Asheville Moog Music Workshop Highlights

Posted: 3/11/2007 8:48:01 PM
Thomas Grillo

From: Jackson Mississippi

Joined: 8/13/2006

Here are some highlights of the performance by Pamelia Kurstin at the Joli Rouge, and work shop at Moog Music over the weekend of the 10th of march, 2007.

Friday night, at 11 pm, at the Joli Rouge which is painted red inside, and out, and has a scull and crossbones for it's logo on the sign out front, two bands perfomred. First up was Juan Prophet Organization, followed by Barbez, and the amazing Pamelia Kurstin. I got lucky, and spoke with Kurstin prior to the prerformance. I got a sneak preview of the workshop, and learned a lot about techniques. She was also interviewed before the performance by a private videographer, who also shot the performances, and work shop in coordination with Moog Music.

I was lucky enough to stand only 5 feet away from Kurstin's performance. I was able to learn a lot just from watching her performance from close up.

I also ran into a woman by the name of Schilinger who clamied to know the Theremins personally. Sadly, before I could find out more, I lost track of her due to the crowd, and my vision.

On Saturday, at Moog Music, I showed up early, and helped set up theremins.

Pamelia gave a wonderfully informative lecture, and demonstration of techniques covering all the bases of the theremin techniques, and theory. I learned that just eating something can change your capacitence enough to make you retune, amung other things in the first hour. It was pretty much what was on the E Pro DVD, only more detailed. The workshop was geared toward those who had never experienced the theremin before, but there was something for all levels of experienced thereminists to enjoy.

In the second hour we broke up into small groups of 2 or 3 to a theremin. There were 6 or 7 theremins set up all over the plant. We used E Standards. Everyone had a chance to mess with theremins who never touched, or "not touched" one before. It was a learning experience for all.

I took my modified antennae with me, and showed them to Amos who has been eagerly following my research and development efforts to solve the chirp on touch problem of the standards. He, and everyone was impressed when he put them on his own brighly painted theremin, and played, i mean experimented with them.

After the work shop, while waiting for my cab, plant manager, Mike Peo was kind enough to wait with me for my cab. In that time he mentioned the coming transformation of not only the E Pro, but the E Standard as well. We may know something by mid sumer of this year, but he did not go into details as finalized plans have not been set yet. He comfirmed that the steam bent curved tiger maple on the pro had a high reject rate from breakage in the bending process, and the pitch arm has a 1 in 5 reject rate due to wobbling problems. It's that hard to make a Pro.

He would only clue me in that the methods of manufacture would be more efficient.

I hope Moog Music does the work shop again.

I learned a lot, and it was indeed a chance of a lifetime, I could not turn down.
Posted: 3/11/2007 9:07:42 PM
DiggyDog

From: Jax, FL

Joined: 2/14/2005

Wow! I did not know they were changing the E-Standard as well.

It sounds like you had a great time.
Posted: 3/11/2007 9:32:02 PM
Thomas Grillo

From: Jackson Mississippi

Joined: 8/13/2006

I really did enjoy it all there.

I, and a few others who had some experience with the theremin were volunteered by Moog Music to help guide the newcomers through some of the basics of aereal fingering.

My left handed pupil was having a tough time comprehending by just watching, and then trying, so I came up with a quick method simalar to what Leon Theremin did when he stood behind a student, and moved their arms with his on hands. Only in my method, I simplified things by having my left handed pupil stand on the other side of the theremin from me, and mirror exactly what I was doing with my right handed playing. It worked better than I thaught, and in minutes, she had a working grasp of where the notes lived in space around the antenna.

I did take some pictures of the workshop, but my first camera did not work at the performance at the Joli Rouge. I wanted to shoot video, but my camera is down. Damit!

At least I had my memory to share the experience with y'all.
Posted: 3/11/2007 11:32:43 PM
Brian R

From: Somerville, MA

Joined: 10/7/2005

Thomas, thanks for reporting and sharing your experiences!
Posted: 3/12/2007 9:00:32 AM
Thomas Grillo

From: Jackson Mississippi

Joined: 8/13/2006

Not a problem. It would have been a sin for me to go all that way, and do what only a select few will ever get to do in their lives, and not share it with y'all.
Posted: 3/12/2007 12:13:19 PM
Thomas Grillo

From: Jackson Mississippi

Joined: 8/13/2006

One of the little things I learned while at Moog Music, was that you can put the E Standard into standby mode by simply draping the audio cord right over the volume antenna. This was done with all those theremins at the work shop to keep them from sounding off when guests entered the rooms where the theremins were.
Posted: 3/12/2007 1:22:13 PM
kkissinger

From: Kansas City, Mo.

Joined: 8/23/2005

Did the folks at Moog Music say anything about a possible Ethermusic 2007 Festival?
Posted: 3/12/2007 2:17:36 PM
buddy_craigg

From: Kansas City MO USA

Joined: 11/26/2006

[i]you can put the E Standard into standby mode by simply draping the audio cord right over the volume antenna[/i]
something i caugh on to by watching video of others... it's so simple, but i would have never thought of it myself.

that's why i'm going to be the the front row when pamila is in KC next week. to try to learn as many tricks that i can. i also have the added bonus of Kevin being in my town.
Posted: 3/12/2007 4:30:06 PM
GordonC

From: Croxley Green, Hertfordshire, UK

Joined: 10/5/2005

[i]it's so simple, but i would have never thought of it myself[/i]

I discovered it by accident on the 6th of December last year. Took me twenty minutes to figure out why my instrument wasn't working, five minutes to feel like an idiot and one minute to realise that actually it was quite a neat trick.
Posted: 3/12/2007 4:51:15 PM
Thomas Grillo

From: Jackson Mississippi

Joined: 8/13/2006

I had the same thing happen, only in my case the volume antenna was too close to my keyboard.

Hey, is it possible to post photos on these forums? Because I just got the few pics I was able to "make" that stupid disposable cam take back. I got one of Amos, and one of Kurstin, as well as one of the front door of Moog Music, and one of the outside of the Joli Rouge.

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