Allow me to present, the Songbird Double Harmony Ocarina that I recieved for my birthday!...... jee, talk about being late on the bit for a review...
I will admit, I've got it bad for 'new ocarinas'. It's always the same: the anticipation of something is always greater than the actual object itself. But Is that is the case with the Songbird Double Harmony Ocarina? Let's take a look. ;)
First off, I will say that if you've never had a "Harmony" ocarina before, I'd go so far as to say this one probably shouldn't be your first. Not to say that this is a bad ocarina: It's just DIFFERENT. (kinda like men and women: neither is better or worse, just different... ^^; tee hee...)
WEARABILITY: The SDH comes with a pleasant leather neck strap (and to my knowledge a custom carry case) You can opt for a fancier neck strap if you so choose but I wouldn't.
As far as the feel of it in your hands, this is NOT an ocarina for beginners or those with a sheepish grip! Being a "sprouted' style ocarina, the two chambers branch out from each other and are connected by about a one inch span of clay that attaches the mouth pieces together. So needless to say, proper and mindful caution should be taken until you get the feel of things.
There are rings for you to place you thumbs against which support the ocarina's weight while playing but you should be careful during long play sessions to protect against the rings digging into your thumbs..... at least that happens to me. ^^; Ouch!
FINGERING: (I know I usually don't mention this with my other reviews but with this particular Oc, this needs mentioning.)
The Songbird Double Harmony's fingering is.... well.... how do I say this..... It's like if an English Pendant and an Inline ocarina had a baby.
+
Simply put, if you have any experience with English Pendant ocarinas, you're more than halfway to learning the fingering of a SDH. If not then..... I can't help you.
PLAYABILITY:
The tone of the alto chamber is reminiscent of Focalinks "Allegro" model ocarina as far as it's standard yet solid tone. The Soprano side likewise is bright and birdlike but not as shrill as one would think.
Unlike other harmony ocarinas on the market, the SDH's chambers are tuned 1 ocative apart. Meaning you have the Soprano 'C' chamber in your right hand, the Alto 'C' chamber in the left.
For some, this may seem clunky and inefficient but for others (like myself) this is actually a rather gentle and pleasant first step into the multi-chambered wading pool.
The tuning for both chambers tends to be a little iffy if you don't achieve proper breath control as you will hear a "wave" between the two sounds produced by the chambers but, as I said, with proper breath control you will be just fine.
Trying to get actual "Melody" and "harmony" playing (like what's in the songbook provided) however, takes a good bit of practice. I do recommend though, don't fall for the same pitfall I did being that the music in the book is not that good sounding when you're listening to yourself. Record yourself playing and you will hear a significant difference. This is because sounds sound different when they are resonating through your skull.... if that makes any sense..... Oh well, se la vi. So what is correct yet sounds kinds harsh on your ears should actually sound quite nice once recorded.
Where this ocarinas playing truly shines however, is simply having the two chambers playing simultaneously.
I'll explain with the video.
Playing simply is where you're sure to find some of the earliest enjoyment in this ocarina. Further down the line, you may become ambitious enough (like me) and start to delve into some creativity of your own. :) Who knows...
Overall score: 3.5 out of 5.
:It's a solid built ocarina but by no means the easiest to play.
:Sounds good but not the easiest to learn.
:Opens a MASSIVE door of creativity.... provided said door doesn't scare the Hebe-jibes out of ya.
I do hope this was helpful to whom ever may have been reading this.
Later! A.M.
