Want to talk to theremin players around Albany, NY

Hi everyone.

There comes a point in every self-respecting musician's life...a point when he decides he needs a theremin. That point arrived for me on Sunday, after hearing the playing of Jason Smeltzer.

I am in the process of selecting an instrument, but before I get too far, I'd love to get together with someone within a couple hours' drive of Albany, NY, who'd be willing to let me hear how their theremin sounds and perhaps tell me if there's anything I should know about its care and feeding. (If said person feels up to giving me a quick intro lesson when the time comes, that's even better!)

So...anyone out there in the Albany area who wants to help corrupt...er...I mean initiate an aspiring thereminist? Let me know!

BTW, since this is my first post, I'll say a few words by way of introduction. I'm a professional musician (violin, piano, composition, other stuff), and I do Web development between gigs. I've been interested in the theremin for a while, but I finally decided I had to do something about it. While I wouldn't at all mind making spooky noises, I would ultimately like to play classical-style repertoire on it (hopefully including original compositions if I get inspired!). You can check out my website (http://www.marnen.org) (yeah, it needs updating) or the MySpace page of one of my bands (http://www.myspace.com/flyingromanos) if you'd like more information...

Anyway, hope to hear from someone local soon!
--
Marnen Laibow-Koser
Web developer / Composer
Albany, NY, US

Welcome to Theremin World, Marnen.

While you're waiting for the local guys to wake up, here's some stock advice.

A Moog Etherwave Standard or Plus is probably the best first choice if your budget permits. It has quite a brassy tone. The pitch preview on the Plus is good if you don't want the audience to hear you searching for that first note. The CV facilities are mostly for synth-heads. You also want a mike stand and an amp that accepts line-level input. The one Moog supply is not so great.

Lessons are a good idea but hard to find and will probably involve serious travelling. Take lessons (and advice) from someone whose work you admire. If you haven't arranged your annual vacation yet take a look at Barbara Buchholz's Theremin Workshops (http://theremin-workshop.com/).

As a non-classical thereminist I am always happy to corrupt newcomers. :-)
http://youtube.com/gordoncharlton

GordonC wrote:
"A Moog Etherwave Standard or Plus is probably the best first choice if your budget permits. It has quite a brassy tone."

So I've heard. I may end up going with a B3 Deluxe, though, since I don't really have a lot of money to spend right now.

"The pitch preview on the Plus is good if you don't want the audience to hear you searching for that first note."

Right.

"The CV facilities are mostly for synth-heads."

Indeed. At some point I'd like to play with those features, which means an Etherwave Standard that I could later upgrade to a Plus is an attractive idea.

"You also want a mike stand and an amp that accepts line-level input. The one Moog supply is not so great"

Thanks for the advice. I take it this are typically RCA in, 1/4" out?

"Lessons are a good idea, but hard to find, and will probably involve serious travelling."

Yes, I know (although I suspect I know a couple of people who might be willing). I may just go for a quick intro session with someone more experienced, then learn from videos and experimentation. Not sure yet.

"Take lessons from someone who's work you admire. If you haven't arranged your annual vacation yet, take a look at Barbara Buchholz's Theremin Workshops."

I'll keep those in mind. They have certainly seemed interesting.

"As a non-classical thereminist I am always happy to corrupt newcomers. :-)
http://youtube.com/gordoncharlton"

Your descriptions of what you do with the theremin are fascinating, and I look forward to listening to some of your work!

Heh, heh. I do rather enjoy the more assertive side of theremin playing. Clara Rockmore said something along the lines of "Don't forget that you are dealing with the air! Think of your fingers as delicate butterfly wings, and you will get much further than if you use strength." In real life I don't [i]actually[/i] stamp on pretty butterflies, but musically speaking...

Which is probably why I love the etherwave's strident tones. The closest I have got to capturing them in a recording is probably the first four seconds of Bouncing Blumfeld (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdL_FB2ZP10&fmt=18). It loses a bit in youTube transcoding, but it's the closest I've heard, IMO. Play LOUD and not on your laptop's speakers!


(1/4" mono, not RCA.)

Hi Marnen,

I own a Burns B3 Deluxe and I'm quite happy with it. Dan Burns' customer service is very good.

It's probably not as linear in response as the Moog Etherwave I've played, but it's quite usable. (I've only been playing six months and I'm getting the hang of it very well.) The tone is very round and sweet (almost a pure triangle wave), and there's no waveshaping control. I bought a Behringer UltraFuzz pedal to get a sharper tone when I want it. Since you want to play classical, you'd have less call for that kind of sound. The B3 has a very nice sounding voice for classical music.

I have two other Behringer pedals I use with the B3, a Vintage Delay and a Space-C. The delay is just a straight echo pedal, and every theremin needs an echo! (It's like every electric guitar needs an amp to go with it.) Besides giving it a fuller more pleasing sound, a little bit of echo-delay mixed into the theremin voice helps "detune" the notes somewhat and gives you a bit more "wiggle room" (quite literally!) for hitting the exact pitches.

The Space-C is a subtle chorus pedal, and it turns the monophonic output of the B3 into "pseudo" stereo for a much fuller sound. I recommend it (or it's predecessor, the Boss Dimension-C) for theremin players who want a fuller, thicker sound but don't want the up-and-down "sweep" of a traditional chorus pedal.

I got all three pedals for $30 each on eBay.

I believe the B3 Deluxe Pro has a preview-mute feature (and a fancy wooden case) for less money than the E-Wave Pro.

The output of the B3 is a high-impedance, unbalanced line-level signal, much the same as an electric guitar with active electronics. You can plug the output of a B3 into a combo amp (a keyboard amp is a better match than a guitar or bass amp) or directly into a stereo system with the right adapters (1/4" mono Y-cabled to a pair of RCAs). I use a small mixer with mine, either going right into my computer's audio-to-USB adapter to record, or to a high-end satellite/subwoofer system for live.

Thomas Grillo has some nice YouTube videos playing classical music on the B3, so check those out if you haven't already.

Thanks for the recommendations on effect pedals (I am planning to get some to use with my violin anyway, so why not try them with the theremin?).

I have heard some of Thomas Grillo's classical B3 playing, and in his hands it seems like quite a nice-sounding instrument.