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Music Addict
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 171
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The Theremin
This instrument is stellar. I'd buy one in a heartbeat. Well, you know, if I had any money, that is.
What draws me to this ethereal instrument is its ability to translate instinct and intuition into song. To play the theremin, you have to have both a good spacial sense and instinct for music, and also a good sense of exactitude. To replicate the same composition more than once, I imagine you'd need to remember each subtle movement, much like sign language, to perform the same piece over again. This is probably why many early theremin players performed classical pieces or from sheet music. Of course, in order to know for sure, I would actually have to get my hands on a theremin set, and even if I do one of these days, my lack of mechanical ability will probably do me in with frustration before I even start experimenting with the thing (why buy a theremin if you don't also build it yourself? That would just be uncool.)
But even though I can't judge based on experience, aesthetically I have an idea of what makes a decent sounding theremin piece. If you ever hear old- fashioned theremin performances, you might not always be in for the most enjoyable experience. Leon Theremin, the man who patented this awe-inspiring instrument in 1928 (I was a bit surprised to hear that), played the theremin quite nicely. But in my opinion, older theremins had a certain whine to them that made them sound a little bit irritating. Of course, it's still possible to make that whiny sound with today's theremins, but due to updates, distortion effects, and other modifications to the way the instrument is played, there has been a movement away from this whimpering violin-esque sound (nothing against the violin), and toward more "intergalactic" sound effects (which I happen to love).
Here's Monsieur Theremin himself demonstrating his creation:
Nowadays, there are a lot of artists who have been captivated with curiosity about the theremin (if you go anywhere online that discusses the theremin, there are likely some enthusiastic comments from people who are simply dying to get their hands on one; or- ahem- hover their hands over one), but I find it quite difficult to find any album releases from artists who play it, let alone ones who play it in a style of music I like.
So far I've come across some lovely atmospheric music from the likes of Pamela Kurstin and Dorit Chrysler. The latter of the two has really grown on me. She has a quirky charm, is witty and sensual and has an air of alluring intelligence you would hope to see in a thereminist. She doesn't just stand in front of the thing and slice at the air with rigid hands to produce precise notes in strict sequence; she performs with it, she lets the sound flow, she plays around with the gradient notes and the effects- it's a seamless extension of herself and her art, an ideal symbiosis as far as I'm concerned.
I would have absolutely loved to be at this show in my home province of Ontario 4 years ago when she performed this brilliant track, "You Better," which, as far as I know, isn't available anywhere online as a studio version. If I'm right, I hope things change and she decides to release it on an album. I dig the overall tone and 'tude of it, and the theremin-playing is just out of this world.
When people think of the theremin, often 2 big songs pop into their heads; "Good Vibrations" by the Beach Boys, and "Mysterons" by Massive Attack. Both songs (which I happen to love) merely emulate the sound of the actual theremin for that mysterious, spaced-out sound.
Mysterons apparently uses a monophonic synthesizer
..and the infamous Beach Boys masterpiece uses an instrument called the Tannerin.
Notice how neither has quite the same "looseness" as the actual theremin. Alternatives are often used because they are easier to control. When performing live, it's much easier to replicate the "theremin" riff your audience is used to hearing when you're not dealing with the often tempermental instrument- theremins are said to be divas.
There are more tracks I could mention that use the theremin, but I think I'll save those for later 
I realize that there are some theremin enthusiasts here. I've probably just preached to the choir to most of them, since a lot of theremin lovers are nerdy people that like to do their homework. But I just find them so darned fascinating. So if there are any of you out there that know of some brilliant theremin masterpieces, I'd love to get your input!
Thanks for reading [if you have, that is].
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