Unconventional Theremin Method Book

I have published a short(*) Theremin Method on Scribd.

The Beat Frequency Method (http://www.scribd.com/doc/12949949/The-Beat-Frequency-Method)

It is an outline of the techniques I used in recording The Chordless Chord. (iTunes link (http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=289453199&s=143444))

I do not think it will be of any interest to classical thereminists.



(*) About 5000 words - it takes my computer about three quarters of an hour to read it aloud.

sounds great ! Thanks a lot Gordon !

I need time to read it in details but it's a very interesting initiative. Maybe a french translation could be useful. ;) I can try to do it...but without garantee.

Thanks, Gordon, I really enjoyed reading that. Very well put together. Although the latter half is mainly for non-classical players, the first half has some valuable observations for all players, I think.

Thank you both. :-)

Ether-jean, if a French translation were to appear I would feel very honoured.

In the mean time, I'd just like to share my favourite bit of Peter Pringle's review over on levnet.

[i]Thanks, however, to Gordon's inexhaustible wit, objectivity, and imagination (not to mention his ability to make very sophisticated concepts easily comprehensible), I found this work to be an amusing, well-written romp through the world of an experimental thereminist.

Gordon is careful to point out at the start of this essay that "This document is not intended for the classical thereminist". Indeed, it is not, but it will certainly be of interest to anyone who is seriously involved with the theremin, regardless of the kind of music they like to play.[/i]

:-)

I'm considering printing up a few copies at lulu.com - would anyone like a numbered, limited edition saddle-bound A5 soft-back copy of TBFM at five UK pounds plus p&p from the UK?

(Depending on how much it weighs p&p might be up to £3.00 - still a heck of a lot less than Lulu ask to ship single units from the U.S.)

email me - gordonc at theremin dot org dot uk

I'll let you know if there's enough interest in a couple of weeks, if I am happy with the copy I just ordered for myself.

Gordon

I really enjoyed reading this 'book' Gordon!

The caveman analogy, however, got my mind going severely "off topic" LOL!.. You did hint that a Theremin in the stone age was not realistic, but thats like telling me not to think of the colour blue..

2001 A Space.. Imagine the 'ape' holding a Theremin rather than the bone/stick/whatever.. Then I also got thinking - The finder of the Theremin would either become a 'god' or be exterminated by his companions for possessing a possessed box..
Or he/she may not have used it for music at all - he/she may have gone back to Lev's starting point, and used it as an alarm to warn of someone/thing getting close to the cave entrance..

Love the book - Will gladly buy a signed copy if you print/post it @ <£10

Hi Fred,

So far uptake on the printed version has been slow. If, as appears likely, there are not enough pre-orders to justify a print run by the time I have received a proof then I will make it available on Lulu on Print On Demand and cut my margins to keep it below a tenner for the benefit of collectors of theremin ephemera. (More than I wanted to ask, but c'est la vie.)

Haha. Yes, the caveman. You caught me - I rather dwelled on that myself. It is difficult to think of cavemen and space technology without thinking about [i]that[/i] book/film. I started wondering if [i]the monolith[/i] was fitted with capacitive sensors.

Then I thought about the possibility of his finding a naturally occurring theremin such as the Patagonian Shrieking Cactus ([i]Pyrrhocactus straussianus[/i]) but that felt ludicrous. How would one photosynthesize in a cave?

(There are two horses in a bar. One says to the other, "There are two dogs in a bar and one says to the other..." The other horse says "That's ludicrous. Dogs can't talk.")

I do agree though about the door alarm. I see cavemen as primarily very practical people. When I learned about the acoustic effects associated with cave markings that I mentioned my first thoughts were "audio-visual teaching aid" and "intercom" respectively. Perhaps The Flintstones is a more accurate representation than we imagine.

By the way, for those yet to see it, if you go via my blog entry (http://beat-frequency.blogspot.com/2009/03/beat-frequency-method.html), you now get instructions for optimal viewing. Very simple.

[i]"I started wondering if the monolith was fitted with capacitive sensors."[/i]

.. Seriously risking going completely off topic (I do try to avoid hijacking - but it seems to be in my blood..;).. The one scene in the film which I found offensive, was the connection between the monolith and the use of intellegence / technology for violence.. I do not believe we got to our 'status' by bullying - we got where we are by cooperation, teamwork and creativity... The Theremin would, I think, be a far better instrument to represent this.

I had a look at your interesting blog.. One comment I must make.. The Vogons must now have lost their claim to greatness.. "soupcon" lyrics must be, by far, the most horrible piece of poetry ever written in this galaxy!

Thank you. It is a very [i]special[/i] gift that I have been blessed with. :-)

2001 would have been a rather different film if they had focussed on the Bonobo aspects of early man's nature, rather than his Chimpanzee side.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand...

Twenty days after ordering a copy from lulu.com, a parcel arrived.

From Spain.

Lulu Enterprises have an office at 26-28 Hammersmith Grove, London W6 7BA. It is fifteen miles from my house.

This is not the reason I won't be recommending Lulu to people.

This is the reason...


This is the message I sent to their help desk...


[i]The book you shipped to me is not the book I ordered - The Beat Frequency Method, ID 6322326.

You sent me the wrong book. The book you sent me has "Arata Yuukoku" written on the cover. It is a Japanese comic book.

I have posted a picture of the book you sent me on flickr so that you can see it is the wrong book.

This is a link to the picture of the wrong book - the one that you sent to me...

[/i]http://tinyurl.com/TheWrongBook[i]

Please send me the right book. The right book is The Beat Frequency Method by Gordon Charlton.[/i]


Ugh. Silly people.

[update]

They responded within 30 minutes to say a new copy was on its way. Previously they took 20 days to send the wrong book. I wonder how long it will take this time.

Does anyone want to buy a naff comic book? The cover is the best bit of it.

[/update]