A few days into it

Well, I'm less than a week into being a thereminist, but have been too busy to get properly obsessed. The B3 Deluxe arrived last Friday and I'm still working out my study method. I bought the Thomas Grillo DVD and I'm working on his first few exercises. I'm not yet getting much into finger extensions, but simply moving my mitt to and from the pitch antenna, finding octaves, fifths, fourths, and major scales. B-flat seems to be my "home key." I tried to use a Korg chromatic tuner to occasionally check my pitches, but the tuner is too sensitive to be of much use. I think Grillo's pitchpipe method will be the course I take. I have one of those things around here someplace. Sometimes I just pluck a string on my guitar or banjo for a reference. I'm playing through a very small Yamaha amp designed for their "Silent Instrument" line. The bass end is weak but the amp is small and I guess the Burns is known for that, too. That said, I'm pleased with the tone overall. The mike stand thing is a little wobbly for my taste. Some creative use of tape should help. I also need to designate a place where I can keep the rig set up and plugged in.

I have one question concerning the ground/earth. The 12-volt adapter which came with the instrument has a US three-prong plug, which we don't use here in Japan. Using the end input of an extension cord, I've been able to bypass the third prong. How bad a boy am I being? Will this cause serious problems?

Thanks in advance for any comments or suggestions.

I have one question concerning the ground/earth. The 12-volt adapter which came with the instrument has a US three-prong plug, which we don't use here in Japan. Using the end input of an extension cord, I've been able to bypass the third prong. How bad a boy am I being? Will this cause serious problems?

John,

I started as a newbie on the B3 Deluxe recently.  My house is old, with no ground in the outlets.  I was concerned about electrostatic discharge, but Dan Burns reassured me that the B3 Deluxe is well protected.  So far, no problem.  It does seem to make a difference to some amplifiers.  Mine works well, but my son-in-law visited recently and the theremin made quite a hum in his amp.  He thought it was due to the lack of the ground.

I also noticed the way the B3 sits on the mike stand, kind of wobbly.  The theremin seems to be quite well balanced so it works ok since the only time I touch it is to adjust the controls.

Like you, I haven't settled on a fingering technique yet.  I think that's important to find the way that works best and try to stay with it.  There's a helpful thread on TW called Aerial Fingering.

Lyle

Thanks, Lyle. I won't go looking for a two-pronged adapter until I have some grounding problems. I will look at the discussions soon, once I get started using the technique and understand some of the issues. Fingering is a big deal to me on stringed instruments.