What are the skills needed to be a master ocarina maker?
To me, the first requirement is a love for the instrument, a high degree of respect for the ocarina and its musical potential, a belief that the ocarina is a serious musical instrument worthy of virtuoso musicians. You know, we tend to hit what we set our sites on, so if you view the ocarina as a musical toy or a video game novelty, your ocarina making results are going to reflect that. You’ll settle for mediocrity. Along the same lines, I think that a master ocarina maker will always be focused on making their present products better. For that reason, you need the dogged determination and perseverance to go beyond good enough to great because designing really exceptional instruments is a slow, patient process, an ongoing process and not one that gets set in stone. Of course, the realities of life demand that we run our businesses and sell enough instruments to survive, so obviously you can’t spend all your time experimenting. Still, it’s important to realize that just about anything c
