Ocarina songs

12:20 The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time has 12 songs Link plays on his ocarina, plus an optional 13th, the Scarecrow's Song. Six of them change the world around him (Zelda's Lullaby, Epona's Song, Saria's Song, Sun's Song, the Song of Time and the Song of Storms) and six are warp songs taught by Sheik, each sending Link to one of the temples (Minuet of Forest, Bolero of Fire, Serenade of Water, Nocturne of Shadow, Requiem of Spirit and Prelude of Light). In Nintendo's gameplay demonstration of the Nintendo Switch 2 remake (Sep 8, 2026), series producer Eiji Aonuma calls the ocarina "the most important item in this game", plays the Sun's Song to turn evening into day, and then hums a tune into the console: "Hum a song Link's learned, and he'll play it!" Every song is still played note by note, as in the 1998 original; the ocarina itself is an item Link carries from the first hours of the game.

Quick facts

Every song, who teaches it and what it does

Song notes

These are the button sequences of the original game as Zelda Wiki records them. On the Nintendo 64 the ocarina plays five notes, on the A Button and the four C Buttons; Ocarina of Time 3D moved them to L, R, X, Y and A. For the Nintendo Switch 2 remake, Nintendo has shown only one sequence, Zelda's Lullaby, as of Oct 14, 2026.

The Scarecrow's Song has no fixed notes: it is any eight-note tune the player makes up.

Five notes, twelve melodies

0:52 The songs replace a spell menu. 8-bit Music Theory's analysis of Sep 29, 2021 tells how the team, seeing that role-playing games of the time had players pick magic from a list, made the player perform a melody instead, and chose an ocarina for the instrument. Koji Kondo then had to write 12 separate melodies from a pool of five notes, one for each of the controller's buttons, each easy to remember, distinct from the others and suited to what it does. The five notes are D, F, A, B and D, and Zelda Wiki also credits the melodies to Kondo working with only five tones.

The six world songs

9:38 Zelda's Lullaby is the first song Link learns. After he meets Princess Zelda in the castle courtyard, her attendant Impa plays it for him on the way out, as Pure's recording of every song on the Nintendo 64 shows: "There is mysterious power in these notes", and the screen reads "You played Zelda's Lullaby!" when Link repeats it. It is the most used song in the game, played wherever the royal Triforce is drawn on the ground or a door. Princess Zelda and Sheik tells more of her story.

0:00 Epona's Song comes from Malon at Lon Lon Ranch, who sings it to the foal Epona and teaches it to child Link ("OK? This is the Song", in Pure's recording). It makes Epona trust Link; as an adult he plays it to win her from Ingo and to call her anywhere in Hyrule Field, and played to a cow it fills an empty Bottle with Lon Lon Milk.

16:00 Saria's Song is taught by Saria in the Sacred Forest Meadow, at the end of the Lost Woods. HaskieGaming's prep guide of Nov 11, 2025 explains its odd power: played anywhere, it opens a long-distance conversation with Saria, who often gives a hint when Navi's is not enough. It is needed once in the story, to lift the gloom of the Goron leader Darunia on the way to Dodongo's Cavern.

5:29 The Sun's Song is not taught by a person. Child Link reads its notes from a wall at the bottom of the Royal Family's Tomb, under Kakariko Graveyard ("Keep the Sun's Song in your heart"). It switches day and night, which matters because many events, Gold Skulltulas and shops depend on the hour, and it freezes ReDeads and Gibdos in place.

8:40 The Song of Time is Princess Zelda's message. After she throws the Ocarina of Time into the castle moat as she flees Ganondorf, Link picks it up and hears her teach him the song that "opens the Door of Time" in the Temple of Time. Later it also makes blue Time Blocks appear and vanish in the temples.

3:08 The Song of Storms is a time loop. As HaskieGaming's guide of Nov 17, 2025 shows, adult Link meets an angry man in the Kakariko Windmill who complains that a kid played a strange song there seven years ago, and teaches it to him; back in the past, child Link plays it in front of the same man, the windmill spins, and the well drains to open the Bottom of the Well. It also brings rain, opens a few grottoes and earns a Piece of Heart from the frogs of Zora's River.

The six warp songs

25:15 Every warp song is taught by Sheik, a mysterious Sheikah who meets Link after the seven-year jump. Liam Triforce's study of the soundtrack (Mar 21, 2024) notes that Sheik plays them on a harp, after a short speech about the bond each temple holds, and that each song warps Link to the place of its temple; they are longer and harder to memorize than the six world songs. Sheik teaches the Minuet of Forest in the Sacred Forest Meadow, the Bolero of Fire at the edge of Death Mountain Crater, the Serenade of Water in the Ice Cavern after Link finds the Iron Boots, the Nocturne of Shadow in a burning Kakariko Village, the Requiem of Spirit at the Desert Colossus and the Prelude of Light in the Temple of Time after the Forest Temple. Only one of them is the sole way into its temple: the Nocturne of Shadow, since the Shadow Temple's ledge above the Graveyard cannot be reached on foot. The Requiem of Spirit is the only warp song that child Link needs, to reach the Spirit Temple from the past.

The Scarecrow's Song

The Scarecrow's Song is the one song the player writes. At Lake Hylia, child Link plays any eight notes for Bonooru, one of two scarecrows by the laboratory, then plays the same tune again as an adult. From then on, playing it where Navi turns green calls up Pierre, a scarecrow that serves as a Hookshot target; a few shortcuts and secrets use it. The song is optional.

Ocarinas in the remake

3:51 The remake keeps note-by-note play and draws each song on a parchment panel. The clips from Nintendo's Japanese site, collected by Nintendo Life on Sep 9, 2026, show Young Link playing a blue ocarina with his eyes closed over panels that write out each song in button notes. Nintendo's own image of the panel for Zelda's Lullaby reads Y, X, A, Y, X, A.

11:50 The notes moved from the Nintendo 64's C Buttons to the Switch 2's face buttons and shoulder buttons. IGN's list of 40 changes (Sep 12, 2026) points out that Zelda's Lullaby's Y, X, A, Y, X, A follows the Nintendo 64's left, up, right pattern, where Ocarina of Time 3D used X, A, Y. IGN also noticed Link's fingers moving on each note, and his breath trailing off at the end of some songs.

The remake adds three ways to play that Nintendo has confirmed. According to Nintendo UK, humming a learned song within range of the Nintendo Switch 2's microphone makes Link perform it, while the buttons still work. Nintendo's Sep 8, 2026 recap says the Playable Ocarina sold on the Nintendo Store and HORI's Electric Ocarina of Time are both recognized by the game ("The game can even respond to instruments!", in Aonuma's words). And the Zelda Notes part of the Nintendo Switch App, shown in the same Direct by producer Hidemaro Fujibayashi, has a Play Ocarina mode for playing on a phone's screen, writing scores and sharing them by QR code. GameSpot also spotted a songbook and an option to skip a song in the footage; Nintendo has not described either, as of Oct 14, 2026. What's new in the remake covers the other changes.

The Fairy Ocarina no longer disappears. In the 1998 game the Ocarina of Time took the Fairy Ocarina's place on the item screen, so Link had only one at a time; in the remake, Nintendo Everything's roundup of the October previews (Oct 24, 2026) reports, Saria's ocarina and the Ocarina of Time both sit in Link's inventory once he has them, and the player chooses which one to play. Nintendo has not said whether the two play differently; the other items are on Items and equipment.

Frequently asked questions

Can you still play Saria's ocarina after getting the Ocarina of Time? In the Nintendo Switch 2 remake, yes: previews show both ocarinas in Link's inventory and let the player pick which to play (Nintendo Everything, Oct 24, 2026). In the 1998 original, the Ocarina of Time replaced the Fairy Ocarina.

How many songs are in Ocarina of Time? Ocarina of Time has 12 ocarina songs: Zelda's Lullaby, Epona's Song, Saria's Song, Sun's Song, the Song of Time, the Song of Storms and the six warp songs. The optional Scarecrow's Song, which the player composes, makes 13.

What are the notes for Zelda's Lullaby? On the Nintendo 64, Zelda's Lullaby in Ocarina of Time is C-Left, C-Up, C-Right, played twice. In the Nintendo Switch 2 remake, Nintendo's image shows it as Y, X, A, Y, X, A, and on the 3DS it was X, A, Y, X, A, Y.

What are the warp songs in Ocarina of Time? Ocarina of Time's six warp songs are the Minuet of Forest, Bolero of Fire, Serenade of Water, Nocturne of Shadow, Requiem of Spirit and Prelude of Light. Sheik teaches all six, and each warps Link near one temple.

What are the notes for the Song of Time? In Ocarina of Time on the Nintendo 64, the Song of Time is C-Right, A, C-Down, played twice; on the 3DS it is Y, L, R, Y, L, R. Nintendo has not shown the remake's version as of Oct 14, 2026.

Where do you learn the Song of Storms in Ocarina of Time? Adult Link learns the Song of Storms from the man in the Kakariko Windmill in Ocarina of Time. Child Link then plays it in the same windmill to drain the well and open the Bottom of the Well.

Can you hum the songs in the Ocarina of Time remake? Yes: in the Nintendo Switch 2 remake of Ocarina of Time, humming a song Link has learned into the console's microphone makes him play it, Nintendo says. Buttons still work, and the game also recognizes the Nintendo Store's playable ocarina and HORI's Electric Ocarina of Time.

Who composed the Ocarina of Time songs? Koji Kondo composed the music of Ocarina of Time, including all of its ocarina songs, which he wrote using only the five notes the ocarina can play.

Sources

• Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake details you may have missed, Nintendo Everything, Oct 24, 2026 (both ocarinas in the inventory)
• The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary celebration revealed in new Nintendo Direct presentation, Nintendo of America, Sep 8, 2026
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Nintendo UK, read Oct 14, 2026
• Song, Zelda Wiki (community reference), read Oct 14, 2026
• Zelda's Lullaby, Epona's Song, Saria's Song, Sun's Song, Song of Time, Song of Storms, Zelda Wiki (community reference), read Oct 14, 2026
• Minuet of Forest, Bolero of Fire, Serenade of Water, Nocturne of Shadow, Requiem of Spirit, Prelude of Light, Scarecrow's Song, Zelda Wiki (community reference), read Oct 14, 2026
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Zelda Wiki (community reference), read Oct 14, 2026
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - Mr. Aonuma Gameplay Demonstration, Nintendo of America, Sep 8, 2026 (video)
• The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Direct 9.8.2026, Nintendo of America, Sep 8, 2026 (video)
• Ocarina of Time Remake - EVEN MORE New Gameplay, Nintendo Life, Sep 9, 2026 (video)
• The 40 Biggest Changes in the Zelda: Ocarina of Time Gameplay, IGN, Sep 12, 2026 (video)
• 11 Things You Might Have Missed In Ocarina Of Time Remake, GameSpot, Sep 10, 2026 (video)
• Zelda Ocarina of Time - All Ocarina Songs, Pure, Jul 13, 2012 (video)
• How Creative Limitations Shaped Ocarina of Time's Best Music, 8-bit Music Theory, Sep 29, 2021 (video)
• Understanding the Music of Ocarina of Time, Liam Triforce, Mar 21, 2024 (video)
• Getting into Dodongo's Cavern - Ocarina of Time - Dungeon Prep Guide, HaskieGaming, Nov 11, 2025 (video)
• Getting into the Bottom of the Well - Ocarina of Time - Dungeon Prep Guide, HaskieGaming, Nov 17, 2025 (video)