Alternating Knuckle Extension Method

Hi Msylvestro!  Theremin-playing got you down, huh?  Welcome to the club!

Regarding knuckle extensions:  They enable a legato, mask the glissandi, and allow one an almost effortless means to play out-of-tune pitches.

Enjoy!

Thanks :) but what do you mean with "allow one an almost effortless means to play out-of-tune pitches."?

Now what's really funny, I can't participate in this thread.

Use what talent you possess:

The woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best.  ~Author unknown

molly wrote: "You did NOT encourage him/her one bit.  To the contrary, you pointed out how unlikely it is that he/she will ever be able to play well....."

You're right, molly......my bad! I was pissed off. It's been raining all day and I decided to attempt a theremin transcription of the tenor aria "Di rigori armato il seno..." from the first act of Richard Strauss' opera DER ROSENKAVALIER, using Goldberg's RCA and the E-H Talking Machine.

I failed.

My inner conductor kept saying "Slow down!" while my inner Pavarotti kept insisting, "Speed up!" and my inner critic kept exclaiming, WTF!

Meanwhile the dogs were upset because it was pouring and we couldn't go for our usual afternoon walk & swim. 

I am very skeptical about people's appraisals of their own musicianship and musical accomplishments in the absence of some sort of audio recording or video of a performance. So often I have heard people claim that some particular technique or other worked wonders for their theremin playing, and it all sounds great until you actually hear them play. 

The only possible conclusion is that the poor deluded souls are deaf!

They are, however, having fun and being themselves.

http://www.peterpringle.com/music/rosenk.mp3

Well, since no one except Peter is allowed to discuss any aspect of theremin playing, Jason must change the name of the website to Theremin Building World.

Oh...that's right...none of the techies know anything about how a theremin should sound either unless Peter plays it for them.

I guess that settles it...Jason might as well just shut the whole website down.

HEllo there :)

I have been playing for 14 months now, and I am still learning every day that I play. I have some sort of knuckle extension technique but since my fingers are short ( I have the hand size of a 10 year old girl), I have to somewhat stretch part of my fingers to reachnotes. I know this technique is somewhat complex for the brain to master and difficult for the hands to follow, but in due time, after many hours of practice, your hands and brain will be in sync and suddenly, things will fall into place and make more sense. What was hard for me (and still is) was to add expression and dynamics without pumping my hand (or dipping the volume hand) in between each note that I play. I am a singer firstly and that is what I am bringing to the theremin, so it is somewhat a normal reaction for me trying to shape every note like I sing on the theremin... Anyways...

Don't despair, when I started here, I also felt that I was told by other much seasoned players that I could never play this instrument well, to not be surprised if I abandon it after a while because it is too hard. I am sort of proud to report that after 14 months, I play pretty darn well in my opinion. So take things with a grain of salt, enjoy your journey and make the best out of it. I am learning every day on the theremin and it is a joy to unfold and witness! 

Lately I haven't been in the absolute greatest frame-of-mind regarding my own theremin-playing.  My comment was an attempt at humor.

The truth that underlies the humor is that while some techniques lend themselves to accuracy to play accurately and on pitch requires one to cultivate a keen sense of pitch.

My advice is just to take a deep breath -- life has its ups and downs.  To play any instrument well is a struggle.  Don't let it get you down.

"My advice is just to take a deep breath -- life has its ups and downs."- Kkissinger

When I read that, this song was instantly playing in my head -

Take a breath - Take a deep breath now.. (David Gilmore on U-Tube)

"When your down is when you find yourself..."  Yeah! Too damn true!

Fred

I think that Pringle guy is a pompous pain the ass! Who the hell does he think he is anyway?!

Why do people take him so seriously? I certainly don't.

"Why do people take him so seriously?"

Because, whether he knows it or not, he is one of the most skilled theremin players who has ever lived.

IMO, He doesnt seem confident of this fact, alas - Seems to be driven to assert his "superiority" even though he has absolutely no need to.

Fred.