Roll Call - 2012

A decision on which theremin technique feels most "natural" and gives you maximum pitch control, can only be made AFTER you have a theremin.

You might as well practice brain surgery on a grapefruit.

Thanks for the tips concerning amps. I'll include that into my considerations. 

@coalport: To me, there is a bit more than the interaction with the theremin. When I stretch out my fingers, they easily overstretch (usually I don't even notice that) and the knuckles “lock” to that position.  Getting them unlocked is sometimes not that easily and certainly not a smooth movement I could control. When I try to aviod that overstretching and locking, my movements get cramped. I already found out, that this is worse when tip my thumb and index finger together. So, when copying Thomas Grillo, for example, the locking is quite bad. But with a more open hand and more swaying movements rather than distinct finger jumps, I hardly ever have that problem. If what in the above sense feels most comfortable to me will work on the theremin, I'll certainly can only see when I get one.

That is what I ment with “motorical abilities”. – Sorry, should have explained that before.  

I had the occasion not only to test but also to demonstrate the new B3 pro in public during the Hands Off 2011 festival in Scarborough/GB.

Thanks to the new and better antennas, the pitch and the volume response are greatly improved compared to earlier variants with the thin volume loop and the telescopic pitch antenna. Although the B3 pro is still not as linear as a well tuned Etherwave Standard or Plus theremin, I had lots of fun playing it. The usable pitch range is somewhat more than 5 octaves which may be enough for most pieces of the classical theremin repertoire. There are people who prefer the B3 series theremins because of their smoother sound while others find it whiny, it's a matter of personal taste.

The Moog Etherwave theremin has additional controls which allow to vary the timbre of the instrument. This spectrum of variation gets still broader when installing the ESPE01 module which also extends the pitch range and improves the linearity. So it will not only be suited for playing all those nice tunes of the "every thereminist goes through that"-collection but will also have its place in contemporary compositions and experimental music.

In my eyes there is most times no need to take the more expensive "Plus" variant, as long as you don't need the additional cv outputs at the bootom of the instrument which are intended to control analogue synthesizers. Most people decide for the Plus only because of the (modest) headphone output which does alone not justify the price difference. Taking the cheaper "Standard" which has exactly the same main circuit board and invest some money into a small but powerful active studio monitor speaker (like the Yamaha MSP3) which you install on a mic stand in ear heigth behind your head (similar to Clara Rockmore's diamond speaker) will give more impressive results.

If you plan to go for the ESPE01 module, you may order your Etherwave with the module already installed at ethermagic.eu, the online shop of TW member, thereminist and theremin dealer Wilco Botermans.

However you decide, welcome here and have fun with your theremin!

Hello all,

I've been reading and hearing about theremins and have occassionally played one.

For school I'm writing a report about them, but I haven't got enough information yet, so I'll be sticking around to gather more.

Cheers!

Welcome Nardix!  Be sure to let us know if there's some specific information you need help gathering.  Also, if you're looking for something you can't find on our site, that's helpful to hear about so we can continue to improve content.

Good luck!

Hello Everyone, I am new to the Theremin. I love music and Electronics, I love old electronics, my father and grandfather were better at it (electronics) than I am, especially Sound. I am mostly into guitars, drums, amps old hammond organs and modified pedals.. I REALLY want to build a few Theremins, I can read schematics, solder etc.. Have been working with electronics for 15 years. Wouldn't mind a kit or two to mess around with and swap out components..My friend is a luthier/woodworker and we want to collaborate on the design too. I guess im a little exited, please send me info or let me know any tips or hints anyone has. I see there is good reading info and have already read some, I would really like to hear what builders and players have to say about what they like- Ill carry out the details. Thanks!

Brett

Hey all. I just signed up here. I've been playing a few years and was looking around for any kind of convention or seminar with no luck, but I did find this website. I play in a group that does original scores for old silent film movies. Glad to be here.

April is a wonderful month as the new leaves unfold here in the states, not good for asthma though… )-:

@Sidebyrnes welcome to the group. I always like to know where people are located as a good starting point for conversation. You may have a local theremin enthusiast in your neighborhood which is beneficial for both of you.

Heather, I too enjoy old silent movies as they communicate so much with expression. A friend of mine Professor Hall, a new theremin enthusiast, also has his own silent movie theater where he enjoys playing organ; it is in Jerome, Arizona. http://www.silentmovies.com/

Like the theremin, silent movies are a reach toward past technologies. This was a time right after a mythical character said: "Everything that can be invented has been invented.”

This may have been true if electricity had not been harnessed.

Heather, redo your link in your profile, it does not work properly. http://www.theratsandpeople.tumblr.com/

T

Good to meet everybody.  I just got my first theremin today after wanting one for about 14 years, a B3 Standard.  So far it seems to be a lot easier to pick up than I thought it would be.  I'm not really one to brag, but I am a little above average when it comes to music in general.

As far as my musical background, I started playing the piano when I was about three or four, then the guitar at around five.  I got a bass guitar and a tenor saxophone at twelve, and I've been playing guitar, bass, keyboards, and singing in bands since around fifteen.  I started wanting to play less conventional instruments toward the end of highschool and early in college, and taught myself the ocarina and musical saw during that time, and started playing around with soft synths and tracker software, which led to drum machines and analog modelling synths and samplers, then back around to guitars again.

I'm electronically inclined enough to build and modify my own effects pedals and amps, and have lately been experimenting with the circuits necessary to build a theremin from scratch, but the learning curve is a little steep for me.  Down the line I plan to build a Theremax kit and see if that teaches me anything.

Anyway, really enjoying the theremin after day one, hoping I can keep progressing at the pace I've started on for a while.  I skimmed through Thomas Grillo's youtube tutorials and have looked at a few of Kip Rosser's and gotten a little bit of good out of those.  I really appreciate you guys offering your knowledge to the public like that.  It's a great resource for an instrument with pretty sparse documentation otherwise.

Hi Theremin buddies.

I am a professional singer (classical, music theater, Celtic and cabaret), sung all over the world, been on Broadway etc. And have wanted to learn to play the Theremin for a very long time.

I have known about the Theremin for years. The first time I got to play on one was at the director Tom O'Horgan's house, where I was doing a concert. It was an original working RCA model. He had literally hundreds of instruments from all over the world including a couple of glass harmonicas and he loved every one. It was like being in a candy store! I fell in love with that RCA tube sound.

So, looking at the posts on the forums is very helpful with all you experts to decide which theremin to purchase. Because I like the warmer, rounder sound of tubes, I am going to try the Italian Theremin company Pegna Music. I am talking with them tomorrow. For the same price as a B3 pro or Etherwave This Pegna model seems to have a lovely warm sound with good linearity and the warmth of the tubes. I will let you know what I find out.

If I win the lottery I will purchase an RCA somehow, or have someone build one from scratch.

I am also purchasing the RCA 1930 schematics on Ebay. Is this foolish or a waste of money? Are these schematics useful to actually build a Theremin?

I have an active concert career and want to play the Theremin for our Celtic/classical Band SARAH RICE ALL SOULS NIGHT. Friend me on Facebook! If you are in the area I hope you will come and hear my concerts.

Anyhow my web sites are:
www.SarahRice.com
www.Bwaydorect.com