Coming from SonicMule (“smule”) is a pretty ambitious and impressive new app called Ocarina ($0.99 at App Store), which allows you to essentially play your iPhone as an instrument by blowing into the microphone!
terra cotta ocarinas
playing notes in Ocarina
I just gave this App a try and was quite impressed. Obviously the loudness of the notes is controlled by how hard you are blowing into the mic – the noise created by the air hitting the mic directly correlates to the loudness of the instrument.
You control what note is playing by holding your fingers on any (or all) of the four “keys”, resembling, of course, the holes in a traditional ocarina.
settings screen
Now, this is fairly interesting on its own, and you even get the option to change the key signature of the ocarina, effectively controlling the approximate tone/mood of the notes played. Default settings are in the ionian mode starting on G. This screen also lets you name your Ocarina which is how you will be recognized in what I consider to be the coolest feature of Ocarina, the worldwide “live” view.
worldwide view
Basically, you can scroll through and listen to people who are currently playing tunes in Ocarina, worldwide. It shows their position on a rotating Earth and gives a realtime playback and visual display of the notes they’re playing. Very, very cool.
Thus, when you are playing some tunes in Ocarina, invariably someone on the other side of the world may very well be listening to your amazing (or not so amazing?) creative work!
Now, to finish off this entry, here are a couple videos of some fairly well-known songs being played with Ocarina. Needless to say, they make great promotional items for the app. 
Legend of Zelda:
Led Zeppelin – Stairway to Heaven:
