The Cattle Drive

One warebulls path to sonic bliss and bothered cats.

So here goes...

Well my paia is sill in parts ... it didn't look like I'd ever actual put it together [my lazyness - not paia's fault ... so I ordered an etherwave from insrtamentpro.com (the long story is in the general section someplace).

Well my working power supply came today and I cud finally start playing the thing.

I was expecting the pitch to be all over the place al la Jerry Lewis. Nope. Actually steady. A was also worried about me big fat belly - not a problem also. No pitch reference however (but you all know that already). Moreover, I can play songs [Amazing Grace, MosCOW nights] that are almost recognizable with only a few extra notes thrown in. I know I am playing only relatively. I really have know idea what the actual pitch is!

It is annoying the cats - they don't like it especially when I have the pitch really really high. I have a love hate relation with them. The have a love hate relation with the cowtch.

So now to try it with a cowmatic tuna and see how bad I am, or try the midi + synth > scope on one axis and the Theremin on the other.

The video is good that came with is good. Most little segments of moosic are within like a first and a fifth for large parts of the sound (or have large jumps) so the aerial fingering seems like a good thing. I will see if I can get the hoofs to do that. Maybe I can play lightly row. I should try.

I need to get a lower Theremin stand ]:8( but for now I will make do.

Well back to bothering the meow types.

So today I am starting to study for real. I dragged my Kawai K1R and this laptop out and have it playing C-E-G-C'-G-E-C over and over and over. I'm trying to match it on the etherewave.
My right hand is getting tired and I need to look at a different position. It's the holding it up that is bad. Reverse from dulcimer or keying or even bassoon.
It is actualy quite hard to hit that pitch. I'm trying to use the "positions" and open my hand to get the 3rd and the 5th but I find I'm not in tune when I close it. I guess that will come in time. The left had is good - but I am mooving the right with it slighly - and that is not good as well.
The cats still hate it.

Your theremin may be positioned too high off the ground causing you to expend energy holding your arms up.

Try this...

Picture yourself at a reception standing while holding a cup of coffee... now... adjust the height of your Theremin so that you can play all but the lowest and highest notes from that arm position.

OTay as I stated someplace (this very thread I think) - I thought it was to high. I'm using a bOOM mike stand with the bOOM vertical. Ahh --- I can take the bOOM part off and viola! A six inch lower stand that fits into the bottom of the etherewave! Kewl! (I have boom mike stands 'cause they is essential for recording of the dulcimooers)

Well … I took the Etherwave to the family dinner yesterday. And I guess I need to improve. The family said the tunes were musical … but no one guessed what they were. On the other hand someone did get the “Blue Danube” over the phone. The space was rather cramped however so I guess I have an excuse … but is probably mostly my bad playing. All had a good time playing with it.

Yesterday (Wednesday) was a good day.
I got the project:pimento cd
They are so good!

I also signed up for voice lessions - for the Theremin. I expressly stated I didn't want the voice lessions for me to sing - but to get better with ear training for my theremin - and they said that was "OK". So we will see what happens!

Oh I took the Project: Pemento CD to the dentests. The loved it. ( I had them put it on the office CD player ). They said it made them relaxed!

From your description, I'd recommend that you s-l-o-o-o-w-w-w-w-w down the computer/synth accompaniment... Give yourself PLENTY of time to match each pitch... enough time that you're always a little bored waiting for the computer/synth to move to the next pitch.

Once you can nail EACH note accurately this way (and are always ready in advance for the next pitch), THEN try speeding up your accompaniment, a little bit... repeat, rinse, repeat, until your intonation is reliably impeccable, even at faster speeds.

By the way, I agree that it's an excellent idea to develop your ear through singing... per discussion in the "composing for theremin" thread, when you sing, you can't fall back on instrumental fingering to find the approximate pitch... instead, it all has to come from your ear (that is to say, your brain). Once you've honed that, you'll be in great shape for theremin!

Though don't be surprised if theremin still poses a challenge... I don't have absolute pitch, but I have excellent relative pitch. When I try singing the Rakhmaninov "Vocalise," I can reliably get from beginning to end and stay on pitch... but when I try it on theremin, a host of teensy errors gradually add up, such that I finish a good step sharp or flat from where I started. D'oh!

But weep not for me. I've just created an accompanimental track in Sibelius, and will convert it to audio any day now... and yes, for starters, I've set the tempo MUCH slower than performance speed.

Thanks therecoster.
Yah don't play (um practice) faster than the slowest part you can play! At the lession yesterday I matched pitch spot on when singing and almost as well when playing the Theremin. Playing with somthing is not so hard ... it's just playing "acapella" or I guess it should be "acaThere" that is the issue. I have started taking the whole package at the Oceanside Acadamy of Performing Arts. The emphisis will be on my playing Theremin. For my voice lessions we will split 50:50 with voice and theremin. The instructor is very interested in this project (or my money but it seemed more like this project). I'm also getting about 1/2 hour music dictation per week which should help my ear as well. (Plus some other stuff like piano. I'm not so sure I'll continue with piano. It's not realy what I'm after ... and will take time from everything else)

The theremin tehnique will have to come from elseware of course - videos and the forums. I showed them my version of "ariel fingering" when one of the instructors was trying to play and was having a hardtime getting 2nds. He was impressed and the lightbulbe went on that there is an actual technique to this. There is even talk of getting the Acadamy to get there own theremin. The "Moog" displayed prominently on the theremin and carry bag seemed to carry some weight. But I will not be holding my breath!

Another weard thing. My theremin was shipped on the anaversary of Lev's death. My Theremin World sweat shirt arrived just before my lession and I had it on for the lession. Wow it's so comfy!

Well today was fun. Rather than practice my scales and arpegioes I just played around. When I went to my lession on Thorsday there were some calf types (you humans call them goats ... um kids) and they were sitting at the piano playing "What do you do with a drunken sailor" [reminds me I gotta find the words to the "durnken Vulkin" version] - four of them at once. It was cute. It got me inspired ... so I was playing that and then singing ... and then before I knew it I was playing harmony to my singing. Like WOW. That never happened on the dulcimooer - I had a hard time just making stuff up to harmonise when I sung. But this was like ... "if you can whistle a tune you can play ...!" It wasn't perfect of course - but it sure was fun! What was the key - I turned the dang thing up on the amp! I have had it as soft as I cud ... but no­Ž®±y moooore. As the shape note singers say - "Loud is good!"