First Lessons

I wanted to take a moment to thank you and your associates for opening a whole new world to me. I am 58 years old and have never played a musical instrument well.

I think it was sometime in May that my bride brought home one of your "Student" packages from a home school event here in Houston. It was for our 11 year old son, but I picked up your lesson plan to glance through it. I was impressed with its clarity and content. I listened to the first CD and followed the instructions. Now I'm hooked. After years as a percussionist and singer on our praise team, as well as plunking around on my guitar, I can finally read and play music. It's like learning a whole new language.

I am committed to go through the entire lesson plan (I'm now on # 16) and practice daily (give or take a sick day now and then). It is truly a joy, not only to read music, but to now be able to write the music the Lord has placed in my heart.

Thank you so much for all your effort...and your wonderful instrument...

Sincerely,

Biff Van Cleve
Mars Hill Productions
Missouri City, TX

Dear Karl,

I wanted to write a quick "Thank you" for your ocarinas which you sent for our trip to Mexico. We had a great trip!

We did a musical program in several villages with a team of 17 musicians and many instruments including 3 acoustic guitars, electric bass guitar, congas, bongos, maracas, and tambourines. We used your "G" ocarina in every song to highlight the melody so that the children could learn the songs. It was so loud and clear that it stood above all of the other instruments, even without amplification!

It is the best and simplest way to teach a new melody. The children and the adults loved the sound and would gather around to examine them and play them. Even the children could learn a song very quickly, and I would hear them later "showing off" their ability to their friends.

Since our return, I have been using it in our worship services at church. It has a beautiful, clear tone, that really compliments the music.

Thanks again for such a great little musical instrument!

Sincerely,

Eric Hall

Pastor of Calvary Fellowship Church, Wayne, PA.

Hello Gentlemen:

I got the most amazing instruments in the mail today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I looked at them and then hung one around my neck and immediately began playing it. I got, as you know a C and a G.

I have been making flutes (Native American) for many years and love them very much but these little Ocarinas are just as you said "Concert Quality" Instruments.

I am retired now and I go into the Mountains nearly every day. I will be leaving in a few moments for a walk in the Rattlesnake wilderness. I have decided on the G flute to wear and play today. I have a favorite rock along the Rattlesnake River that I like to sit on and play the flute simply for my own enjoyment. I am amazed at the full bodied tone quality and clarity.

Thank you for an exceptional job on designing this flute and thank you both for making them available to everyone. You could spend hundreds of dollars and still have a lesser instrument.

Congratulations and Thanks,

Papa John Manytrees
Missoula, Montana

After a year or so of searching for a "portable" instrument, I was recommended the ocarina by a friend who plays a clay one. The thought of carrying a clay instrument while backpacking or while starting a new job in a state park made me nervous to say the least. So the winter of 2005 I spent hours looking online and at the curiosity stores in and around Laramie, Wyoming and Denver. One night I happened upon your site and was at first unimpressed and skeptical, but your video of Karl playing the Poly. Oc. impressed me enough that I picked up not only the flute but the how to play book and cds as well as the 300 Celtic folk songs.

I spent the entire summer playing the Oc on my lunch breaks while working as a campground attendant in South Dakota over the summer.

On more than one occasion it was entertaining to see people seeking me out, enchanted by the sound.

Thank you very much for making an affordable yet fully functional instrument,

Marcus Gallegos
Custer State Park
South Dakota

Hello from Japan. :)

My wife and I just wanted to say thank you for making such a great ocarina. I am an American guy and me and my Japanese wife live in Japan. We received our ocarina in only 4 days after ordering. That is incredible service. And you only charged us for actual shipping costs. We were very impressed about so many things regarding your ocarinas and your company policies. The ocarina we purchased is high quality and sounds wonderful. I have been playing the tin whistle for a few months now, and decided to try out your ocarina. My tin whistle is a Clarke Sweetone.

We also ordered your Music Curriculum and the 300 Celtic Folksongs Book. The Curriculum is great. The cd's are really helpful and the books is well written. We love Celtic songs and they sound so beautiful on the Mountain Ocarina. It's wonderful that you made a Celtic song book specifically for the Mountain Ocarina. And over 300 songs! Your companies' products, policies and ideas are so well thought out... such a rare thing these days.

It's obvious that you have a true passion for your ocarinas. And not just trying to make a quick buck from your products. When we first visited your website, we were so impressed with the descriptions of your quality products. And the descriptions of being able to play a portable, affordable, quality and near bullet proof ocarina anywhere really caught our attention. I was never this excited about my Clarke tin whistle. We hope your company never loses it's personalized attention to service, well thought-out ideas, and quality (which usually can't be found in larger companies). And that neck strap... great idea! You guys just make too much sense. Thank you and keep up the great work and ideas!

Joe and Shizuka
Hokkaido, Japan

Dear Karl, Cliff and Families;

This past week I received my two polycarbonate ocarinas (keys of C and G) as well as "Learning to Play Mountain Ocarinas." My order arrived in three days which is in and of itself outstanding. Your ocarinas are beyond explanation, they play great!

I have been making and playing Native American flutes for several years and you flutes, with the intuitive fingering, are very similar to the native flutes. I had very little difficulty fingering your flutes because of the similarities. Both your flutes and the native flutes are by their very nature and origin, meant to play by ear and your flutes are even more forgiving for this style of playing than are the native flutes. Your suggestion on your web site to purchase both the "C" and "G" flutes was right, because having both allows not only a reprieve from playing just one, but allows a much wider range of sound and type of music played.

While playing the native flute I never had a desire, or a need to learn to read music. The uniqueness of the native flute is the fact that they play best when the player improvises rather than playing by formal structured methods. Your ocarinas I believe fall into the same mode of improvised playing. Having said that, I quickly discovered that using your self learning music curriculum (which is a bargain) is actually a lot of fun! Incorporating the instruction manual along with the three CD's gives one the feeling that you are in the presence of your music teacher (hearing a voice) giving personal instructions, yet at your pace and not at the pace of the instructor. I can't believe that after all these years I'm actually learning to read music and enjoying it!

Your ocarinas and learning curriculum have filled a void for this 69 year old retired guy. I can't wait to get to my lessons and review the last lessons before going to a new lesson. I apply every lesson to both ocarinas and as a result each lesson is actually two separate lessons which produce separate enjoyments.

THANKS!

Closing, I wish you and yours health and happiness!

Barry Manning

Hi Karl!

My Mountain Ocarinas and instructional books arrived today! They were nicely packed and arrived quickly all the way from you there in the States. When the box came I was so excited! I've only been able to play with my ocarinas for a little, and already I totally love them both! They do have such a sweet sound to them (and I *do* love the mellower C ocarina!) and I can't wait 'till after my exams (2 weeks) so I can spend some proper time not only learning how to play them, but also learning how to read music!

The teaching material seems to be so well written, and perfect for someone [like me!] who has no proper musical background at all. In fact I think it will not only help me to understand and play my wonderful new Mountain Ocarinas, but will also help me with my present ceramic English pendant ocarinas (as I know the fingerings well, but haven't put them together with the musical notation) because your teaching method seems to be very cross-applicable between instruments.

Thankyou for being so honest with me about your recommendations, for getting it all to me so quickly and for making both such exactingly designed, beautiful sounding instruments and well written, enthusiastic instructional material.

I'm very very happy and excited to properly begin his journey into the world of music.

Dear Karl,

I just recieved My ocarina on Friday, and have been playing it. I just HAD to say:

THIS IS THE BEST OCARINA I EVER KNEW!!!! It's so sweet, and it has an awesome range-- I would seriously sell all of my instruments to own this amazing masterpiece! I read somewhere on the web that your ocarinas are "ugly". I disagree 100% ! They are gorgeous! your QUALITY Instruments are just that-- Q U A L I T Y.... and your Guarentee Roc's too.

Your ocarinas rock! It is taking a bit to learn the new finger tequnique, but Your ocarinas have great tonal quality, and I wear it everywhere. I tried the fingering pattern sent with my ocarina, and found that you can also use various combinations to make some of the notes. I don't play the songs like the ones on your website, whereas I am learning to play by ear, and prefer a slightly diffrent style. I find that your ocarinas are rather versitile, and the pie's the limit as far as your ocarinas seem! Talk about Concertage ;) . well, I've got to go and clean my humble living quarters, but will be sure to make time to practice my-- er, YOUR ocarina!

Brandon P Buchholz ~The Great Brando, collector of musical instruments

We are having so much fun with these. I had to order another G so it will be easier to play with my daughter. I was a serious flutist before I had kids, but the flute never comes out of its case anymore. I've never played a folk instrument before that feels like I can make it my own. I can't stop messing with these ocarinas, though. Thanks!

I had a great weekend in a beautiful village in center Italy, named San Benedetto in Alpe. There were lots of teachers of traditional music and dances, of many regions of the world (while the main focus was about irish music, there was room for african dances, breton waltzes, and lots of more).

I went there mostly to learn something new about the tin whistle and the irish flute, so, I feared that people into that kind of stuff could be very skeptical to anything not closely related to the tradition, and I choosen to keep my ocarina in the pocket for almost all the time. BUT, when I pulled it out to show it off to a fellow musician I met at the restaurant table, well, he was stunned! "How beautiful it is" he said, and he asked for me if he could play it. Of course I agreed: in two minutes he was playing better than I ever did, well, ok, almost, anyhow, he was TALENTED.

After this (he asked me what instrument was that and I gave him some link on paper), I found the courage to play something around the restaurant on the way to the car. No more than a minute overall. And, a man followed me asking to see it, again! He too was stunned by it's beauty. "What it's made of?" "hem, it's a synthetic matherial used to build kitchen tops"). Really no more than five minutes with the ocarina out and I got lot of attentions, and I was forgetting about an irish player who told me... what's that? It sounds like a whistle!

Next year I will definitely not be so ashame and shy, and I'll show it off proudly. There are good chances that REALLY MANY musician will be interested in it, since it got all this attention in such a little time. I have my ocarina hanging all the time and at, only at a musical festival I've hidden it! What stupid I was. When I will be a good player for sure it will be easier not to fell into those mental, stupid traps.