Moog Theremini!

Wow!  I have always wanted to learn the theremin.  I am a senior.  I have sung in bands, played percussion and some guitar and have wanted to learn this amazing instrument for a long time.  My husband just gave me the Theremini as a present.  Enthusiastic, I have uploaded Clara Rockmore's book, and have been searching on line for more ways to learn and be an excited beginner.   I found this group and immediately joined.    I made it to page two of this forum, and just had to stop.  A little grace and understanding might be a better way to engage people to move through a beginner stage to the "real" thing.  The negativity and snobbishness here is quite the damper.  Disappointing.

There is a wealth of good information in the archives of this forum, but depending on what you were reading you may not be wrong in your assessment.  This forum is largely unmoderated and it is in my opinion suffering because of that.  And I've said before that this forum seems to have a higher per-capita number of "personalities". If your perception is that beginners are being treated badly I would hope that you would give it another chance.

But don't be put off by it, and don't let it affect your enthusiasm.  The theremin is a wildly fascinating instrument to play, and even when it might sound like a wailing cat to others there is something deeply satisfying about just playing by yourself.  Check out all of the YouTube tutorial videos by Caroline Eyck and others, and listen to the performances of Katica Illenyi, Randy George, Peter Pringle, and of course Clara Rockmore, and many others.

Quite a few of us are seniors here and are more than happy to talk about beginner stuff since a good number of us are beginners. Give it a try.

There is a wealth of good information in the archives of this forum, but depending on what you were reading you may not be wrong in your assessment.  This forum is largely unmoderated and it is in my opinion suffering because of that.  And I've said before that this forum seems to have a higher per-capita number of "personalities". If your perception is that beginners are being treated badly I would hope that you would give it another chance.But don't be put off by it, and don't let it affect your enthusiasm.  The theremin is a wildly fascinating instrument to play, and even when it might sound like a wailing cat to others there is something deeply satisfying about just playing by yourself.  Check out all of the YouTube tutorial videos by Caroline Eyck and others, and listen to the performances of Katica Illenyi, Randy George, Peter Pringle, and of course Clara Rockmore, and many others.Quite a few of us are seniors here and are more than happy to talk about beginner stuff since a good number of us are beginners. Give it a try.

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond in this way.  I definitely will look for what you have suggested.  That was one of the reasons I was interested in joining a group of other people intrigued and enthused by this instrument.  My husband also gave me a headset to wear while I practice, LOL.  Are there particular forums here that  you would suggest for me to connect as a beginner using the apparently unpopular Theremini?  Thanks again for reaching out.

Jocre8, I think I am in love with you, maybe we met at the summer of love in 1967. You must visit Theremaniacs on Facebook, full of very warm and non-judgmental people. Almost 1000 active members.

Do not know if this link will work but start here.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/Theremaniacs/

Christopher

Edit: zz- now that was really funny.

You might find more of what you are looking for at the Moog forums (https://forum.moogmusic.com/ and go down to the theremin subgroup).  I've never owned a Theremini but I'm guessing you may have run across some of the discussions here where it was getting trashed.  Although it may have somewhat cramped pitch and volume fields compare to some other theremins, you can still learn a lot with it and have fun doing it.  If and when you progress to a different instrument you will have to make adjustments to your playing technique, but that happens with just about any theremin.

Theremin World could stand to have some active discussions about playing technique, so don't be afraid to ask questions over here, too. These topics need to be rejuvenated from time to time for new members and old.  

"I made it to page two of this forum, and just had to stop.  A little grace and understanding might be a better way to engage people to move through a beginner stage to the "real" thing.  The negativity and snobbishness here is quite the damper.  Disappointing."  - Jocre8

Most people here are helpful almost to a fault.  Like any group, it can take some time to understand the various personalities. 

This thread perhaps isn't the best for a Theremini owner to start at, it's quite critical of the instrument itself (for various reasons, some of which are subjective, many of which have merit).  Emotions can run high when people are discussing something they are passionate about.

Welcome!

Jocre8, I think I am in love with you, maybe we met at the summer of love in 1967. You must visit Theremaniacs on Facebook, full of very warm and non-judgmental people. Almost 1000 active members.Do not know if this link will work but start here.https://www.facebook.com/groups/Theremaniacs/ChristopherEdit: zz- now that was really funny.

Great, thanks for the resource,  I will definitely check it out!!

Jocre8, I think I am in love with you, maybe we met at the summer of love in 1967. You must visit Theremaniacs on Facebook, full of very warm and non-judgmental people. Almost 1000 active members.Do not know if this link will work but start here.https://www.facebook.com/groups/Theremaniacs/ChristopherEdit: zz- now that was really funny.

Great, thanks for the resource,  I will definitely check it out!!

You might find more of what you are looking for at the Moog forums (https://forum.moogmusic.com/ and go down to the theremin subgroup).  I've never owned a Theremini but I'm guessing you may have run across some of the discussions here where it was getting trashed.  Although it may have somewhat cramped pitch and volume fields compare to some other theremins, you can still learn a lot with it and have fun doing it.  If and when you progress to a different instrument you will have to make adjustments to your playing technique, but that happens with just about any theremin. Theremin World could stand to have some active discussions about playing technique, so don't be afraid to ask questions over here, too. These topics need to be rejuvenated from time to time for new members and old.

Again, thank you.  This is wonderful!  And welcoming!!

"I made it to page two of this forum, and just had to stop.  A little grace and understanding might be a better way to engage people to move through a beginner stage to the "real" thing.  The negativity and snobbishness here is quite the damper.  Disappointing."  - Jocre8Most people here are helpful almost to a fault.  Like any group, it can take some time to understand the various personalities.  This thread perhaps isn't the best for a Theremini owner to start at, it's quite critical of the instrument itself (for various reasons, some of which are subjective, many of which have merit).  Emotions can run high when people are discussing something they are passionate about.Welcome!

Thank you for the clarification.  I went to that one because of its title, maybe more clarification in the title would help.  Thanks for the welcome, it is appreciated.