I, too, am a newbie to the theremin. I am a voice teacher that plays piano and has dabbled in various other instruments. First off, I have developed a new-found respect for students that can't match pitch when they first start studying. This new toy of mine is tricky -- but I'll get it, I suspect.
Second, mine, too, seemed to be backwards. After reading your first post, GordonC, all is well now. I was just now able to play 5 octaves of scales! Thanks for the hugely monumental tip. The newbie dial seems to be turned down now -- lol.