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- | =====A Commission To Set Standards for the Ocarina===== | + | =====Forming |
- | Starting in 2021 discussions between me and several other makers on the TON (The Ocarina Network) forums | + | Starting in 2021 I have had discussions between me and several other makers on the TON (The Ocarina Network) forums, three different |
- | ====Identifying issues | + | The goal of this paper is to start a discussion about setting standards for the ocarina. I will make an argument here that it is in the best interest of ocarina |
- | ===Naming conventions=== | + | I will also present the idea that we should form an ocarina society, one that will assist by being able to publish and distribute reliable information about the ocarina. This society will be able to also advance ocarina education and campaign to rehabilitate the image of the ocarina, to one that is taken more seriously in the music world. |
- | ===Written sheet music for ocarina=== | + | Below is a non-exhaustive list of issues with the ocarina |
- | ===Recommendations for instrument choice=== | + | ====Standardize Ocarina Naming Conventions==== |
- | How are composers to know what range the instrument | + | Currently there is little standardization for what the naming convention for an ocarina is. When a composition calls for a tenor ocarina what could they mean? What about a soprano or an alto? Composers, orchestra arrangers, and conductors prefer there be exacting details when writing a part and the fact that an alto or tenor ocarina can indicate several sizes, types of instruments, |
+ | ====Set Recommendations for Instrument Choice==== | ||
+ | Much like the issue of finding clear and concise naming for different types of ocarina we should also start to make specific recommendations for the kinds that are used. As it stands composers do not know what range the ocarina is expected to have. They do not know how well an ocarina should be expected to work, how loud they typically play, if any specific maker is any good, and whether or not any specific ocarina is easy or difficult to find. This leaves us with a difficult question- Should certain types of ocarinas be recommended over others? Should certain makers be recommended over others? Or perhaps instead of recommending we can have a black list, the types of ocarinas you should not use unless you want to have a bad time. | ||
+ | It is safe to say that many composers are demanding, and the majority of instruments that someone can compose for have a larger pitch range it can play, a larger dynamic range, and that have much less restrictions than the ocarina. We should be making recommendations for composers to put the best form of the ocarina forward so that they can have the easiest time composing as possible. | ||
- | ====Proposed solutions | + | ====Standardizing Written Sheet Music for the Ocarina==== |
+ | Currently there is not enough standardization for what ocarina sheet music should look like. | ||
- | ===Setting standards for ocarina pitch naming conventions=== | + | Where do we define the position of the tonic? C Below the staff or C in the staff? |
+ | Should we consider the ocarina | ||
+ | Should ocarina parts just have notes on the page and the player decides which ocarina to use? | ||
+ | What are the drawbacks to it being read at pitch vs transposed? | ||
+ | Should bass ocarina parts be written in bass clef? | ||
- | ==Pitch range naming standards | + | These are all questions that a composer may ask when writing |
- | ==Pitch range naming standards for pendant | + | ===Setting Digital Standards === |
+ | If you open Musescore, Sibelius, or any other digital composition software you may notice that the ocarina, if listed at all under woodwinds, is wonky. The sound profile is rarely accurate sounding to the instrument, they may list the alto as a soprano, and the software will think the instrument' | ||
+ | This would be a huge improvement | ||
- | ==Pitch range naming | + | ===Create and Release Good Digital Samples === |
+ | We should make a sample library for the ocarina that does justice to the instrument. We can make various formats to use different VST technologies. This will allow the ocarina to sound correctly in composition software. If we do a good job at making one of these then we can promote composition software companies to use these sample libraries to better allow composers to work digitally with the ocarina in that software. Again, just like setting the standards for how the sheet music should work, having a good sounding ocarina in this software will do a lot to enable composers to work with the ocarina, and could do a lot of good will in making writing for the ocarina a pleasant experience. | ||
- | ===Setting standards | + | ===Markings Used for Extended Technique=== |
+ | The ocarina is capable of an incredible diversity of extended techniques from seamless portamento, flutter-tonguing, | ||
- | ==Standardizing the tonic position== | + | ====Set Standards for Ocarina Education ==== |
+ | There is no one more equipped to present recommendations on how to play the ocarina than from ocarina players themselves. There have been several examples of ocarina players releasing books on how to play the ocarina, but all of these have been the recommendation of a single individual. There is great potential to forge much more comprehensive standards if we work together to create them. These standards can be far more universal and have a huge effect on the kinds of ocarinas that are promoted, bought, and played by beginners. These standards can be applied to individual study but there should also be standards set for educational environments. The ocarina has grown in popularity as an educational instrument, and is increasingly one used in educational settings. We have a choice to recommend against this and have no further effect on these educational systems that are already in motion or to make the decision to make recommendations on it. Why should we continue to allow the ocarina to be used in education with little to no input from a well developed ocarina community? There is a large divide between the way ocarina is used in education and the knowledge base of skilled performers and we have the ability to reconcile these differences. | ||
- | ==Ocarina | + | This situation is very similar to the development of the recorder |
- | ==Markings used for extended technique== | + | ===Design Grade Level Coursework=== |
+ | We should create the educational framework for each grade level that a student might learn ocarina at. This way a clear and concise progression can be set out for learning the ocarina. Many of the lessons when learning a new instrument should be set as learning one set of things and then another, and with these standards we can specify the best route of learning general musical lessons as well as for the ocarina specifically. | ||
- | ===Compositional guides for composers=== | + | ===Create a Canon of Juried Pieces |
- | The commission should seek out to make a compositional guide for a composers who are not yet familiar with the instrument. it is unreasonable to expect | + | One of the main ways that students are evaluated is to perform specific works that are graded off of difficulty. Creating |
- | ==Define what an ocarina should be expected to be able to do== | + | =====Forming |
- | No such thing as paying louder then fuerte on the ocarina (mf is pretty much the loudest it can play in tune as well) | + | |
- | ==Define what ocarinas | + | Many of the issues discussed above could be solved by forming an ocarina society. Additionally there are some great organizational benefits |
- | 12 hole and doubles being the choice models | + | |
- | ==Discuss | + | ===Starting a Newsletter and Journal === |
- | Which models | + | Currently there is no location available to publish ocarina related research, book reviews, criticism, announcements of performances and compositions, |
+ | |||
+ | Additionally forming a journal can allow us to publish ocarina compositions, | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===Create a Library of Ocarina Compositions=== | ||
+ | Many other instrument communities have well defined libraries of compositions on the instrument. One such community is the recorder community with various recorder societies maintaining lists of original compositions for the instrument that can easily be found and searched by players of the instrument. This is to great advantage in the community because it allows for composers to be found by players and more works to be performed. If someone owns an obscure type of recorder, say a garklein recorder, they are easily able to find resources for original compositions and arrangements to play on the instrument. Such societies and libraries should also exist for the ocarina. Having a centralized source of information on ocarina will allow us to know the expanse of what has been done on the instrument, in far better terms than we have now. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===Create a Library | ||
+ | To go along with the creation of education standards for the ocarina, we should also form a library of method books for the ocarina. There are already a great number of these available in the public domain | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===Create a Library of Ocarina Making Techniques and Information === | ||
+ | There is tons of information online for how to make an ocarina. Unfortunately some of that information is also dated, important details are kept secret, and some of it is outright false. If an ocarina society | ||
+ | Create a Place to Keep Ocarina History | ||
+ | We are seeing the moment that a US ocarina museum is about to be a reality and one where we are finally making sense of the past of the ocarina. Sadly this is also the same moment in time where historic parts of the community are becoming less accessible and where the majority of discussion on the instrument is being relegated to online spaces that are not owned within the community. We can take this opportunity to keep this history within the ocarina community and build a space where the important parts of our history are kept public and easily accessible. This will ensure that we can maintain a truthful history and continue it into the future. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===Create a Campaign to Promote the Ocarina=== | ||
+ | We as a community should start to promote the ocarina as a serious instrument and work at removing the image that the ocarina is a musical instrument that only plays arrangements and video game music and instead promote it as an instrument that people hear original compositions on, and that can be played in a wide variety of musical settings. | ||
+ | |||
+ | We currently have a big problem with the ocarina considered to be a toy instrument. Almost all music played on the ocarina is an arrangement of existing music. We need to promote the ocarina as a serious instrument and as one that is capable of playing beautiful original compositions. The diversity of ocarinas is currently vastly underappreciated, | ||
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+ | =====NOTES===== | ||
+ | {{tag> | ||
- | ==Define what should be expected with player competence and skill== | ||
- | What kinds of music can be played on an ocarina? |