On Amber Eels

There's a new song up here (http://www.myspace.com/alexanderthomasmusic).

Comments and criticisms welcome.

Alexander-- It's beautiful. What more is there to say? I'm especially impressed with the consistent accuracy of pitches... there seems to be virtually no fishing... or, what might have been fishing is so quickly and subtly accomplished that it comes across as expressive use of portamento.

Your track inspired me to dust off my Boomerang and run my theremin through it. On the one hand, my technique is much more reliable than the last time I tried this (back in January). On the other hand, I'm still a long way from making anything as precise (and gorgeous) as "Eels."

P.S. Can't resist asking: How do you calibrate your pitch field?

Thankyou thankyou thankyouuu

[i]P.S. Can't resist asking: How do you calibrate your pitch field?[/i]

I like imagining this in the voice of the guy who did the Cadbury's Cream Egg adverts.

I tune it so it stops just before zero beat. I think that's the technical way of describing it. I just seem to be comfortable with it being that way.

[i]I'm especially impressed with the consistent accuracy of pitches... there seems to be virtually no fishing... or, what might have been fishing is so quickly and subtly accomplished that it comes across as expressive use of portamento.[/i]

Thanks, that's a huge reassurance for me!

[i]
Your track inspired me to dust off my Boomerang and run my theremin through it. On the one hand, my technique is much more reliable than the last time I tried this (back in January). On the other hand, I'm still a long way from making anything as precise (and gorgeous) as "Eels."[/i]

D'aww, I blush. I'd like to hear what you and your Boomerang do! :)

[i]I tune it so it stops just before zero beat. I think that's the technical way of describing it. I just seem to be comfortable with it being that way.[/i]

So, then... from a notes-of-the-scale perspective... you can get four? five? maybe six? notes without moving your arm?

[i]D'aww, I blush. I'd like to hear what you and your Boomerang do! :)[/i]

No, no... you [i]think[/i] you do. But you've no idea of the horror, the horror!

My attempts last night had all the pitch accuracy of... well, a fistful of eels... anesthetized with ether... and stunned by a boomerang.

P.S. Also indebted for your link to Bela Emerson... whose looping work is also inspiring. The both of you are providing a much-needed shot-in-the-arm (or kick-in-the-pants) to re-energize my theremin practice.

You may have noticed Bela is playing Burlington, Vermont on the 15th... hurry and watch her play!

Yikes... and the 16th, too. "Yikes" because this is an extraordinarily bad time for me to try to make the trip. Yes, I know that sounds absurd (she comes over from the UK, and I can't travel 45 minutes?), but I'm up against a make-or-break deadline, and am rather more than 90 minutes behind schedule (to be precise, more like two weeks behind). Damn!