20 replies to this topic

[Maizie]

Arundodonuts - I think it's the strangeness of the whole thing that makes me smile, rather than the musical side!  The exemplar of the harmless weirdness humanity sometimes displays

 

As someone with no depth perception, it might be interesting to have a go on a theremin ... I wonder how much is 'knowing' where to put your hands as opposed to seeing.

[BadStrad]

As someone with no depth perception, it might be interesting to have a go on a theremin ... I wonder how much is 'knowing' where to put your hands as opposed to seeing.

I'm not an expert player, but for me it is like playing the violin in that it is a case of "knowing" rather than "seeing." Obviously with the theremin in front of me I can see where my hands are but it isn't about that, it's about knowing/feeling where the notes (and volume levels) are in space.

[Maizie]

Thank you.  With many instruments you simply can't see what you are doing, or even if you could you're too busy looking at the music, so it's normal to play 'by feel'.  Humans are very visual creatures, so was curious about how much of a role sight would play when you could see - though, again, I suppose you might be too busy looking at the music.

 

Oooooh, now I'm curious, does the theremin just use conventional music notation or do you sometimes get something different?  (I have a 1970s very weird piece of bass recorder music which is notated in swirls and circles and anything but your usual five lines!  Seems to suit a theremin in some ways )

[BadStrad]

Oooooh, now I'm curious, does the theremin just use conventional music notation or do you sometimes get something different?  (I have a 1970s very weird piece of bass recorder music which is notated in swirls and circles and anything but your usual five lines!  Seems to suit a theremin in some ways )

Flowing melody line music that has small intervals works well. (I recall the excitement when I played my first theremin major scale.) Staccato is a bit trickier.

Graphic scores are great fun. Do you know Cornelius Cardew's "Treatise"? One of my favourites.

[elemimele]

It's decidedly weird seeing all those people looking so inently and lovingly at a small Russian doll perched in their lap, and waving their fingers at it. It takes a while to work out what's going on. Veerrrrry strange. I don't think Edelweis will ever be the same for me (see, I had to look at what else they've done!).

As a true musical instrument, I think the full theramin with volume control as well as pitch control appeals to me more than the pitch-only version, but curiously, were they still on sale, at a reasonable price, I honestly think I'd buy one...

[BadStrad]

As a true musical instrument, I think the full theramin with volume control as well as pitch control appeals to me more than the pitch-only version, but curiously, were they still on sale, at a reasonable price, I honestly think I'd buy one...

The Theremini has both volume and pitch and comes in (now) at around the price of an adult beginner violin kit. I would have loved an original, but I suspect they really are pricey, so I'm just chuffed to have the version I have. But I'll keep you in mind if I ever think to sell it.