12 Hole Purple Clay Mini Ocarina

This is the best ocarina I've purchased from STL. I play it daily
Even though I'm tall, I did not find it difficult to adjust to. It's true that purple clay ocarinas only sound better the more they are played

This has quickly become my favorite Ocarina! I wear it all the time, just like a pendant ocarina, but without the reduced range and more difficult sharps that come with pendants. It has really good sound quality and a very clear tone with no airyness at all even on the highest notes in my experience. It Is a perfect little every day instrument if your hands are small enough to use it.

This little ocarina was a lot louder than what I was expecting. May be the loudest ocarina I own now, haha, for how small it is its a bit comical. It looks and feels like a full size ocarina that has been shrunken down to hobbit size haha. Absolutely love the sound quality, and the size is perfect for putting in a shirt pocket. I am so glad STL sells TNG here in the states, otherwise these ocarinas are a bit hard and expensive to get from over seas. I think the price is more than reasonable for a very well made hand crafted ocarina.

For such a small ocarina, this instrument has a beautiful, clear tone!

I've had this ocarina for only about a week now, but it's already a well loved addition to my collection. My first soprano that I actually enjoy playing after 14 years! (Although in fairness, I've only had two prior to this one). It is a perfect traveling companion due to its weight and size. I highly recommend this ocarina, although not for everyone (more on that later).

Appearance: This ocarina is, simply put, adorable. It's tiny and round, with a lovely rosy brown color that is surprisingly shiny for something unglazed. The beaded neckstrap is a very nice visual touch that makes it suitable as a necklace. As you play it, the purple clay will become 'stained' a darker color around the mouth piece and holes; at first temporarily, and with time, permanently. While some might be disappointed by the discoloration, this is a symbol of a well loved purple clay ocarina, and you should take pride in it. 5/5

Portability: This thing is small! And it's light as a feather. With the built in neckstrap, it's perfect for taking with you. It's made of clay of course, so you still have to be careful with it, which is why I can't give it a 5. But as far as clay ocarinas go, especially 12 holes, this can't be beat. 4.5/5

Sound: It's got a very bright, clear, and merry tone without getting into shrill territory like many sopranos do. A slight 'earthiness' to it that I expect from the purple clay line that doesn't quite lead into mellowness (not that sopranos really get into much of a 'mellow' tone; the closest thing to a mellow sounding soprano I can think of are Charlie Hind's). Well tuned. I cannot get over the sound; it is so nice to have a soprano that isn't shrill. 5/5

Breath: Medium high in requirements, steadily increasing on the higher notes and decreasing on the lower notes. Acute bend needed pretty early on. My only real complaint is that the sub holes have a strange 'slope' in breath requirements; the 'less breath' jump between D-C to C-B pretty low compared to most of the range, but that can be overcome with some practice. Otherwise very steady, if somewhat 'narrow' in pressure range for hitting a note right; I wouldn't call it unforgiving, but I wouldn't call it forgiving either. 4/5

Ergonomics: Purple clay is great ergonomically due to its absorbent qualities and its 'texture' which makes it both smooth but grippy. However, despite this, this ocarina is inherently a compromise in ergonomics due to its small size; this is to be expected. Luckily for me, I have VERY small hands with thin fingers, so I barely struggle with its small size; I can even hold the tail of the ocarina with my pinky tip like a normal ocarina, rather than across the bottom as Cris Gale does in the demonstration video. My only issue is with the sub hole that would be played with the right hand; it gets a little cramped when I play it, and my middle finger usually ends up touching my left hand. I do wish the tail were a bit longer as it took a little getting used to holding the tail without accidentally covering the 10th hole, and that there was more space between the top and bottom holes so that it'd get less cramped. Overall though, it feels surprisingly sturdy and comfortable to play despite its size. For most people however, I imagine this would be a much lower score; but that's the trade off you get for making such a small 12 hole ocarina. I am personally going to give this score a 4/5; however, for most people, I expect this to be MUCH lower of a score. I imagine it'd be downright unplayable for someone with particularly large hands.

Some things to keep in mind for prospective buyers:

-If this is your first ocarina, I would not buy it UNLESS you are very young and thus have very tiny hands. Sopranos are a bit more demanding and finicky with breath requirements and, for most people, are a little more ergonomically challenging due to their size; this is especially true of this ocarina. If this is your first ocarina, I highly recommend the DIY (which I will be posting a review of later once I've painted mine). If you have extremely tiny hands (thinking kids under the age of 8, maybe 12 at most), you'll probably have an easier time with this ocarina than the DIY despite what I've said, because it'll be so much easier to hold.

-If you don't have small hands and aren't hellbent on having a super duper portable 12 hole, I'd save up for the normal purple clay soprano. I know it's more expensive, but this thing is VERY small, and you're likely better off with it.

-Because it is a soprano, it is going to be loud. This can be an issue if you share rooms with someone, live with elderly people/pets, or are in an apartment...so do keep that in mind!

Overall, I give this ocarina 4.5/5. It is absolutely a joy to play and while it took a little while to get used to and has a few tiny flaws, doing so was extremely rewarding. As far as non-plastic 12 hole transverse ocarinas go, it really is the perfect travel companion