Theremin
Nick Kizirnis and the Theremin
I have been the proud owner of an Etherwave Theremin since 1995, but I’m still trying to master it. My theremin has been featured on both Mulchmen albums Louder Than Dirt, Thicker Than Mud and Greetings! From Planet Stupider, as well as my first solo album Into the Loud. Currently the Nick Kizirnis Band is incorporating it into some of the new intstrumentals they plan to record in summer 2009.
About the Theremin (from Wikipedia.org)
The theremin is an early electronic musical instrument controlled without contact from the player. It is named after its Russian inventor, Professor Léon Theremin. The controlling section usually consists of two metal antennas which sense the position of the player’s hands and control oscillator(s) for frequency with one hand, and amplitude (volume) with the other. The electric signals from the theremin are amplified and sent to a loudspeaker.
Theremin History (from Wikipedia.org)
The theremin was the product of Russian government-sponsored research into proximity sensors. The instrument was invented by a Russian physicist named Lev Sergeivich Termen (known in the West as Léon Theremin) in October 1920. Vladimir Lenin sent Theremin on a trip around the world to demonstrate the latest Soviet technology and the invention of electronic music. After a lengthy tour of Europe, Theremin found his way to the United States, where he patented his invention in 1928 (US1661058).
Theremin granted commercial production rights to RCA. Although the RCA Thereminvox, released immediately following the Stock Market Crash of 1929, was not a commercial success, it fascinated audiences in America and abroad. Clara Rockmore, a well-known thereminist, toured to wide acclaim, performing a classical repertoire in concert halls around the United States.
Playing a Theremin
The theremin presents two challenges: reliable control of the instrument’s pitch with no no keys, valves, frets, or finger-board positions, and minimizing undesired portamento that is inherent in the instrument’s microtonal design. Pitch control is challenging because, like a violin or trombone, a theremin generates tones of any pitch throughout its entire range, including those that lie between the conventional notes. And, unlike all other instruments, the theremin has no physical feedback (other than sound), like string tension or the tactile fingerboard for strings, or air column resistance in wind instruments. The player has to rely solely on his ear, and can only correct a pitch when it can already be heard.
The entire range of pitches is controlled by the distance of the performer’s hand or fingers to the pitch antenna in mid-air. Precise control of manual position coupled with an excellent sense of pitch is required, since the electromagnetic field around the antenna tends to change slowly over time, resulting in changing positions of individual pitches.
Also, the theremin’s continuous range of pitches lends itself to glissando playing, which can be inappropriate to the piece being performed. Skilled performers, through rapid and exact hand movements, minimize undesired portamento and glissando to play individual notes and can even achieve staccato effects. Small and rapid movements of the hands can create tremolo or vibrato effects.
Although pitch is governed primarily by the distance of the performer’s hand to the pitch antenna, most precision thereminists augment their playing techniques with a system called “aerial fingering”, largely devised by Clara Rockmore and subsequently adapted by Léon Theremin and his protege, Lydia Kavina.
It employs specific hand and finger positions to alter slightly the amount of capacitance relative to the pitch antenna to produce small changes in tone quickly and in a manner that can be reliably and quickly reproduced.
Equally important in theremin articulation is the use of the volume control antenna. Unlike touched instruments, where simply halting play or damping a resonator silences the instrument, the thereminist must play the rests, as well as the notes. Although volume technique is less developed than pitch technique, some thereminists have worked to extend it, especially Pamelia Kurstin’s “walking bass” technique.
Skilled players who overcome these challenges by a precisely controlled combination of movements can achieve complex and expressive performances, and thus realize a theremin’s potential.
Buying or Building a Theremin
While there are many theremins available, you won’t go wrong with the Etherwave Theremin from Big Briar, which was founded by electronics inventor and innovator Bob Moog.
You can also build one if you have the skills and patience. Options range from Big Briar kits (which was just about my speed) to plans, circuit diagrams, schematics and resources to parts:
Theremin resources
This page is intended to provide a brief overview of the Theremin. Much more detailed information can be found at these sites:
- Theremin World, THE source for Theremin information
- Theremin Wikipedia entry
- Theremin Vox.com, “Art, Technology, and Gesture”
- Spellbound radio show
While there are many magnificent Theremin players, here is a very short list of the essentials you should check out if you want to hear the instruments’ amazing capabilities.
Hearing the theremin is one thing. But seeing it in action is a whole other experience:
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