Theremin--an early electronic instrument

[Harpo]

My family has owned a theremin since probably the 1930s; it was patented in 1928 by a Russian, Leon Theremin. For those who haven't heard of it, the controlling section usually consists of two metal antennas which sense the position of the player's hands and control oscillators for frequency with one hand, and amplitude (volume) with the other, so it can be played without being touched. The electric signals from the theremin are amplified and sent to a loudspeaker. I occasionally played it. Theremins have been used for spooky sound effects in movies. My brother has refurbished our 1930s model, so it is still in use. This is a video of a theremin virtuoso, with an instrument that looks like ours:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5EzKtn2ARE

[Gurn Blanston]

We had a really good thread on the theremin here 2 or 3 years ago. You might try doing a search for it, it will make interesting reading for you. I remember there were several interesting contributions...

[DavidW]

Thanks for sharing Harpo.  It's a strange instrument... I can just imagine some modernist writing a theramin concerto, perhaps Messiaen...

[Guido]

I much prefer the Ondes Martenot. Theramin players have this weird knack for producing a very ugly vibrato, and I've never thought that one of their transcriptions was even the equal of the original (the Swan and Rachmaninov's Vocalise seem to be perennial favourites with this lot.)

[Scarpia]

I've never understood the fascination with this gadget.  It produces, to my ear, a very crude and un-nuanced sound, just a sine wave that can be modulated in frequency and amplitude.  There is no ability to vary tone color, except for that ridiculous vibrato. A similar effect can be created much more easily using frequency synthesis these days.

There is some novelty in the fact that the sound can be modulated without touching the thing.  It is essentially made up of an electrical oscillator based on capacitances and inductances, and by moving your hand closer to or farther from the metal antennae you vary the effective capacitance in the circuit.  That changes the frequency of the oscillator or the amplitude.  The relative variation in frequency that can be obtained in the primary oscillator is very small, but by forming the difference frequency between two oscillators, this can be made to span several octaves. 

[Guido]

Agree.

[Harpo]

I've never understood the fascination with this gadget.  It produces, to my ear, a very crude and un-nuanced sound, just a sine wave that can be modulated in frequency and amplitude.  There is no ability to vary tone color, except for that ridiculous vibrato. A similar effect can be created much more easily using frequency synthesis these days.....

The "fascination" with the theremin seems to be its role as an early electronic instrument. I agree that it's neither pleasant to the ear nor versatile, but it's a unique memento in my family, since my grandfather was one of its early proponents. My cousin used to compare it to a cello, but that's quite a stretch! 

[Scarpia]

The "fascination" with the theremin seems to be its role as an early electronic instrument. I agree that it's neither pleasant to the ear nor versatile, but it's a unique memento in my family, since my grandfather was one of its early proponents. My cousin used to compare it to a cello, but that's quite a stretch! 

I certainly agree that it is of some historical interest, and is best seen and not heard.   I have a colleague is an enthusiast and has one, which means that on thanksgiving we are in danger of witnessing a performance.  I have an old mechanical calculator (a Frieden) which is fascinating to look at, but useless for calculating anything.