Did you see the new ocarina video on the mountain ocarina site? It's very cool.
Don't try and view it if you don't have a broadband connection (cable modem or DSL). It's about 10 megabytes and is about 4 minutes long… but worth the wait.The video starts out with some of sound samples of mountain ocarinas with some nice scenic photos.
Then it shows some pictures (stills) of their ocarinas.
Then there's some nice video clips of Karl Ahrens playing some the ocarina. The video of Karl looks like it's taken with a camcorder, and the certainly sound isn't studio quality (since it must be recorded on the camcorder) but it gives a good idea what Karl's ocarinas are capable of… with a bit of practice. Karl is really skilled at adding in Celtic ornamentation into his music. He makes it look effortless. I wish I could play like him…
So if you have a minute… click on the picture above.
Mountain Ocarinas recently started making a very special ocarina made out of aircraft grade machined aluminum. Take a look a this baby!
The ocarina is absolutely STUNNING. Everyone that I've shown mine to has been impressed. The G model fits nicely in my hand.
It doesn't come through great in my photos, but the finish on the instrument reminds me of gold or a nice brass instrument. The surface is anodized which makes it very scratch resistant. These aluminum ocarinas are very solid and have a bit of heft to them. I like the solid feel. Here's what the ocarina looks like on from the side.
Here's what the ocarina looks like from the back.
As to the heft… this ocarina is sturdy enough and has enough mass to perhaps be used quite effectively as a self-defense instrument. If you have two of them, you could tie the straps together to make some impromput nunchacku. This ain't no clay sweet potato whistle. This baby's serious both as an instrument of music and of self-defense ;-P
How do they sound? Great. Just like the other ocarinas made by Mountain Ocarinas. Do I like the aluminum better than the hardwood? Hmmm… I'll have to think about that. It probably depends on the mood I'm in.
