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β€Ή Ocarina songs
Asounds A4 Β· 0 of 12 holes open
SongsHot Cross Buns
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13 more songs need notes this instrument does not have. Changing the size or key brings some of them into reach.

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Traditional English street cry and nursery rhyme, 18th century. Public domain.

21 notes Β· A4–F6 sounding Β· 21 notes Β· written an octave lower Β· The standard modern ocarina: ten finger holes, two thumb holes and two subholes that reach the A and B below the C.

Tap a note, or slide along them to slur from note to note without a new breath. On a keyboard the letters on the notes are the ones to press β€” they run up the ocarina a semitone at a time from the low A.

OcarinaFree Β· printable Β· plays in your browser

Hot Cross Buns β€” Ocarina Notes

Hot Cross Buns, written out for the ocarina as letter notes with the fingering drawn under each one. Press Play to hear it, Practice to learn it one note at a time β€” the ocarina waits for you β€” or Play along to keep time with it.

  • Notes17, 3 pitches
  • RangeC4–E4
  • Key hereC major
  • Tempo100 bpm Β· about 10 s
  • LevelEasy

Can a ocarina play Hot Cross Buns?

βœ“ Plays as written Every note of it is on the ocarina, in C major from C4 to E4. The check is made note by note against what the instrument can actually sound.

Hot Cross Buns: ocarina notes

The large line is the note, and the drawing is its fingering β€” a filled hole or key is one that is down. A dash holds the note another beat, an underline is half a beat, and a dot beside a note makes it half as long again. Each line is one phrase.

β–Ά Play it above

Hot Cross Buns β€” ocarina notes Β· tonalics.com

The 3 notes it uses

Lowest to highest, with how many times each is played. Learn these 3 and you can play the whole tune.

  • CC4Γ—7
  • DD4Γ—7
  • EE4Γ—3

What to expect on a ocarina

  • It runs from C4 to E4, a major third, using 3 different notes. That leaves 3 semitones unused below and 13 above.
  • 94% of its moves are a step or a repeated note. The widest is a major third, C4 to E4, at note 4.
  • Its lowest note covers 10 of the 12 holes and its highest 8; the biggest change between two neighbouring notes moves 2 fingers at once.

About the tune

Hot Cross Buns began as a street cry: the call of London bakers selling spiced buns on Good Friday. It was in print as a rhyme by the end of the 18th century, and the tune it settled on is about as small as a tune can be β€” three neighbouring notes, most of it a single falling step repeated.

Traditional English street cry and nursery rhyme, 18th century. Public domain. More about Hot Cross Buns β†’

Hot Cross Buns on other instruments

The same melody, in each instrument’s own notation.

More songs for the ocarina

All 24 ocarina songs Β· Christmas songs for ocarina Β· The online ocarina on its own

Playing it on a real ocarina?

If it sounds wrong, check the instrument before the notes. The ocarina tuner listens through your microphone and names what each note is actually sounding.

πŸŽ™ Open the Ocarina Tuner