Hello World! ...and advice needed about buying a theremin/i

Wow congrats!

I hope you enjoy a lot and let us know your experience and share with us your impressions with the mini.

I played Do-Re-Mi! I'm a star! Lol! I honestly love it! I'm not a musician and cannot read music ( yet ), but the theremini is so enjoyable that I want to keep playing. I'm not using the pitch correction yet because I don't want it to handicap me. I will use it if needed. I'm glad I got it. 

Great! Only 4 notes left! :p

Does it sound like an actual theremin? I need to know! :D 

Since the Theremini is not a real Theremin, but a simple gesture controlled wavetable synthesizer, you shouldn't expect it to sound like an original Theremin with heterodyning oscillators. What you can also see from the many Theremini videos on youtube is that it is impossible to play with true musical expression. The small volume loop does not allow a differentiated and sophisticated expression from pianissimo to fortissimo, so it is rather a simple on-off thing compared to professional theremins where slight movements of the left hand at 30cm/12inch above the volume loop have still an audible effect.

Unfortunately, most people think that they can play the Theremin if they manage to play a melody more or less in tune. They don't understand that this is only the lowest, most basic level and that making music is much more than just playing a series of tones. After that as on every other music instrument, there arise questions about dynamics, expression, shaping tones and phrases, etc.

Clara Rockmore, the "Grande Dame" of the Theremin said that it takes years of study and hard work to master this instrument. Thus it's really a bad idea to start on such a cheap and crappy toy like the Theremini. For only 100$ more, you can get an Etherwave Standard which comes much closer to what is considered to be a theremin by professional musicians and which can be still extended and upgraded to meet even semi-professional requirements. Thus there is really no reason to waste your money on the Theremini - a German proverb says that who buys too cheap buys twice.

I'm glad that I understand that it is the lowest most basic level. That's exactly what I need. Once I have mastered my own expressions and become more familiar with the pitch, I will then be able to start learning music. Then, when the Theremini has taught me all it can, I will upgrade. The idea is to provide a teaching instrument that allows the student to grow. So far, it's working. 

I don't think it sounds exactly like an  etherwave, but I LOVE it!

Hey Crafty,

An American proverb - why settle for one when you can have two?

I have a Theremini and I love it (it's no toy to me). I have an Etherwave and I love it too. I get different things from each. It's all relative. If I was new to music, the only question I would be asking myself right now is: Am I having fun? Am I learning? The Theremini has just as much to teach you as does the Theremin (but they are two different roads that at some point will diverge). You just have to look at what it all is you want to learn.

Sure it does not respond exactly like an Etherwave or sound exactly like it - but there is still a lot you can learn from the Theremini if you are new to music. Like setting quantization to full and playing all the scales so you can get used to what they all sound like. You can learn about MIDI. You can experiment with sound creation and can learn about subtractive and additive synthesis if you get the app. You can share sounds with friends. You can see your pitch with the tuner which may help you. You can experiment with different digital delays and how they affect the sound. 

The key issue for you right now should be - are you having fun! Not that the Theremini doesn't sound or act exactly like a theremin. If you really get into it and your goal becomes strictly wanting to play melodies on the Theremin with as much expression as possible then you are right, you can get an analog theremin later. But there is also a world to learn and experiment with at your fingertips with the Theremini.

And we never know what kind of improvements and enhancements Moog will add to new firmware updates that might add even more features, fun and maybe improved response to the Theremini.

I hope you enjoy your musical adventure. 

Rich

Rich, Thank you for your words of encouragement. I am having a BLAST! I can see myself buying an analog theremin (or two) down the road. The theremini has definitely given me the self confidence to learn to play such a difficult instrument. I will most definitely take all of your advice. 

Christina

Here's a bit of things I did to make it a bit easier to play but still retain the "theremin-ness". And I firmly believe the Theremini will help you with your theremin technique - especially getting used to hitting notes.

The range on the Theremini can go quite large. I set mine to 3 octaves to play things that have a limited range - say C3-C6. You can try four octaves too. The distance between notes is not that much different. The new firmware makes a range like this have a feel for hitting notes very much like the Etherwave to me.

What I then did (I started with an Etherwave but if you don't want to use pitch correction for a while) is put on some slow music and just try to play along with it. Slower the better for now. That will get you used to matching pitches as you try an hit the notes you are playing along with. You can ever watch them in the pitch display that may help give you a feel for what notes are going on as you play.

Of all the instruments out there, I can't think of one that is better suited to someone who does not read music. If you can sing it, theoretically you can or eventually will be able to play it with practice. You are singing with your hands. (All this has been said by many others many times). When I started, for two weeks all I did was just play along to music to get used to hitting pitches in a totally analog pitch field.

Of course, you may want to do more than just play melodies. The Theremini is great for improvising to all those scale patterns. You can put on some jazz and dial up the right key and mode and you can jam almost immediately with the Theremini. That could take years starting out with the theremin. Then you can set some really cool sounds and play with those too when you get board of just practicing hitting notes. 

Of course, all this doesn't make it better than a theremin if all you want to do is learn the theremin but variety is a good thing when practicing. If you really get into the theremin part of it then I can see a theremin is in your future too.

Good luck and keep at it. It's quite rewarding once you start getting the feel for it.

Rich