Hi Everyone! Im A Newbie Who Is Left Handed, And About To Purchase His First Theremin! I Have A Few Questions.

Hello Everyone,

My name is Adam. Being stuck in the house for the past month has allowed me to stumble upon the amazingness of the theremin through YouTube videos and pages such as this. Ive always been fascinated with the theremin since I first saw it played back in 2004 by a band called Devotchka. Up until my recent search I was completely unaware that it could produce melody, as opposed to just haunting sounds, and Sifi soundscapes. So needless to say I am hooked! However, I have a few questions that I hope some of you nice folks can help me answer....

1. I am a lefty. I read somewhere that simply playing behind the knobs (rather than having them directly in front of you) will work. Id like to know if this is actually true? I also read somewhere that the slight tilt of the loop antenna will make a difference if I played it that way.

2. Do any people who now play lefty but started righty notice it being worth making the switch?

3. I was made aware that there are people who actually "lefty-fy" them. Is this worth it?

4. If I were to purchase an Eatherwave Plus ( Really want the headphone jack) is there any particular amp and mic stand, at a reasonable cost, that anyone can recommend.

Thanks so much for taking the the time to read this. I can't stress enough how much Im looking forward to starting my journey with the theremin.

Adam

Hi Adam!

1. Yes, that’s right. You can also screw the left antenna in reverse to change the tilt.
In the future, you can to order  the adaptation  of your theremin and  change the position of the khnobs and antennas.

2. Already among the students Lev Theremin was left-handed. An adapted theremin was made for him.
If you are left-handed, you need to control the notes with your left hand, and the volume with your right. Do not try the other way around.
Today the famous left-handed  thereminists are  Pamelia Stickney,  Dorit Chrysler, Amethyste

3. It is better to adapt theremin for youself, it is quite possible. But in our time (quarantine) it probably can be difficult.

4. The headphone  jack is usually also in the combo amplifier.

It is better to buy an amplifier for an acoustic guitar or keyboard. An electric guitar amp may not sound very good for theremin.

Oh, Yes! The easiest way is to flip the Termen with the controls away from you so that the pitch antenna is on the left.

I have the Marshal AS50R, such a nice sound. 

Hello AdamL, I personally started with a small amp (15W) Behringer KT108 Ultratone (who was recommended by Thierry Frenkel) but I'am not sure you can still find it on the web... Now I'am using the only Marshall in acoustic in their catalog (a Thomann seller told me it was the same as a keyboard amp for the outline when I asked) the sound is more pure than the little Behringer and the bass is much more better and powerfull (I let the cursor on 0 for bass & the treable), but I still using sometimes the Behringer that I plug out of the Marshall AS50D, because I find this little amp have more a "voice sound" than the other one (maybe because the sound is more muffled). The little + of the Marshall is that you can add your reverb without using a pedal effect which is handy if you use a battery... This is my experience as a beginner but I think someone can advised you better than me it depend of how you will play theremin (always at home?) and of course the budget. Fot the left hand personally I was left-handed too when I was young (and force at school to write with right hand) but I play on my Etherwave with the pitch at the right, but as you said just turn it, if you start with the left hand I think you will not have any problem to learn and play on it, it is just a matter of habit  For the headphone I really don't like the sound when I once tried it on my etherwave plus but maybe it depends of the model of headphones, but I have read many times and have been advised that it is not very good (because of the delay, and you don't hear it the same way...) but I understand if you have neighbors and all that  . Can't you play at very low volume? Good sunday.Romain

Thank you so much for responding. I have started playing using a guitar amp as it’s what I have around and only use headphones when it’s late. Thank you for the amp recommendation, I will certainly look into it. My playing is coming along fairly quickly and turning the theremin around and readjusting the volume antenna has worked well. I’m addicted to say the least.

Hello AdamL, I personally started with a small amp (15W) Behringer KT108 Ultratone (who was recommended by Thierry Frenkel) but I'am not sure you can still find it on the web... Now I'am using the only Marshall in acoustic in their catalog (a Thomann seller told me it was the same as a keyboard amp for the outline when I asked) the sound is more pure than the little Behringer and the bass is much more better and powerfull (I let the cursor on 0 for bass & the treable), but I still using sometimes the Behringer that I plug out of the Marshall AS50D, because I find this little amp have more a "voice sound" than the other one (maybe because the sound is more muffled). The little + of the Marshall is that you can add your reverb without using a pedal effect which is handy if you use a battery... This is my experience as a beginner but I think someone can advised you better than me it depend of how you will play theremin (always at home?) and of course the budget. Fot the left hand personally I was left-handed too when I was young (and force at school to write with right hand) but I play on my Etherwave with the pitch at the right, but as you said just turn it, if you start with the left hand I think you will not have any problem to learn and play on it, it is just a matter of habit  For the headphone I really don't like the sound when I once tried it on my etherwave plus but maybe it depends of the model of headphones, but I have read many times and have been advised that it is not very good (because of the delay, and you don't hear it the same way...) but I understand if you have neighbors and all that  . Can't you play at very low volume? Good sunday.Romain

Thank you so much for responding. I have started playing using a guitar amp as it’s what I have around and only use headphones when it’s late. Thank you for the amp recommendation, I will certainly look into it. My playing is coming along fairly quickly and turning the theremin around and readjusting the volume antenna has worked well. I’m addicted to say the least.

Hi Adam!1. Yes, that’s right. You can also screw the left antenna in reverse to change the tilt.In the future, you can to order  the adaptation  of your theremin and  change the position of the khnobs and antennas.2. Already among the students Lev Theremin was left-handed. An adapted theremin was made for him.If you are left-handed, you need to control the notes with your left hand, and the volume with your right. Do not try the other way around.Today the famous left-handed  thereminists are  Pamelia Stickney,  Dorit Chrysler, Amethyste3. It is better to adapt theremin for youself, it is quite possible. But in our time (quarantine) it probably can be difficult.4. The headphone  jack is usually also in the combo amplifier. It is better to buy an amplifier for an acoustic guitar or keyboard. An electric guitar amp may not sound very good for theremin.

Thank you for responding Peter. I turned the theremin around and screwed the volume antenna the other way. So far so good. I am learning very quickly as the tutorials from Kip Rosser I have found are extremely helpful. Any other suggestions are appreciated of course. I also noticed that Dorit and Pamela are both left handed as well. This has been a huge help watching them play. I didn't know however that Lev Theremin was also left handed. I guess I never noticed. It has already been such a rewarding experience learning how to play. Thank you so much for the help.

Oh, Yes! The easiest way is to flip the Termen with the controls away from you so that the pitch antenna is on the left.

Thanks Valery that is exactly what I did. It works well

I also have an etherwave standard, and this is the stand that I use for my theremin: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0013V1BYY . It's cheap, and it fits into the base of the etherwave. My only complaint is that the tripod is a bit wobbly sometimes. It's also limited in how low the theremin can go, but for theremin it doesn't matter too much. 

I have an electric guitar amp (a cheapo Fender) and it sounds awful with theremin. Definitely recommend a different amp.

Let me know if you have any other questions about the etherwave standard, I'll try my best to help!

Hi, I’m a lefty, too. I actually tried playing it turned around so my dominant left hand was playing pitch, but I found I had better control playing it in the standard righty orientation. 

I played my Moog for a couple months as a newbie (still am) and every single time, I found turning it around to play lefty made it more challenging. I suppose we are all different.

If you’ve not experimented, I suggest doing so and not getting hung up on the lefty concept. It is hard, because we live in a world where even on/off buttons on power tools are placed for righty orientation. We sort of get programmed for thinking we need to modify, when sometimes, we do not. Guitars for instance (and I build guitars for a living) are actually easier for lefties to learn and play righty, in the standard position because making chords is with the left hand! The thinking is actually flawed when lefties turn their guitars around.

On the theremin the nuances of volume for me, and its importance in seeking the proper notes, the relationship of pitch to volume, hinting at previewing notes as you subtly slip into the correct pitch, is more controlled with the left hand on the volume antenna , as a lefty.

Good luck!