[i]He felt that way until he saw me play with one of my other bands and now he gets it. Aside from microtones and expressiveness you can't quite get on a synth there is a definite visual excitement about watching someone play theremin that you don;t get when they are just pressing keys.[/i]
But you get the same excitement watching a pianist, right?
There's a definite difference between "operating" and "playing". I think the fact that the player is as much a part of the sound being made as the instrument is what gives that excitement.
Because it's electronic I think the Theremin is all too readily thrown in with the concept of synthesis, and the search for certain sounds. I love electronic music but I feel that view of the Theremin is somewhat amusical.
The funny thing is, electronic musicians nowadays are seeking more and more involvement in the music they make. There's a lot of devices coming out now that are designed to "react" to the player rather than be controlled by them, and the electronica communities are getting all excited about that. The theremin's mode of control is treated as a novelty, but ironically I think automation is a novelty that's wearing off, and performers are seeking more tactile and involving ways of playing. Which is sort of a return to square one, and so we come to the Theremin.
So I don't think that watching someone hit keys is innately more boring than watching someone play Theremin, but considering that the Theremin is a lot more exciting to play than the average synthesizer, I think that translates to the audience very well. If synths had the same capacity for expressiveness as other instruments, I think we'd feel the same way about watching them.
But you get the same excitement watching a pianist, right?
There's a definite difference between "operating" and "playing". I think the fact that the player is as much a part of the sound being made as the instrument is what gives that excitement.
Because it's electronic I think the Theremin is all too readily thrown in with the concept of synthesis, and the search for certain sounds. I love electronic music but I feel that view of the Theremin is somewhat amusical.
The funny thing is, electronic musicians nowadays are seeking more and more involvement in the music they make. There's a lot of devices coming out now that are designed to "react" to the player rather than be controlled by them, and the electronica communities are getting all excited about that. The theremin's mode of control is treated as a novelty, but ironically I think automation is a novelty that's wearing off, and performers are seeking more tactile and involving ways of playing. Which is sort of a return to square one, and so we come to the Theremin.
So I don't think that watching someone hit keys is innately more boring than watching someone play Theremin, but considering that the Theremin is a lot more exciting to play than the average synthesizer, I think that translates to the audience very well. If synths had the same capacity for expressiveness as other instruments, I think we'd feel the same way about watching them.
