Contrabass Ocarina
With that same mellow purple clay sound, this contrabass plays an octave lower than a conventional bass in C, just dipping into the 2nd octave. Special features and things to consider are as follows:
- Available contrabass ocarinas typically are 10-hole instruments. ICO's 11-hole adds a subhole not only to extend the range slightly, but also to provide a complete set of fingerings for all sharps and flats through the range of the ocarina.
- The contrabass is a low breath pressure instrument, to be sure. Consequently, breath control is important and can be slightly more challenging than higher pitched ocarinas. The lowest 2 notes (C3 and B2) are quite soft.
- At over 1.1 kg (more than 2.5 lbs), the weight of this instrument may take some getting used to.
- Hand size considerations... toneholes on this contrabass, even the largest two on the bottom of the ocarina, are not overly large and should be manageable by all except the smallest of hands. Meanwhile, the reach between the left-thumb tonehole and the top-side left-hand toneholes, though not excessive, is certainly longer than a typical bass ocarina. Given these factors combined with the weight of the instrument, the contrabass is probably best recommended for those with medium sized hands or larger.
To order, contact us at info@imperialcityocarina.com, letting us know your location (country) and postal code (zip code), and also mentioning your interest in the contrabass and any custom requests you may have in mind.