Hi, I am part of the Chinese Ocarina and Xun Association. Can I share your video with them? They will be very happy to see a foreigner playing the xun as you do. Good video! I loved it.
Good comparison :) An important difference tho: The ocarina is an open ended wind instrument, while the xun is a closed end wind. -Meaning the ocarina has a sound hole with labium, while the xun's labium adjoins the wind-way. As you pointed out, this means you cannot completely cover the windway, and embrasure is required with the xun. -Closed end instruments can only play every odd harmonic in the harmonic series. Open ended instruments can play both even and odd harmonics, meaning you can achieve higher octaves by blowing harder. Blowing harder on a xun will make it skip the 2nd and jump to the 3rd octave :( -It was a good point you made about the size difference for the same key. The wavelength (and so the pitch) of open ended pipe instruments is half the length of the pipe. But the wavelength produced from a closed pipe is one quarter the pipe's length. This means to achieve the same note, the open ended wind has to be twice as long as the close end wind. The same would be true of vessel flutes. th-cam.com/video/yW5vMCdBeMw/w-d-xo.html Here's a good little video that explains it better than I. It's not a hard concept to grasp with a little reading. Brilliant channel, I'm sure the audience would love to hear about the science of wind instruments (resonance in pipes) and the 2 different classes of wind :)
Thanks so much for this comparison. I’ve been thinking about getting a xun, and I’m glad it sounds sort of like a bass ocarina. I like the more mellow sound because I have an alto C ceramic ocarina. Thanks again
Thank you for the comparison! Have heard about Xun in video where Vera Unfried in Germany takes you on tour of an Ocarina Museum that was there. It recently was closed but had the Ocarinas from Italy and other parts of the world...around a 1,000. Very sad to hear of it's closing. David Ramos has shared about museum in Italy that opened. Not sure if they have Xun. I teach Ocarina in US at Elementary school. So much easier than Soprano Recorder to play middle C!😉
Thanks for the explanation! I've been trying to design an ocarina cheap and sturdy enough to throw from Mardi Gras floats, but it's more like a xun than an ocarina. I'm modifying a cheap plastic cup by cutting some holes in it. I hold it over my mouth to form a vessel. I blow air from one nostril across a small hole near the rim. Assuming a Hawaiian nose flute style, this consumes one finger or thumb to hold my other nostril closed. But other fingers can finger holes. I don't know what finger hole layout would be good. Basically, this "nasarina" is just a plastic cup with holes cut in it. When not in use, it's open so it's easy to keep dry and clean. When in use, you can open/close your mouth and use your tongue to adjust vessel volume. The "nasarina" could be a good instrument for street vendors, travelling shows, and gift shops because you can stack a ton of them together. It could be a good easy student project to DIY since it's just a cup with some holes cut out.
Woah the ocarina size comparison! Deeper sound for smaller travel size! ...at the expense (or challenge) of me learning new fingerings! I think. I'm excited. I love the breathier, more vocal sound of the Xun. I'm looking at the super accessible, customizable Imperial City Ocarina site! Cheap prices for really good homemade stuff, with decent shipping.
If that is a wood-fired xun I desperately need to find its vendor. But I'm honestly just looking for more after I've found Imperial City Ocarinas. Anyone, please let me know! I grew up a fan of folk/world music and a Monster Hunter fan. I'm going to practice making soundtracks that feel very comforting and naturistic? using the xun. And thanks again, Ashley, for the many flute videos over the years.
I have an F xun, and I am surprised at how much each pitch can vary with breath pressure/embouchure. I haven’t entirely decided what I like to do with it!
You’re playing the Sally Gardens right? I recognized it from an easy bassoon (or cello) play along on YT (in a different key though). The xun sounds nice and like you said breather, and the ocarina sounds rounder. I also have an STL Ocarina ( a 2-chamber one in ceramics). They’re great. It’s nice that you made a comparison! The first time the xun was played, the G sounded a bit sharp. But it was better the second time it was played. I prefer the ocarina though :) .
I really wanted the Xun but it’s very hard to find one I can be sure is quality whereas the ocarina is easier to find so I ordered alto ceramic and clay ocarinas which I’m excited to get! Where did you find your Xun?
Hi Ashley. Great video! I just did a similar video a few months ago though I didn’t have a xiu on hand to demonstrate. I tend to think of them both as ocarinas but I see where you’re coming from. Very interesting! Take a look at my episode on Ocarina‘s and let me know what you think.
I have never played an instrument before, but the Xun has my interest. One reason for this is my ears are very sensitive. I was wondering if you could suggest where I might get a low/deep mellow sounding xun. I have been looking up information for a long bit, but I keep getting conflicting information. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Hi, I am shopping for a Xun but i don't know which one to get. Can you explain 8 holes vs 10 holes, E Major vs F Major vs G Major Xun and left handed right handed xuns? Thank You
@@tep_123 you get more notes with 10 holes vs 8 holes. E, F and G are all just different tonalities. Buy the tonality you'd like to play the most. I don't have experience with left or right handed xun, but my guess is that the fingerings would be reversed.
Hi! Thanks awesome! I love playing the xun. I just read music notated in the European style on xun. I have not read any xun tab or music notated in the traditional Chinese style. Basically, I just take a song that I want to learn, and then transpose it into the key that works for the xun I want to play it on. :-)
I'm an ocarina player, but I've recently become interested in owning a xun. However, I'm having trouble knowing where to buy a quality xun for a beginner. I have probably a sixty dollar budget. Do you have any advice?
Hi! It's a bass ocarina in the key of C. It's from STL ocarina. If you're interested in purchasing any of their ocarinas, you can use the code "ASHLEY" for 10% off, including sale items. Here is the link to the ocarina in the video in their online store: www.stlocarina.com/collections/for-professionals/products/purple-clay-bass-c-major-with-free-songbook
Italian Giuseppe Donati devised the classical form of the Ocarina in the mid 19th Century, introducing it in 1853, so it is not an ancient instrument. It is, actually, a very young instrument, younger than European stringed instruments, while the Xun is very, very old. It can be traced back to the stone age, neolithic at least.
Hi! Thank you so much for your comment and for pointing this out! This video is meant to showcase the different musical colors found in ocarina and ocarina-like instruments, so I did not delve into its long and storied history. Guess that's what comments are for! :-) To address me calling the ocarina ancient, I appreciate the additional layer of clarity your comment brings. Ocarinas belong to a broader family of instruments--vessel flutes. In this video, I intended my use of the word "ocarina" as a surrogate for "vessel flute" as it is more understandable and relatable to most people (thank you, pop culture!). While "Vessel Flute Comparison" would be a more appropriate title, it would be puzzling to many. As you mentioned, Giuseppe Donati popularized the "classical" form of the ocarina according to the Western/European prospective, but vessel flutes are ancient. Vessel flutes are more than 12,000 years old and they encompass the Chinese xun (as played in the video), Japanese tsuchibue, and other instruments found in Egypt, India, Central Africa and the Americans. Heck, even a Gemshorn is in the vessel flute family. In the western world, the ocarina's roots are usually traced back to the Aztecs, Incas and Mayas in what we now call Central and South America. Vessel flutes from the region were introduced to Europe by a group of Aztec dancers/performers via Cortes back in 1527, and Donati then adapted these instruments in the mid 19th century so that it could be used to play the "modern" European music of the day. While Donati coined the word "ocarina" (it is an Italian word after all), it was not a new instrument. It was an ancient instrument adapted to play the music of the time. While the following is not a point you touched on and goes outside the scope of this conversation, I wanted to share a problematic point with everyone: many ancient instruments were considered "toys" by the Westerners/Europeans until they were adapted to do what "real" musical instruments should be able to do. Many ancient instruments aren't able to be played alongside western instruments due to differences in scales, modes, intonations, variations, ranges, etc, and many don't have as wide an octave range as "modern" instruments. I have instruments that don't play to a western scale/intonation, as well as ones that have been adapted for western music and coexist today with their predecessors. My adapted versions were not given a new name by their makers when they were altered, but this is counter to many historical instances where the adapted Western version became the accepted, mainstream version. Again, not saying that you insinuated any of this, I just wanted to share the additional information. As you can see, I touched on a few points, but can go on and on. Lol. There is just so much we could unpack when delving into music and the ancient/modern world. Thank you so much for taking the time to watch my video, taking a listen, and open this discussion. I really appreciate it!
Hi! It's a purple clay bass ocarina from STL ocarina. If you use the offer code "ASHLEY" you can get 10% off your purchase, even if an item is already marked as "on sale." www.stlocarina.com/collections/for-professionals/products/purple-clay-bass-c-major-with-free-songbook It looks like it's sold out right now. But I know they regularly get them in. Give them a call and see when they'll be replenishing their stock.
@@Juuuuyttrrr Oh! You know, they're in the middle of switching locations I think. I think that their stock might temporarily be low because of the move. If you're really interested in that bass I would check back. Do you want me to check in with them to see when they'll be getting the bass back in?
Hi! I don't think that it's available from Amazon. This one came from STL ocarina. Here is the link www.stlocarina.com/collections/for-professionals/products/purple-clay-bass-c-major-with-free-songbook If you use the offer code "ASHLEY" you can get 10% off of the sale price. ;-) I highly recommend the purple clay ocarinas. They were my go-to for the Maya and the Three show that just came out on Netflix. 😀
I should have watched your great video b4, I bought a Xun and still cannot get any sound out of it as uit has Quena tequniche which I hate. Now I bought a real ocarina.
Jean-Philippe Courchesne hi! The ocarina in the video is the bass purple clay ocarina from STL ocarina. While I don't usually recommend the bass model if you've never played ocarina before (it can be a bit hard on the hands and wrists because it's heavy), I love the purple clay collection overall. If you choose to go that route, you can use the offer code "ASHLEY" for 10% off any ocarina on their site, including the ones that are already on sale. 👍😉 In regards to the xun, I like the ones from Eason music (store in Singapore). They ship worldwide. That's where most of my xun have come from including the one in the video. Thanks so much for reaching out and good luck! ☺️
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Hi, I am part of the Chinese Ocarina and Xun Association. Can I share your video with them? They will be very happy to see a foreigner playing the xun as you do. Good video! I loved it.
Alonso Quijano hi! Thanks so much for the kind words. Yes, please feel free to share. I'm glad that you like it ☺️
Good comparison :)
An important difference tho: The ocarina is an open ended wind instrument, while the xun is a closed end wind.
-Meaning the ocarina has a sound hole with labium, while the xun's labium adjoins the wind-way. As you pointed out, this means you cannot completely cover the windway, and embrasure is required with the xun.
-Closed end instruments can only play every odd harmonic in the harmonic series. Open ended instruments can play both even and odd harmonics, meaning you can achieve higher octaves by blowing harder. Blowing harder on a xun will make it skip the 2nd and jump to the 3rd octave :(
-It was a good point you made about the size difference for the same key. The wavelength (and so the pitch) of open ended pipe instruments is half the length of the pipe. But the wavelength produced from a closed pipe is one quarter the pipe's length. This means to achieve the same note, the open ended wind has to be twice as long as the close end wind. The same would be true of vessel flutes.
th-cam.com/video/yW5vMCdBeMw/w-d-xo.html
Here's a good little video that explains it better than I. It's not a hard concept to grasp with a little reading.
Brilliant channel, I'm sure the audience would love to hear about the science of wind instruments (resonance in pipes) and the 2 different classes of wind :)
It's so hard to choose, i think i prefer the sound of the Xun surprisingly.
I do love the xun. :-)
I like them both, but The ocarina is much easier to get a sound out of.
The Xun has been on my wishlist for a while. Thanks for this informative video.
in this case a whistlelist
Thanks so much for this comparison. I’ve been thinking about getting a xun, and I’m glad it sounds sort of like a bass ocarina. I like the more mellow sound because I have an alto C ceramic ocarina. Thanks again
Madison Cosgrove thanks so much for watching. Yes, it's quite mellow. I'm glad that you like it 👍
I love xun more! Although both sound amazing 😉
Thank you for the comparison! Have heard about Xun in video where Vera Unfried in Germany takes you on tour of an Ocarina Museum that was there. It recently was closed but had the Ocarinas from Italy and other parts of the world...around a 1,000. Very sad to hear of it's closing. David Ramos has shared about museum in Italy that opened. Not sure if they have Xun. I teach Ocarina in US at Elementary school. So much easier than Soprano Recorder to play middle C!😉
Thanks for the explanation! I've been trying to design an ocarina cheap and sturdy enough to throw from Mardi Gras floats, but it's more like a xun than an ocarina.
I'm modifying a cheap plastic cup by cutting some holes in it. I hold it over my mouth to form a vessel. I blow air from one nostril across a small hole near the rim. Assuming a Hawaiian nose flute style, this consumes one finger or thumb to hold my other nostril closed. But other fingers can finger holes.
I don't know what finger hole layout would be good.
Basically, this "nasarina" is just a plastic cup with holes cut in it. When not in use, it's open so it's easy to keep dry and clean. When in use, you can open/close your mouth and use your tongue to adjust vessel volume.
The "nasarina" could be a good instrument for street vendors, travelling shows, and gift shops because you can stack a ton of them together. It could be a good easy student project to DIY since it's just a cup with some holes cut out.
Woah the ocarina size comparison! Deeper sound for smaller travel size! ...at the expense (or challenge) of me learning new fingerings! I think. I'm excited. I love the breathier, more vocal sound of the Xun. I'm looking at the super accessible, customizable Imperial City Ocarina site! Cheap prices for really good homemade stuff, with decent shipping.
That was actually very helpful and u played beautifully. You should be proud of this video
Thanks so much! I'm glad that you liked it :-)
I appreciate this explanation. The sound of the xun is what I’ve been hoping for with bass ocarinas, so I will give the xun a try!
@@Randoplants awesome!! 🎶
Great service to us....so rare to hear a real comparison ! Thanks.
If that is a wood-fired xun I desperately need to find its vendor. But I'm honestly just looking for more after I've found Imperial City Ocarinas. Anyone, please let me know! I grew up a fan of folk/world music and a Monster Hunter fan. I'm going to practice making soundtracks that feel very comforting and naturistic? using the xun.
And thanks again, Ashley, for the many flute videos over the years.
I’ve got both of these instruments, I had quite a collection of them. I now need to get my hands on a Gemshawn and a stone whissle.😅
Thank you for the comparison.
i have 2 xuns that were given to me and they both have the mouth parts like the ocarina...
really? You don't blow across the opening? You blow into your xun? How interesting.
so obviously their are 2 different types. but then it wouldn’t sound like a xun it would be more like an ockrina type sound.
I have an F xun, and I am surprised at how much each pitch can vary with breath pressure/embouchure. I haven’t entirely decided what I like to do with it!
Have you tried playing 云吹动 with the Xun?
I’ve got one in F, I would like an Ockrina in F.
i had an Ockrina but it wasn’t propperly tuned.
An informative and entertaining video! Thank you!
You’re playing the Sally Gardens right? I recognized it from an easy bassoon (or cello) play along on YT (in a different key though). The xun sounds nice and like you said breather, and the ocarina sounds rounder. I also have an STL Ocarina ( a 2-chamber one in ceramics). They’re great. It’s nice that you made a comparison! The first time the xun was played, the G sounded a bit sharp. But it was better the second time it was played. I prefer the ocarina though :) .
Hi! Yes I am playing Sally Gardens. Thanks so much taking the time to listen :-) They're both such fun instruments.
I really wanted the Xun but it’s very hard to find one I can be sure is quality whereas the ocarina is easier to find so I ordered alto ceramic and clay ocarinas which I’m excited to get! Where did you find your Xun?
The main difference is that you can hear the attack on the xun more (that is, you can hear the breath hit each note)
Possibly the most famous song played on Xun is 云吹动, made popular by Liziqi ❤️
Thank you for showing me a xun! I hadn't seen one.
Hi Ashley. Great video! I just did a similar video a few months ago though I didn’t have a xiu on hand to demonstrate. I tend to think of them both as ocarinas but I see where you’re coming from. Very interesting! Take a look at my episode on Ocarina‘s and let me know what you think.
Thank you. Yes, there are "in the family," but not the same ;-). Thank you so much for taking a listen.
Xun and ocarina are awesome instruments, I have both;)
Thank you. I'm considering buying these instruments.
I can’t decide which I love the sound of more 😭
I have never played an instrument before, but the Xun has my interest. One reason for this is my ears are very sensitive. I was wondering if you could suggest where I might get a low/deep mellow sounding xun. I have been looking up information for a long bit, but I keep getting conflicting information. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Did you end up finding a mellow xun? I am looking for the same thing(✿
Hi, I am shopping for a Xun but i don't know which one to get. Can you explain 8 holes vs 10 holes, E Major vs F Major vs G Major Xun and left handed right handed xuns? Thank You
@@tep_123 you get more notes with 10 holes vs 8 holes. E, F and G are all just different tonalities. Buy the tonality you'd like to play the most. I don't have experience with left or right handed xun, but my guess is that the fingerings would be reversed.
I am Chinese and I am practicing Xun now. I want to know how to find the Xun score for English music
Hi! Thanks awesome! I love playing the xun. I just read music notated in the European style on xun. I have not read any xun tab or music notated in the traditional Chinese style. Basically, I just take a song that I want to learn, and then transpose it into the key that works for the xun I want to play it on. :-)
I'm an ocarina player, but I've recently become interested in owning a xun. However, I'm having trouble knowing where to buy a quality xun for a beginner. I have probably a sixty dollar budget. Do you have any advice?
I just found a decent Xun (I think) for 1 dollar! At goodwill.
Hi there! In what key that ocarina is? Any link to place where i can buy it?
Hi! It's a bass ocarina in the key of C. It's from STL ocarina. If you're interested in purchasing any of their ocarinas, you can use the code "ASHLEY" for 10% off, including sale items. Here is the link to the ocarina in the video in their online store: www.stlocarina.com/collections/for-professionals/products/purple-clay-bass-c-major-with-free-songbook
Thank you so much for the comparison!
Do you mind sharing where you purchased the xun?
spiden64 sure. Eason music
What is the key of the xun please ??
The key of F
@@AshleyJarmack thanks 😊😊
That is a beautiful bass ocarina. Where did you get it?
Thank you. It's the purple clay model through STL Ocarina. You can use "Ashley" as an offer code for a 10% discount on any ocarina from the store :-)
Hi, can you please share the website? I can’t find it.
S Doorten www.stlocarina.com/
That's a coincidence; I live in the STL area and I play the Xun ... I play it outside in parks and in the woods. 🎶😁👌
thank you
Italian Giuseppe Donati devised the classical form of the Ocarina in the mid 19th Century, introducing it in 1853, so it is not an ancient instrument. It is, actually, a very young instrument, younger than European stringed instruments, while the Xun is very, very old. It can be traced back to the stone age, neolithic at least.
Hi! Thank you so much for your comment and for pointing this out! This video is meant to showcase the different musical colors found in ocarina and ocarina-like instruments, so I did not delve into its long and storied history. Guess that's what comments are for! :-)
To address me calling the ocarina ancient, I appreciate the additional layer of clarity your comment brings. Ocarinas belong to a broader family of instruments--vessel flutes. In this video, I intended my use of the word "ocarina" as a surrogate for "vessel flute" as it is more understandable and relatable to most people (thank you, pop culture!). While "Vessel Flute Comparison" would be a more appropriate title, it would be puzzling to many.
As you mentioned, Giuseppe Donati popularized the "classical" form of the ocarina according to the Western/European prospective, but vessel flutes are ancient. Vessel flutes are more than 12,000 years old and they encompass the Chinese xun (as played in the video), Japanese tsuchibue, and other instruments found in Egypt, India, Central Africa and the Americans. Heck, even a Gemshorn is in the vessel flute family. In the western world, the ocarina's roots are usually traced back to the Aztecs, Incas and Mayas in what we now call Central and South America. Vessel flutes from the region were introduced to Europe by a group of Aztec dancers/performers via Cortes back in 1527, and Donati then adapted these instruments in the mid 19th century so that it could be used to play the "modern" European music of the day. While Donati coined the word "ocarina" (it is an Italian word after all), it was not a new instrument. It was an ancient instrument adapted to play the music of the time.
While the following is not a point you touched on and goes outside the scope of this conversation, I wanted to share a problematic point with everyone: many ancient instruments were considered "toys" by the Westerners/Europeans until they were adapted to do what "real" musical instruments should be able to do. Many ancient instruments aren't able to be played alongside western instruments due to differences in scales, modes, intonations, variations, ranges, etc, and many don't have as wide an octave range as "modern" instruments. I have instruments that don't play to a western scale/intonation, as well as ones that have been adapted for western music and coexist today with their predecessors. My adapted versions were not given a new name by their makers when they were altered, but this is counter to many historical instances where the adapted Western version became the accepted, mainstream version. Again, not saying that you insinuated any of this, I just wanted to share the additional information.
As you can see, I touched on a few points, but can go on and on. Lol. There is just so much we could unpack when delving into music and the ancient/modern world. Thank you so much for taking the time to watch my video, taking a listen, and open this discussion. I really appreciate it!
As far as I know ocarina are 12000y and the xun is 7000y an was introduced in Europe went Hernan cortez went to the new world, that what I read
Ashley - what kind of the ocarina is it that You just played and where I can buy it?
Hi! It's a purple clay bass ocarina from STL ocarina. If you use the offer code "ASHLEY" you can get 10% off your purchase, even if an item is already marked as "on sale." www.stlocarina.com/collections/for-professionals/products/purple-clay-bass-c-major-with-free-songbook
It looks like it's sold out right now. But I know they regularly get them in. Give them a call and see when they'll be replenishing their stock.
And honestly, I really do love these. I use the purple clay ones on all my professional recording projects as well. Not just on social media
@@AshleyJarmack - Thank You very much Ashley. Unfortunately it is not available - they sold it out ;(
- Regards ;)
@@Juuuuyttrrr Oh! You know, they're in the middle of switching locations I think. I think that their stock might temporarily be low because of the move. If you're really interested in that bass I would check back. Do you want me to check in with them to see when they'll be getting the bass back in?
@@AshleyJarmack - yeah - I will call them. Thank You very much ! ;) 💚
Where can I find the ocarina? Is it available on Amazon?
Hi! I don't think that it's available from Amazon. This one came from STL ocarina. Here is the link www.stlocarina.com/collections/for-professionals/products/purple-clay-bass-c-major-with-free-songbook
If you use the offer code "ASHLEY" you can get 10% off of the sale price. ;-) I highly recommend the purple clay ocarinas. They were my go-to for the Maya and the Three show that just came out on Netflix. 😀
@@AshleyJarmack ok, thanks!🙏
I should have watched your great video b4, I bought a Xun and still cannot get any sound out of it as uit has Quena tequniche which I hate. Now I bought a real ocarina.
@@robabnawaz oh noooo! I'm sorry that the xun gave you so much trouble. I'm glad that you found an ocarina you like. ☺️👍
And I just subscribed!
❤️
Which one do you play more often? Lol
Ha! The ocarina...probably only because not as many people know what the xun is ;-)
I love Xun
Does anybody know a good store to get a Xun?...
Like the sound of Xun
Can you tell me the model of both instruments? Are they good for beginner (old saxophone player here and want to try Ocarina / Xun )
Jean-Philippe Courchesne hi! The ocarina in the video is the bass purple clay ocarina from STL ocarina. While I don't usually recommend the bass model if you've never played ocarina before (it can be a bit hard on the hands and wrists because it's heavy), I love the purple clay collection overall. If you choose to go that route, you can use the offer code "ASHLEY" for 10% off any ocarina on their site, including the ones that are already on sale. 👍😉 In regards to the xun, I like the ones from Eason music (store in Singapore). They ship worldwide. That's where most of my xun have come from including the one in the video. Thanks so much for reaching out and good luck! ☺️
@@AshleyJarmack Sadly, as of right now, Eason only has one xun in their catalog.
@@miaomiaochan oh no! I know there are supply chain issues. I actually had to ask them to special order a few keys for me when I purchased my xun.
The xun is far less expensive than a bass ocarina that plays about the same register.
Clement Glen
Grady Ridges
Denesik Radial
Raegan Rue
Deckow Passage
Wth why is my name in the title
Xun is the name of one of the instruments.
@@AshleyJarmack that’s crazy
The word 塤 is pronounced ‘S-U-IN’ rather than ‘Shoon’
I say, "HUUUUUUN" ...I think that is Cantonese 😄
macedonian ocarina is the oldest instrument ever in history of humanity