Navrags progress (or lack of same...)

Thanks for the comments Alexander! You are right. I can hear the bum notes.. just can't seem to avoid them :^)

I have been trying to get the right hand accuracy, but haven't really even thought too much about the left. I am more of a windows than a Linux... not much good at multi-tasking.. That will take a bit of work.

Bristol seems to be a bit of a Theremin hot spot. I have a friend who owns a guitar shop there (Rikkaxe), so I go over there not infrequently. If you ever need any gear, he is good at sourcing it.

Good first recording. I'm hearing a little uncertainty, hesitancy, but that is most likely down to confidence.

Just remember that when you are at the theremin you are mystically transformed into a wizard of pitch and volume, and the audience, real or imagined, are going to love every moment! Now PLAY!

(And if you're not confident, fake it. You'll fool yourself too.)

:-)

[i]I have a friend who owns a guitar shop there (Rikkaxe), so I go over there not infrequently. If you ever need any gear, he is good at sourcing it.[/i]

Aye, I know the one. I do nip in there on occasion :)

alexander> Next time you are in there, tell Richard that you know Garvan (or Bernard if he is there) and I am sure he will look after you. (Navrag - Garvan if you haven't worked that out already).

The words of "She Moved Through The Fair" are wonderful. An easy to get version would be the one by "All About Eve" on their first album. The nicest version would be by Louis Stewart from "Out On His Own", but this is a jazz guitar intrumental, and is very difficult to get..

Gordon> Confidence? I am about to put a crap audio file out in front of the worlds greatest Theremin players... Damn right I lack confidence! I really appreciate the fact you guys will even listen to my little recording, much less say anything nice about it!

RensD - The guy who tried to play the Swan ( and on the second go made a pretty good attempt at it) is way ahead of me...

Navrag,

Great progress -- you have accomplished in a week what many struggle for months to accomplish. You are off to a strong start!

[i]-- Kevin[/i]

Thanks Kevin. Your (and Thomas Grillo's) videos have been a great help in starting up..

One problem I have been having is unconsciously moving my body, which makes me lose my position. What do you guys find is the best posture to take, so that you don't a) get tired easily, or b) change your tuning unnecessarily?

One approach to avoid fatigue is to accept the notion that, unless you are in a boat or in an earthquake, your body won't move much when you are just standing.

When playing most other instruments, say a flute or trumpet, one can move with the rhythm of the music without upsetting the intonation. However, such movements don't contribute to an "on pitch" theremin performance.

When you play the theremin, focus your attention on the sound -- listen to every nuance and don't worry about your torso's movements. I think what causes stress is the fear of motion rather than the motion itself. Fear not!

[i]-- Kevin[/i]

Navrag wrote: [i]"10/31/2007 11:08:46 PM
Holloween 2008. I performed two hour long gigs for two different houses. Everyone kept wanting to know if I was real. It was a lot of fun."

Halloween 2008?? Not only a great Thereminist, but also a time traveller!![/i]

That IS the spirit Garvan!
I like it! Great!
We should play together. :-)

Ok.. 2 1/2 weeks in. I am still getting lots of bum notes, and my timing is still terrible.

The tune BTW is a song written by my grandmother, and recorded on "His Master's Voice". It was actually a big hit in Ireland and overseas when it originally came out on a 78 RPM. I still see quite a few on Ebay every so often.. I hope she isn't turning in her grave at my treatment of it...

The Spinning Wheel (http://www.box.net/shared/fadkkanrxy)

How wonderful to have a personal connection to such a lovely tune.

You had to mention His Master's Voice [i]before[/i] I listened to the track though, didn't you. So even before I started listening I thought - "it's going to sound like the dog's joining in."

[img]http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:VDzbS00ylTBWdM:http://www.audio-libra.at/images/His_Masters_Voice_web.jpg[/img]

Well, even with a slightly tainted preconception I have to report - darned good for 2 1/2 weeks!

You're quite right about intonation and timing - starts off good, ends up reasonable, but I think you took a wrong turn approaching the middle and had to run to catch up with the rest of the marching band. :-)

Don't sweat it though - you already play proper tunes better than I do!

One thought to add to the many things on your mind (it's like learning to drive a car, isn't it - all those things to think about at once, after a while they mostly become automatic) - the theremin has an infinite bow, as they say, which means you can play continuously without any breaks for as long as you like. It can end up being hard work for the listener. So, just to add to the complexity, on the theremin you have to consciously play the rests as well as the notes.