The Ocarina iPhone application by Smule is the first true native instrument designed specifically for the iPhone and currently one of the most popular paid downloads. Ocarina is an instrument made by famous hugely popular Zelda game on Nintendo 64. It is easy to imagine the instrument as something resembling to flute.
How Ocarina iPhone App works
The Ocarina app essentially turns the iPhone into a digitized version of the instrument. When you open the Ocarina application you are presented with the ‘Ocarina’ screen which is the format in which you generate music. The screen presents four circles of holes placing your fingers over which, you can create different notes and tones of different combinations. A Note is produced by blowing into the microphone which creates sound. It is sensitive to how hard you blow. When you blow soft, you get a quiet note and when you blow hard you get a louder note. The four holes give you a total range of 16 notes. To create vibrato quality you just need to tilt you iPhone forward or to the side.
Features of Ocarina iPhone App
- Blow air into your mic to create music
- It is sensitive to breath, touch and movements Ocarina is more versatile than an actual flute.
- Ocarina app for iPhone has the ability to view a virtual 3D map of the world and hear in time what others are playing.
Advantages
The Ocarina “sheet music” is very easy to read and simply shows the finger positions for each note of the song. Though many of the songs on the website are in a different key and in different modes, both the key and mode of the Ocarina can be changed within the application and it is necessary to do so if you want to be able to play certain songs. It can skip between users and the globe will rotate to show the position of the person playing with virtual notes emanating skyward from their location. You can rate your favorite performances and can share it with your family and friends via email. You can record and archive your favorite performances on your own “My Ocarina” web page.
Conclusion
Ocarina app for iPhone is most of a massive novelty than anything else and it turns your iPhone into an ancient flute. With no training required, you will blow away your friends and family with your new talent.
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