theramins

Yo...I'm in the market for a theramin, and would like Big Briar's
address...is that the best place to get one? Appreciate any
info...Hstick

I think the Big Briar (Moog) theremin is second only to the original RCA
(tube) model! If you can find the circuit schematic and the parts, build the
RCA model. Otherwise, go with the Big Briar. Here's the URL I have:

http://www.cdemusic.org/store/cde_search.cfm?keywords=ethertheremins

> Yo...I'm in the market for a theramin, and would like Big Briar's
> address...is that the best place to get one? Appreciate any
> info...Hstick

--- In tuning@egroups.com, "M. Edward Borasky" <znmeb@t...> wrote:

http://www.egroups.com/message/tuning/16538

Well... for Neil and others...

Bob Moog's homesite is:

http://www.bigbriar.com/

Not to "blow my own Theremin," but my theremin piece, WUUUU has been
performed all over the place recently by the great theremin
virtuoso Lydia Kavina... just last November at the Moscow
Conservatory... and in Kaluga, Russia and Lincoln Center last
Summer...

Here's the piece:

http://artists.mp3s.com/artist_song/573/573549.html

P.S. Don't actually own a Theremin, though, just "conceptialized"
it...
_______ ___ __ _
Joseph Pehrson

on 12/14/00 11:28 AM, tuning@egroups.com at tuning@egroups.com wrote:

>
> Message: 5
> Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2000 21:37:04 -0700
> From: "Neil Haverstick" <STICK@USWEST.NET>
> Subject: theramins
>
> Yo...I'm in the market for a theramin, and would like Big Briar's
> address...is that the best place to get one? Appreciate any
> info...Hstick

Neil,

I've got one, it's a very cool and well made instrument. I bought it used,
the paperwork, dated 1996, gives the following contact info. Big Briar, 554C
Riverside Drive, Asheville, NC 28801 800-948-1990 and 704-251-0090, email
bigbriar@aol.com

Seth

--
Seth Austen
http://www.sethausten.com
email; seth@sethausten.com

"i can't be the only whatever it is i am in the room"
-- Ani DiFranco

Big Briar can be reached via:

http://www.bigbriar.com

I got an etherwave theremin recently from them and I'm quite happy with it.

I'd love to see their big model, which emulates the old RCA cabinet.

Also, there is another theremin manufacturer, Wavefront, which has what appear to be really beautiful models:

http://www.home.earthlink.net/~wavefront/

Wavefront also has what appears to be a nice theremin-to-midi module for under $700...

Rick

Hi,

I haven't checked out the original schematic, but Robert Moog worked out
most of the circuitry of Clara Rockmore's custom instrument and which
includes some obscure 2.5v tubes.

James Coleman (Boston theremin virtuoso) suggested checking out this
particular instrument because apparently it has a volume circuit
tailored for stacatto. He plays a wonderful old, big Big Briar unit but
just raves about the RCA instruments. Well, I've set my colleague to
work reproducing Rockmore's, depending on what he can unearth in our
basements and it goes slow (while extremely competent with tubes, he's
so swamped as I am with more mechanical contraptions). James strongly
suggests avoiding the PAIA theremin.

Here's a couple sites to check out, I don't recall if any of them are 6v
circuits which will have more readily available parts:

<http://www.thereminworld.com/moog1954.asp>
<http://www.thereminworld.com/schematics.asp>
<http://www.thereminworld.com/rockmore.asp>
<http://www.he.net/~Enternet/teci/plans/therplns.html>
<http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/3217/index.html>
<http://www.ccsi.com/~bobs/construc.html>

Clark

> Hi,
>
> I haven't checked out the original schematic, but Robert Moog worked out
> most of the circuitry of Clara Rockmore's custom instrument and which
> includes some obscure 2.5v tubes.

Before the Moog synthesizer, before Switched-on-Bach, Moog was making and
selling theremins. I had a friend with one in Las Vegas in 1967 or
thereabouts. I did see one web site a few months ago that tracked the RCAs
individually. Apparently there are a few out there much beloved by their
owners. I suspect they're like Stradivarius violins; if you're the Itzhak
Perlman of the theremin, you'd have an RCA.

> James strongly
> suggests avoiding the PAIA theremin.

I don't know much about the PAIA theremins, but for $400, the Moog is my
choice. I actually saw one for sale at Apple Music in Portland, Oregon, when
I bought my WX5 - VL70-m. It was difficult to leave it there ... but I did
:-(. Maybe in the Spring when the tree frogs are chirping :-).
--
M. Edward Borasky
mailto:znmeb@teleport.com
http://www.borasky-research.com/

"There's No Fuel Like an Old Fuel" -- National Coal Institute

M. Edward Borasky wrote:

> Before the Moog synthesizer, before Switched-on-Bach, Moog was making
> and selling theremins. I had a friend with one in Las Vegas in 1967
> or thereabouts. I did see one web site a few months ago that tracked
> the RCAs individually. Apparently there are a few out there much
> beloved by their owners. I suspect they're like Stradivarius violins;
> if you're the Itzhak Perlman of the theremin, you'd have an RCA.

I guess Moog worked on Rockmore's instrument, and where the partial
schematic comes from. It's going to take some experimenting with coils
before we get our reproduction anywhere, but I've been asking James
Coleman what features he'd like. There's a tremendous mystique about the
original RCAs, even more so with Rockmore's.

> I don't know much about the PAIA theremins, but for $400, the Moog is
> my choice. I actually saw one for sale at Apple Music in Portland,
> Oregon, when I bought my WX5 - VL70-m. It was difficult to leave it
> there ... but I did :-(. Maybe in the Spring when the tree frogs are
> chirping :-).

My sometimes colleague and champion of broken, out-of-tune keyboard
instruments stared at a $30 Minimoog for hours before not buying it for
no good reason. The PAIA theremin kit is about $100 - Carl L. mentioned
Denny Genovese uses one without any trouble, but elsewhere I've read
about poor quality components (maybe just on old ones?) and James said
that they can drop out unexpectedly. Perfect for my biofeedback monitor
playing pal, perhaps less so for not so aleatoric approaches. Me, I just
whistle in lieu of a theremin.

Chirpin' Clark

>
> From: Sarn Richard Ursell <thcdelta@ihug.co.nz>
> Subject: Chaos and theremins
>
> Tuners,
>
> Altho this is a little off topic, I must say that I am pleased to have
> looked up a very odd instrumend called the "theremin", and I would now rank
> this as one of my favorites.
>
> So, I wounder, there is a skill in playing this marvelous instrument?
>
> I feel that there might well be!

I don't think I quite understand what you are saying but, like any
other musical instrument, coming close to extracting the available
expression from it requires an incredible amount of skill. The theramin
is harder than many instruments iin that it is not only completely
non-fixed pitch but is non-tactile as well. From what I understand, it
also reacts with ANY nearby masses, so not only do you have to be very
precise with your hand and arm motions, you have to be nearly imobile
everywhere else.

The late Clara Rockmore was 'the' virtuoso in its glory years and has
a CD out, 'The Art of the Theremin' I believe. There is also a
documentary (video) on Leon Theramin and his instruments of which
'the theramin' is the most well known. I can provide more information
about both these items if you are curious.

Bob Valentine

on 2/12/01 7:00 PM, tuning@yahoogroups.com at tuning@yahoogroups.com wrote:

> I was VERY fortunate in that she also played my OWN Theremin piece,
> WUUUU in Lincoln Center as part of her tour. Such electronic
> luminaries (or luminated electronicians) as Bob Moog and Don Buchla
> also were there and gave presentations. I "lucked out" a bit there...
>
> You can here my piece here:
>
> http://artists.mp3s.com/artist_song/573/573549.html

Joseph,

That's a great piece, and a great performance by Lydia Kavina. Listening to
your composition reminds me that I need to dust my theremin off and try
playing it again.

All the best.

Seth
--
Seth Austen

http://www.sethausten.com
emails: seth@sethausten.com
klezmusic@earthlink.net

"Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it's time to pause
and reflect."
-Mark Twain

--- In tuning@y..., Seth Austen <klezmusic@e...> wrote:

/tuning/topicId_16536.html#18647

> Joseph,
>
> That's a great piece, and a great performance by Lydia Kavina.
Listening to your composition reminds me that I need to dust my
theremin off and try playing it again.
>
> All the best.
>
> Seth

Thanks so much, Seth, for your response... and I'm very glad you
liked the piece! I agree you should dust your theremin keyboard off,
if you can catch it!
_________ _____ _____ ___
Joseph Pehrson