These directions assume you’re right-handed. If you’re a leftie, it may be easier to reverse the references to the hands in this step as well as the following hands (i. e. , turn your right hand in this step, etc. )
There should now be a thin gap between your thumbs just a few millimeters wide. This is the sound hole — it’s where you’re blow air into the ocarina and also where the whistling noise will come out.
Do not vocalize in an attempt to make the bird call with your vocal cords (i. e. , saying “ooh” or “ahh” as you blow). Blow noiselessly as if trying to get an empty bottle to whistle.
The “seal” around your ocarina may not be tight enough. Try adjusting the shape of your hands to close gaps around the edges. You don’t have to squeeze tight — just make sure you aren’t letting any air out. The noise hole may not be quite the right shape. Try moving your thumbs closer together to make the hole a little narrower. You may not be blowing in the right place. Try moving your lips up and down slightly or widening the “o” formed by your lips. Remember, you want to blow into the top half of the slit between your thumbs.
Note that this is difficult to do without causing your whistle to turn into an undesirable “rushing air” noise. You’ll need to keep a good seal between your hands, lift your finger only slightly, and support the note with plenty of air. It can take as long to learn how to do this as it takes to learn how to make the whistle in the first place.
Making a bigger space (moving your hands apart) will produce a lower-pitched sound. Making a smaller space (moving your hands together) will produce a higher-pitched sound.
Experienced harmonica players use a technique called a “draw bend” to change notes’ pitches. You can get a similar effect by pulling your tongue to the back of your mouth as you blow to “bend” the tone of your note downwards. This takes practice![3] X Research source
