles" and followed the directions
>carefully. I have no trouble getting the first 5 or 6 notes in tune, however
>I am at a loss as to why I am having so much difficulty in tuning the last 5
>notes. I am working on a 10 hole ocarina. With technology at such a high
>state of the art today, there must be a method better than hit or miss in
>tuning a vibrating air columne. I am using an Audio frequency meter that is
>used to tune guitars as my guide. Any of you out there that could give me
>some much needed guidance would be appreciated.
Are you making a vessel flute (ocarina) or a recorder (tube) type?
I've never seen any ocarinas with 10 holes.
I have made with 9 holes though, but then I don't make it like a recorder,
where you open the next hole to get the next higher note. I've been making
them with different fingering combination systems, which alloows you to play
a lot of different tones with just a few holes.
Making a tube shaped open flute is an entirely different thing, but again,
I've never seen them with 10 holes neither.
--
|| Bjorn K. Nilssen // http://home.sn.no/~bjoernk/ // mainly 3D ||
SolvejgMa@aol.com on wed 6 aug 97
Okay, ya'll have got my attention now. (I think it was the "fipple" that
did it, Jennifer in Vt). I'm sorry if I missed this part, but to which CM
are you referring? I think I know the book and video, "Voices in Clay", but
wasn't aware of an ocarina article in CM.
Thanks
Kat Neely-Jones
Otter Potter
Salem, Oregon
Jennifer Boyer on sat 9 aug 97
Phew,
I seem to have lost all the December index issues of CM! But I called up
DD, the writer of the orarinas article who lives in my town and it was in
the November 93 issue. She said that if you go for more than the standard 4
hole (plus the thumb hole) tuning, the extra holes get too big to cover
with your finger....she said some people get another octave by leaving an
end open like a recorder and then covering it the opening with your hand
sometimes. She said Janet Miniot's system has some limitations in terms of
the shapes you can make. Her system is more flexible. The octave tuning is
explained in the CM article.
SO, have fun and let us know how your tuning goes!
Jennifer in VT
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>Okay, ya'll have got my attention now. (I think it was the "fipple" that
>did it, Jennifer in Vt). I'm sorry if I missed this part, but to which CM
>are you referring? I think I know the book and video, "Voices in Clay", but
>wasn't aware of an ocarina article in CM.
>
>Thanks
>Kat Neely-Jones
>Otter Potter
>Salem, Oregon
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Jennifer Boyer
Thistle Hill Pottery
Montpelier, Vt. 05602
jboyer@plainfield.bypass.com
BobWicks@aol.com on sun 17 aug 97
Hi Jennifer:
Thank you for your response to my plea on tuning the ocarina. I'll look up
the article in CM 1993. Perhaps that will give me some answers. In the
meantime I have been in touch with Bryan Mumford in California and he has
some ideas. He makes his instruments out of wood rather than clay. I would
like to stay with clay as that is how the ocarina got started. If you should
come across anything else that would help, I would appreciate hearing from
you.
Bob
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