Trying Not to Use My Theremin As a Table thread

...Any redheads wander into your playing field, Diggy?

Thomas--your post above raises a question: does it work better to have the volume antenna tilted back toward the player a bit?

Yes, it does help, at least for me, anyway, given the way my fingers work. I think the RCA's evin had theirs tilted evin further back than on the E Standard, and evin the E Pro.

Thanks, Thomas. Looking at the control panel for my Theremax kit, I see that the box will be thick enough to allow me to tilt the volume antenna. Actually, it wouldn't be difficult to make it adjustable if I only secured the forward end inside the case, and drilled holes for the back end. I might do that. I will have to consider the stresses on my wrists.

Keep in mind, that the hight of the theremin plays an important roll in determining the best, most omfortable angle to set your volume plate at as well. You don't want to be bending your wrists up, or having to raise your arms too high to reach the volume plate. For me, the best hight for the theremin sets my forearm to a nearly horizontal position, and the volume plate is just slightly below my elbow.

That's about what I figured--but I anticipated that with the forearm and hand level it would be best to have the volume loop level as well. Not so?

Um, not "quite" so. The only time you'd want a completely horizontal volume plate, is if the theremin is set to a hight of at, or below belt level, in which case your forearm would be pointing down at about a -10 to -15 degree angle.

Having the volume plate tilted back towards you when your arm is horizontal keeps the closer portion of the volume plate down, and out of the way, allowing for more precision in dynamics.

Rule of thumb, I think is, the lower the theremin relative to the performer, the flatter the volume loop, or plate can be. the higher it is, the more you need it tilted to you. (kind of like a pipe organ with lots of manuals. The higher they are, the more angled they are for easier access.

Also, having the front of the loop lower than the back make it comfortable to drop your hand down and back to play staccato at the side of the loop where the volume field is narrowest.

Thank you, gentlemen. I will aim for about a 20 degree angle. I see that I had not considered the space between the hand and the antenna at the point that the volume has fallen to a negligible level; and (not surprisingly) the staccato technique was unknown to me.

You can hear - but not, unfortunately, see - some staccato playing on youTube - Pamelia Kurstin, playing solo theremin with a looper. Ms Kurstin also plays the double bass, as it happens, but this is all theremin, including the rather sombre bass line.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQPYwPd-y_Q