hello to all.

Just wanted to say hello to everyone here, I have been interested in the theremin for a long time now, and last nigh I did the radio hack using 3 am radios, found out I only need 2 since my grundig g3 has single sideband with tunable bfo.. I played it for the first time and found my intonition and pitch control to be perfect, only going off when the bfo on the grundig drifted. Lack of a volume antenna made things a lil funky but this setup is stll verry playable.. I an now saving for a moog etherwave.. I am a musician that plays mostly kirtan, raga, and bhajan and find that the theremin realy lends itself well to that music. I am also a firm beliver in that you don't choose your instruments, they choose you! And after my discovery of great skill on THE FIRST TIME with my ghetto radio theremin, that I now have found my perfect match for music making. Playing my favorite bhajans and kirtans last night brought tears of joy and took me into a deep meditative state of bliss. This is a very spiritually powereful instrument indeed. Other instruments I play are keyboard/synthesizer and bass.. they don't even come close to the power of the theremin! Not even in the same universe! I wonder why more hindu's haven't picked up on this? ITS INCREDIBLE! I'm wondering if using my radios like this causes any unwated rfi? Because its all I got until I get the funds toguether for the moog. And I'm wondering if its possoble to run a moog etherwave on batteries? I want it to be a portable tool for meditation too. I am a bit in shock over this, not anybody can pick up an instrument and just play like that with skill on the first go. Now I'm hooked.. keyboards and bass took years of practice and skill, this theremin thing is seriously a work of god.. I never touched one til last nite and I as well as my feance were in awe at my ability to play it without ever practicing!

Thanks for any advice and comments.
God bless you all!

Aum Namah SHIVAYA!!!

May the blessings of Saraswati, whose perfect breasts inspired the great gourds of the "rudra vina", be upon you and upon your efforts to play 'raga' on the theremin. Many people have tried to do this but so far no one has succeeded. You may be the first musician to show that it can be done!

I believe the first person to introduce the theremin to the Indian subcontinent was the late Lucie Bigelow Rosen, who undertook some very ambitious world tours in the 1940's and early 50's. Of course, she was not playing classical Indian music and her repertoire was decidedly western in style.

Most people have found that the main obstacle to playing Indian music on the theremin has to do with vibrato. An essential part of playing the theremin has to do with using the technique of vibrato to transition from note to note while making the minute adjustments necessary for what Bob Moog called the process of "trimming" the pitch.

Traditional Indian music of both the north and south (I'm not talking about Bollywood which is another world altogether) does not use vibrato because it is a quarter tone system. Using vibrato on a note causes it to encroach on the neighboring 'sruti' above and below it.

Many people have assumed that because the theremin can play "meend", it is ideally suited to Indian music. Perhaps you will be able to demonstrate that they are right!

Watch out for Shiva, he can be very difficult. Also, get rid of that darn harmonium! It is not an Indian instrument and was introduced by Europeans in the 19th century. Following Indian independence in 1947, All India Radio actually banned the use of the harmonium in its broadcasts! Sell your harmonium on ebay and get yourself a six string tambura. (.....just kidding....LOL.....I know perfectly well you won't do it).

Yes, you can battery power your Etherwave theremin.

I don't even use vibrato when I play the theremin. I played around with vibrato a lil bit, but find it easyer to play streight. It sounds better that way. And the closest thing I got to a harmonium is my synthesizer wich I made a custom harmonuom patch for. I could probably play a real harmonium easyer anyway as my small hands aren't really suited well to full size piano keys for harmonium technique. I mainly just use the synth to explore the inner workings of music and find new sounds, its more of a creativeity thing while the theremin and bass are used for actual musical performence. I used to play hard rock and gothic metal, but that lifestyle was leading me into some very bad places spiritually, it was a dark and nasty time of my life. Then I had a revelation and change of heart. I went thru some very hard times and prayed after having some life threatening experiences. It was Lord Shiva who came and showed me a better way. I then got rid of all aspects of that old lifestyle including my instruments, except for one sysnthesizer because I knew I was going be doing music still and needed something for an outlet. I have been exploring all aspects of traditional hindu and indian music and have fallen in love with it. Now I'm fininally at peace and have found true happiness. I feel like this is all famillar to me and I have been here before. I will take this new peaceful and loving life all the way. Now I found a new tool to use to tap into the energies of the aether and bring healing to my life and others. I have been researching the theremin, its musical and technical aspects and will be looking into building a tube theremin when the time comes. I do have kowlege in electronics and tube technology, have restored a few old tube radios and built my own tube amplifiers in the past so a theremin should be an easy project, just gonna be a lil hard to find parts since I want to build an RCA replica using orginal components. I am also a ham radio operator, currently with no radio but working on that too so I can get back on the air. Rough times in this poor economy. I have been in many lifestyles and have finally found true peace and what I have found seems already familliar to me, I understand and feel it, I know I was a hindu in past lives or it wouldn't be this easy. I was a christan years ago, but felt like I didn't belong, there was too many things missing and all the the talk of the end of the world, the devil around every corner, fear god AND love god? How can you love something you fear? I was never in anything but a constant state of confusion and fear. It however was my introduction to music in the more spiritual aspect of music making, but it was too controlled and didn't allow for free expression and improvisation when I felt the energies move in me. They taught me to play bass, I learned keys on my own, it was the beginning of my musical jurney. That's all ill give them credit for, helping me to discover my musical talents. Now today I have discovered even more and can run with it since in traditional raga and kirtan, there is room for free expression and improvisation when I feel the spirit and energy of the Gods flow, I can take that and run with it and let it all fow. I have found my music, spirit, peace, my niche in this world and couldn't be happier.

This got way off topic, moderators feel free to move this thread if you want.

The situation is more serious than I thought. You do not play a harmonium - you play a synthesized harmonium. Holy Hindus, Batman!

On top of that you're a Shaivite. The great thing about polytheistic religions is that you can believe pretty much anything you like and you can always find a place where your imaginary gods will fit into the general scheme of things. Infinitely more flexible and far more colorful and fun than monotheism (which, as you point out, tends to be more fire & brimstone).

I used to enjoy the company of Shaivite "saddhus" when I lived in India years ago. I was studying Indian music at the time, and used to take my instrument (a "surbahar") to places where saddhus hung out and play for them. Had it not been for the instrument I would not have been welcome - and it could even have been dangerous because Shaivites can sometimes be violent. Saddhus do not appreciate being thought of by westerners as a sort of freak show. In any case, the surbahar was an "open sesame" for many doors that would otherwise have remained closed.

Building a theremin from scratch is a difficult task even for people with experience in electronics and engineering. What you need to do is to get an Etherwave kit (or maybe a used one already built) and familiarize yourself with it before jumping into anything more complicated. You might consider a Burns B3 Deluxe, which you can get for around $200.00