"Good Vibrations" was actually recorded using an Electro-Theremin [1] (emphasis mine). It was essentially the same but sported more traditional knob controls. Also if you ever hear a Theremin-esque noise in an Elmer Bernstein soundtrack like "Heavy Metal" it was actually an Ondes Martenot [2] which is distinct from and less similar to the classic Theremin.
I'm a lot of fun at parties.
There are still several companies who build it. Get one from Doepfer (German Manufacturer) here and connect it to a modular system or a semi-modular synth like a mini moog.
https://www.thomann.de/de/doepfer_a178.htm
live in action: https://youtu.be/1mIferngPqY
or from stylophone:
https://www.thomann.de/de/duebreq_stylophone_theremin.htm
live in action: https://youtu.be/NNn-se0S4Ww
"The Thing" Requires a mandatory mention [0]. Same principles and same designer.
It was a very sophisticated covert listening device (bug) for its time that went undetected for a long time. It did not have a conventional power source such as a battery or mains connection.
My first intro to this was the fascinating book The SpyCatcher.
[0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thing_(listening_device)
She's really good. Here's an example of her covering a well known piece by Morricone:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajM4vYCZMZk
From the headline I kind of expected it to be about some more contrived apparatus, something that was built ad hoc and is constantly close to self-disassembling from being used, like Wintergatan's Marble Machine:
The "digital one" Carolina refers to is my open source D-Lev design: https://d-lev.com/
Rob Scallon did a video with Carolina a few years ago, where they go into a bit of detail about how you play the thing and how it words. If you’re interested in the theremin, it’s a pretty good watch.
Watching one of her videos, you can see that her theremin has a pitch display, showing pitch on a hex grid of LEDs. It must make accurate pitch a lot easier (although in no way "easy").
The theremin is a fully electronic instrument that could sound like anything at all — so why does it sound so unpleasant?
Fun fact: there in was used in recording Teen Age Message to extraterrestrial civilizations: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teen_Age_Message
The synth company SOMA has an interesting new theremin-like synth called Flux, that uses magnetic "bows". See:
This is timely, I've been listening to Carolina Eyck a lot during the past few weeks! I've been building a virtual theremin for the Meta Quest, hoping to make this instrument more accessible and flexible by leveraging the powers of visual overlays and motion controllers. Here's a basic walkthrough: https://youtu.be/m8xFstjNxUo?si=ss2wSk1SIG90OWCM
I've been stuck waiting for Meta to verify my identity. Shortly after that happens, it'll be available on the Quest store.
I think I saw her around 1999 or 2000 w an electronic group Arling & Cameron w a wind player. Lots of sound from a four piece. There is a different player on the album but they billed her as a world champion theremin player.
The albums from that time were Arling & Cameron Music For Imaginary Films https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLP5E3f0kgIG2riT_HOfOYwoMr... Others were All In & Voulez Vous an EP.
And here I thought it would be the antagonistic undecagonstring...
A tribute to Lèon Theremin:
I built a theremin in the early 80s for a school project. Had to get the local library to obtain books and other printed resources on it so I could make one. Sadly no pictures survive, and the device itself is long gone. Didn't think to document it at the time, beyond the hand in materials for the project. I was 14. I have wondered about getting a modern one though. They're so cool.
Angelo Moore from Fishbone uses one on occasion, but... IDK, not sure I love it compared with, say, his playing other instruments.
I recently watched her live, introducing to the Theremin "for families", with a pianist. It was ok but too verbose and dumbed down (probably not by her, by her hosts). I'd try to attend her shows for grown ups instead, even with kids.
This was a case where the novelty of the instrument stood in the way of the performance.
If the idea of "spaghetti western theremin" strikes you as at all interesting, check out Via Mardot!
Jack White uses a theremin in "Fear of the Dark", just so you know that it can be used in rock music, too.
What stood out to me most is how personal the instrument is. The idea that the theremin tunes to your body and environment - that you become part of the instrument - feels almost mystical
Related. Others? I feel sure that there have been others...
(It's hard to separate music Theremin from spy Theremin so I've just not tried)
Show HN: iOS Theremin Simulator with Hand Tracking (Beta) - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42267668 - Nov 2024 (1 comment)
What the hell is a luminiferous theremin? - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41204378 - Aug 2024 (54 comments)
The Thing (Listening Device) - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40583607 - June 2024 (1 comment)
YouTuber recreates Theremin's “Great Seal” spy bug [video] - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36092382 - May 2023 (2 comments)
The Thing (Listening Device) - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31232681 - May 2022 (1 comment)
The Thing (Listening Device) - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27676518 - June 2021 (3 comments)
Russian Espionage and Electromagnetic Fields: The Story of the Theremin (2017) - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23304053 - May 2020 (24 comments)
Theremin - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23029127 - April 2020 (1 comment)
The Thing - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20157116 - June 2019 (104 comments)
Peter Theremin’s haunting music, on his great-grandfather’s invention - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17955295 - Sept 2018 (1 comment)
Theremin's Bug: How the Soviet Union Spied on the US Embassy for Seven Years - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15498685 - Oct 2017 (11 comments)
Three Radio Theremin: Convert Old Radios into a Theremin - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11998382 - June 2016 (1 comment)
Our Comrade the Electron - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10437775 - Oct 2015 (1 comment)
Theremin - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10103717 - Aug 2015 (39 comments)
Our Comrade the Electron - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7310045 - Feb 2014 (2 comments)
The Great Seal Bug: How Theremin Eavesdropped On US Ambassador - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4191036 - July 2012 (1 comment)
Leon Theremin: The man and the music machine - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3696549 - March 2012 (1 comment)
From the articale ....With its sci-fi antennae bristling left and right, Russian physicist Leon Theremin’s novel invention of 1919 remains the only musical instrument you play without touching anything. “Aerial fingering” was the technique devised by the inventor’s original Lithuanian prodigy, Clara Rockmore, in the 1930s.
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https://archive.ph/Trcww