Theremin players

Tuning people...

Is there anyone on this list who plays the theremin (more than casually)? I just got one of the Etherwave theremins from Big Briar. I'm having fun, but, well... An uncontrolled, continuous, warbling, multi-octave glissando is easy, but anything else is surprisingly difficult.

1. Any players out there with insightful tips on controlling this thing???

2. Is it just my imagination or does the tuning of the instrument, depend on temperature, humidity, time of day, phase of moon, what the player had for dinner, or other quirks of the environment?

Thanks,
Rick

I've had some experience both playing and conducting theremin players. Lydia Kavina of Moscow is probably the leading educator and I know her well and have had the chance to see her teach. Actually, there is a video that you can get from Moog.

The right hand makes patters that start out with the thumb touching the first finger, and then the first finger moves in increments away from the thumb. This is how one gets a scale. Practicing octaves is a good way to make sense of the continuum.

Actually, she works all too hard to play in 12TET. I'm just now writing her a piece for theremin (the inventor was her uncle).

Johnny Reinhard

Hi Johnny... Thanks for the reply...

> Lydia Kavina of Moscow
> Actually, there is a video that you can get from Moog.

Yes, luckily this video comes with the theremin; I've only had the instrument a few days and seen the video once. I have the basic hand motions in mind, but it seems a very "temperamental" instrument... It also comes with a great video of Clara Rockmore playing a number of pieces (filmed in the 60s).

It seems reasonable for my own hand & body capacitance to use a tetrachordal finger pattern & jump up a fifth (or whatever) by moving toward the antenna... but I don't have enough practice to know if this is workable long-term.

> Actually, [Lydia Kavina] works all too hard to play in 12TET.

I'd like to work on the instrument with the dream of accompanying ragas & jamming with Hindustani singers... (I was under the mistaken impression that this would be easier than playing the sarangi... ;-)) Well, also of course it's good for improvising in various micro-tunings...

Rick

Rick

Denny Genovese in San Diego would be good source of tips on the theramin.
his email: interval@ixpres.com

Darren Burgess

>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: Rick McGowan [mailto:rmcgowan@apple.com]
>>Sent: Friday, October 06, 2000 4:18 PM
>>To: tuning@egroups.com
>>Subject: [tuning] Theremin players
>>
>>
>>Tuning people...
>>
>>Is there anyone on this list who plays the theremin (more than
>>casually)? I just got one of the Etherwave theremins from Big
>>Briar. I'm having fun, but, well... An uncontrolled,
>>continuous, warbling, multi-octave glissando is easy, but
>>anything else is surprisingly difficult.
>>
>>1. Any players out there with insightful tips on controlling this thing???
>>
>>2. Is it just my imagination or does the tuning of the
>>instrument, depend on temperature, humidity, time of day, phase
>>of moon, what the player had for dinner, or other quirks of the
>>environment?
>>
>>Thanks,
>> Rick
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>You do not need web access to participate. You may subscribe through
>>email. Send an empty email to one of these addresses:
>> tuning-subscribe@egroups.com - join the tuning group.
>> tuning-unsubscribe@egroups.com - unsubscribe from the tuning group.
>> tuning-nomail@egroups.com - put your email message delivery on
>>hold for the tuning group.
>> tuning-digest@egroups.com - change your subscription to daily
>>digest mode.
>> tuning-normal@egroups.com - change your subscription to
>>individual emails.
>>
>>