How to Make Medieval Ocarina - Gemshorn

Ocarinas have been around for thousands of years. This specific type - the gemshorn became popular in medieval Europe during the Middle Ages. I am using a cow horn as a material, but horns of other animals were used as well.
If you decide to make one yourself and you are just out of cow horns right now, yo ucan use other materials - hollow wood or plastic pipe with one end closed will work as well.
Music - Harbor City at Night (from Risen by Kai Rosenkranz)

[@normalcitizen_1]

Really cool projekt, definitely going to try this with the spare horns I have laying around.

[@maglev_]

love the instrument videos

[@JJChWorkshop]

Thank you mate, I´ll keep them coming

[@JJChWorkshop]

Hope you like the video everyone! I did detailed video tutorial for making wooden flutes some time ago, you can check it out here - kzbin.info/www/bejne/iIfZeGaHnbSea6c In case you are interested in a a similiar video tutorial on making ocarinas or gemshorns - how to tune them, get your desired tone, shape the mouth piece etc. Let me know down in the comments! Cheers and keep the crafts alive.

[@normalcitizen_1]

A video on tuning and maybe some simple songs with this instrument would definitely be appreciated

[@vitinhoaps]

I would like to see how you tuned and the roles distances

[@JJChWorkshop]

@@vitinhoaps Hello mate, your best starting point is to watch the isntructions on tuning flutes on my channel, most things will apply for gemshorn and ocarinas as well.

[@kaiabea280]

Wow that’s amazing! And it sounds so beautiful!

[@JJChWorkshop]

Thanks Kaia, the forest ambience and its echo really improved the final sound

[@nicomoist5336]

I love this so much! I would love to make one if I had the tools or skill lmao But thank you regardless for the video! I recently found out about this instrument and I fell in love. Maybe one day I'll either build it or I'll buy it.

[@paleofit2318]

Beatiful sound

[@ravequeenellisd2680]

So beautiful

[@JJChWorkshop]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@zefdin101]

Very cool

[@aruuuba]

So beautiful video, thank you!

[@JJChWorkshop]

Thank you too!

[@joshuacini3129]

Good work and good tools.

[@JJChWorkshop]

Thanks! 👍

[@katana364]

I think I need to make one of these as a gift.

[@kelvinsparks4651]

Very satisfying result, well done. I have a smaller cow I'm going to give this a try with , that's after i done the deer leg bone flute lol .

[@JJChWorkshop]

You might consider making one from plastic pipe first, if this is your first time making ocarina-style instrument, so you don´t ruin your cow horn. Good luck!

[@Mgr.PiotrKogut]

OSOM STUFF -U R THE MAN!!! THANX

[@monerochad5211]

Nice video, man!

[@JJChWorkshop]

Glad you enjoyed it mate!

[@bearshield7138]

Nice job sweet sound

[@JJChWorkshop]

Glad you like it!

[@rustymeadows3482]

Thank you

[@JJChWorkshop]

You're welcome

[@flapyninja5907]

super cool, didn't see this video until now. still cool though

[@ericlondon5731]

Final seen : An angry one horned bull rushes towards our craftsman from out of the woods ........

[@86Vash]

Hi! Wonderful sound! 🤩 Which horn is it? Maybe cow?

[@JJChWorkshop]

Correct! It is a cowhorn

[@86Vash]

@@JJChWorkshop thank you 😊

[@apartmentwoodworking1661]

Great as always! What is the tunning?

[@JJChWorkshop]

Thanks, the tunning is "B minor pentatonic" Which means that the ocarina plays B-D-E-F#-A. It can´t play full (chromatic) scale, but with bigger horn it can be done. Smaller horns like this, don´t offer enough space for all the holes required.

[@nickpoodoo]

We need to get this man so chisels so he doesn't have to baton wood with that poor knife lol

[@hinterland_official]

😉👍😁

[@JJChWorkshop]

💪😁

[@sironavibes5628]

Very beautiful, how do you tune it and how do you know where the holes should be and how big the holes should be? I make wodden branch Flutes since 3 months (soul Flutes) , they are looking very nice but the sound, hmm I don't know. 😅 You should play them intuitive, not with notes. It is not so easy. I am from Austria, we have lot of chamois here, some capricorn,... but it is very difficult to get a horn, because the hunters keep them for trophies. In our country the most sheep, cattle and goat become dehorned in conventional Agriculture 😢

[@JJChWorkshop]

Hi Sirona, tunning of the gemshorn is kinda difficult, I may do a seperate video one day. For start, I recomend checking out videos on my channel about tunning flutes - most things will apply to gemhorns (and soul flutes) as well. Regarding the horn availability - chamoi and capricorn horns would make amazing bass gemshorns. But in case it is difficult to get them you may try to contact cattle farmers. They motly throw cow horns away, so you may get them for free. Asking people from Slaughterhouse may be an option too. Either way, good luck with your craft!

[@sironavibes5628]

@@JJChWorkshop Thank you very much for your answer. I hope you can post sometimes a video about tuning here. 👍😊🍀

[@juancarlostorosaavedra8786]

Beautiful, does it have a historical basis or is it just an ocarina that you created with your imagination??? I am looking for information on Viking instruments. Greetings.

[@brokebassoon]

The gemshorn dates back to at least the 15th century in Germany. A handful of illustrations of the instrument popped up between the 1480s and 1530s, seemingly all in what is now Southern Germany. After that it disappeared.

[@blackroses6315]

do you sell your wooden ocarinas?

[@JJChWorkshop]

Hello there mate, I used to, but I am really busy with my house reconstruction right now, hopefully I will go back to making instruments next year.

[@mekongbaby]

May I ask: I want to use your mathematics from that awesome flute building video to mark holes on a bent horn. Which length should I use to calculate, the longest or the shortest length? Thanks in advance an best regards from southern denmark!

[@JJChWorkshop]

Hello there, you can use the same math, for the total length measure line going through the middle of the horn (it doesnt matter, if the horn/flute is straight or not,). One tip though - horns are usually not hollow all the way, so make sure to not measure the whole length of the horn, only the part that is atually hollow.

[@TinoTheBear]

Awesome..❤.. Do you sell ?

[@bruceallan8548]

how do you know where to put the holes for all the notes to be in key?

[@sergiosergio4163]

Всё очень просто, берëте заготовку в руки и где вашим пальчикам удобно находиться отмечайте точками под каждый пальчик, а остальное дело техники.. Включаете тюнер и от того звука который выдаëт заготовка начинаете настраивать свой музыкальный инструмент начиная с маленького сверла расверливая его до нужно звука(ноты) тюнер подскажет. Удачи!

[@GuildofKnightlyArts]

How do you determine the spacing for finger holes?

[@JJChWorkshop]

I have full tutorial on making flutes on my channel (together with the mathematic way of calculating the spacings). The technique is basically the saem for gemshorn.