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Alternate Fingerings -After becoming confident with the fingerings on the chart that came with your ocarina, be open to alternate fingerings when the need arises. As with many woodwinds, the chromatic notes on the ocarina can usually be fingered in different ways to suit the demands of a particular passage of music. (Alternate fingerings are not provided on the fingering chart because many beginners are overwhelmed by this concept.) For example, I often finger the Bb by covering only the two thumb holes and the left middle finger instead of following the fingering chart. In many instances, this fingering is smoother. An alternate low Eb fingering is to cover all the tone holes except the right index finger hole. Using this Eb fingering in conjunction with the one suggested on the fingering chart makes playing "Greensleeves" much easier. Alternate fingerings for the high Eb are to cover only the right thumb hole or to half cover only the left thumb hole. Both the F# and the G# can use the right middle finger when played in rapid succession. Though only appropriate for certain songs, I occasionally play a staccato high F by blowing harder to raise the pitch of the high E by half a step. Because the note is high-pitched and hard-blown, you don’t want to sustain it, but it works in a pinch. On certain very fast songs, I play the low C sharp by fingering a low D and partially covering the fipple window with the right index finger just as when playing the low B. With practice, shading the fipple window becomes very easy. (Of course, you can’t do this on the big C ocarina.) There are other potential fingerings, but these are the ones that I have used. If the idea of alternate fingerings sound confusing, don’t fret. Just be aware of the possibilities and come back to it when you feel ready.